Navigating Art And Innovation: Malta’s Pavilion At The 2024 Venice Biennale
Minister for the Arts, Owen Bonnici inaugurated the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale in Italy. The Pavilion was commissioned by the Maltese Arts Council where Malta is represented by artist Matthew Attard and his innovative project “I Will Follow the Ship.”
Attard’s exhibition showcases Maltese cultural heritage through artificial intelligence technology. The co-curators of “I Will Follow the Ship” are Elyse Tonna and Sara Dolfi Agostini. Maria Galea and Galleria Michela Rizzo oversee the project management, Vincenzo Casali is the consulting expert, and Joey Borg is responsible for project programming and software development.
Minister Bonnici, in his speech explained that La Biennale di Venezia is one of the most prestigious international institutions in the cultural sector for presenting and promoting contemporary art. He noted that after a long absence of 17 years, Malta returned to the Venice Biennale in 2017, as well as in 2019 and 2022.
He referred to the significant government investment in Malta’s arts and culture sectors, highlighting unprecedented growth in careers in creative and cultural fields between 2022 and 2023, with a 13% increase. He stated that this trend is positive and encouraging.
He emphasised the advancement of the visual arts sector, citing the opening of MUŻA in 2018, the launch of the first edition of maltabiennale.art this year, and the upcoming opening of MICAS. He asserted that this is all investment in our artists and creative sector.
Minister Bonnici concluded by thanking the Maltese Arts Council, stating that the Council plays a crucial role in promoting local artists both in Malta and abroad.
He also thanked Mary Ann Cauchi, Director of Funds and Strategy at Arts Council Malta, Dr Romina Delia, the Internationalisation Executive project leading the Malta Pavilion at the Venice Biennale on behalf of at Arts Council Malta, as well as the other members of the International team at ACM, Dr Frank Psaila (communications) and Celine Portelli (support coordinator).
“Matthew Attard is a clear example of a young artist from a small country who has managed to overcome geographical boundaries. His perseverance, determination to succeed, passion for art, and extraordinary talent have brought him to Venice.”, Executive Chairperson of the Maltese Arts Council, Albert Marshall, stated.
He highlighted how the theme of the Biennale is reflected in Malta’s Pavilion, where the focal point was the graffiti of ships’ sails, which, although widespread around Malta and part of our cultural heritage, are also found in many countries around the Mediterranean.
Marshall concluded by thanking the workers of the Maltese Arts Council for their work in organising and coordinating Malta’s Pavilion in Venice.
Artist Matthew Attard expressed his honour in being awarded the first solo pavilion for Malta at La Biennale di Venezia. For this pavilion, he explores the interaction between historical ship graffiti, contemporary painting, and digital technology. By examining historical images through lenses as a painting tool, Attard reflects on contemporary dependence on digital technology.
Co-curator Elyse Tonna, the first Maltese woman curator to be part of Malta’s Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, explained that in “I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP,” ship imagery is materialised as an eternal symbol of hope and possibility, resonating strongly in today’s world of technological progress.
Co-curator Sara Dolfi Agostini stated that Matthew Attard’s work brings the lingua franca of the maritime community into the Biennale, using residual images belonging to Malta, Venice, and beyond as a means of communication spread among the uncharted frontiers and cultures of the unknown society of the information age and its ecological aftermath.
The Venice Art Biennale will run from 20th April to 24th November, 2024.
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