Matthew Attard: I will follow the ship. 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia

I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP is the catalogue of the Malta Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, on view from April 20 through November 24, 2024. Matthew Attard's solo show consisting of a new art commission weaving together cultural heritage and cutting-edge AI-driven technology, will be co-curated by Maltese curator Elyse Tonna and Italian-American curator Sara Dolfi Agostini.

The project explores ideas of human existence and survival at the point of convergence between history and future, physical experience, and digital input. It originates from the artist's latest explorations into AI and drawing technology, fused with his interest for historical images of ex-voto ship graffiti, vernacular iconographies which speak of ancient local tales of faith and salvation across the Mediterranean and located on the facades of several wayside chapels on the islands. This is the point of departure of Attard's project for the Malta Pavilion, conceived to catalyze the attention of the spectator via technological devices which allow for digital interaction and collective speculative thinking about the future In fact, the ship graffiti are unique to Malta, yet resonate with many cultures whose relationship with the sea has been-and still is-crucial, as evidenced by Venice's own inscriptions. At a time of climate change, rising sea levels, and questions of people's place in a hyper-technological world, these humble marks of hope, root metaphors deeply embedded in human consciousness, drift in the middle of the Pavilion to reveal what hides behind screens and beliefs.

Texts by Elyse Tonna, Domenico Quaranta, Matthew Attard, Caesar Attard, Sara Dolfi Agostini, Glen Calleja, Joey Borg, Halmann Vella