A reflection on the biblical figure chosen by the crowd over an innocent man, Barabba explores themes of betrayal, democracy, and alienation. Do people abandon their deepest values for money, for the most marketed and glittering option? Are we still swayed by spectacle, popularity, or empty promises?
“Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas.”
—Luke 23:18
In Barabba, I revisit the ancient cry of the crowd, a moment when the public chose to free a known criminal instead of an innocent man. This digital collage, composed from fragments of my own face, challenges not just a historical event but an enduring pattern: the tendency to elevate what is popular, marketable or comforting over what is true, just or inconvenient.
The visual chaos of paint, torn slogans and fragmented text reflects a world oversaturated with noise, spectacle and contradiction. Embedded phrases like “Rape Malta” and “il-poplu dejjem jagħżel lil Barabba” (the people always choose Barabbas) expose the raw intersections between media, nationalism and public will. These textual elements do not decorate, they accuse. They point to disillusionment, cultural erosion and the persistent human instinct to trade justice for convenience when the crowd is loud enough.
In the upper right corner, the profile of Morgan (Marco Castoldi) appears like a whisper of defiance, while the silhouette of Mario Vella, frontman of Brikkuni, stands as a shadow of resistance. Both figures deeply shaped my own path towards dissidence during those formative years. Their words, presence and unflinching stance against conformity helped frame this work not only as critique, but as personal declaration.
By placing my own image at the centre, fragmented and layered with their influence, I place myself within this moral and cultural dilemma. I am not just a critic, I am implicated. The piece becomes a mirror, of self, society and the uneasy choices that shape both.
As Morgan once said:
“If you let the people decide, they will always choose Barabbas.”
Barabba invites a confrontation with that unsettling truth. What guides our choices: conscience or comfort? Substance or image? It is not just a question of who Barabbas was, but who he has become in our time.
