Arts Council Malta is pleased to announce that Maltese artist Matthew Attard (b. 1987) will represent
Malta at this year’s prestigious 60th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia (Biennale Arte
2024). This will be the first time that the national pavilion is entrusted to a solo Maltese artist. The
exhibition, entitled I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP, consists of a newly commissioned artwork weaving
together cultural heritage and cutting-edge digital technology and is co-curated by Elyse Tonna (MLT) (b.
1990) and Sara Dolfi Agostini (ITL-USA) (b. 1983).
Delivered by the youngest team to ever represent Malta at the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di
Venezia, I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP incorporates contemporary drawing, historical references and digital
technology, originating from Attard’s latest explorations into AI and digital technology as a form of drawing.
The project takes its inspiration from Attard’s interest in historical images of ‘ex-voto’ (a votive offering of
gratitude or devotion) ship graffiti, vernacular iconographies which speak of ancient local tales of faith and
salvation across the Mediterranean. Located on the facades of wayside chapels throughout Malta, it is
thought that these ship graffiti, ephemeral etchings in stone, were crafted by seafarers due to the religious
significance and political immunity these buildings offered. These maritime graffiti resonate with many
cultures whose relationship with the sea has been - and still is - crucial. The ship remains a unifying
metaphor of hope for survival.
Seeking to dissect humanity’s relationship with artificial intelligence and digital technology, the title also
hints at the interplay between “I” and “eye”, symbolising both the objective and subjective nature of Attard’s
work. It also refers to Attard’s adaptation of a digital eye-tracking device as a means for drawing, offering a
parallel between these tangible historical drawings on stone and contemporary digital drawing. Both are a
form of tracing, sometimes unintentional, always ephemeral or immaterial, human actions across time.
I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP, located within this year’s Malta Pavilion at the Arsenale, will take the form of a
multi-layered installation, overlapping physical and virtual environments. The artworks will tackle aspects
of authorship, perception, digitalisation and the hybridisation of humans and machines. In response to the
ever-growing use of AI that dominates contemporary society, I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP challenges our
blind faith in techno-symbiotic relationships. The artworks displayed will explore the convergence of
contemporary drawing, digital technology and historical imagery.

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 take on a new symbolic meaning. With I WILL FOLLOW THE SHIP,
the Malta Pavilion at the Biennale Arte 2024 presents a platform to discuss notions of authorship and
image-making in art, all while critically rethinking forms of agency and cohabitation to navigate the
uncharted waters of the information society.