VARIATIONS
Matthew Attard's first solo exhibition in Malta since Venice Biennale
Fresh from the global spotlight of the Venice Biennale, where he represented Malta with the critically acclaimed I Will Follow the Ship, the artist returns to a local audience with renewed momentum and expanded vision. He unveils Variations at R Gallery – his first solo exhibition in Malta since Venice – marking a new chapter in his long-standing investigation into ships, movement, and the layered histories of the Maltese islands. Bridging drawing with emerging technologies such as AI, 3D scanning, and eye-tracking, his latest body of work continues to push the boundaries of image-making while remaining firmly rooted in the physical and cultural landscapes that define Malta. In this interview, he discusses the evolution of his practice, the challenges and poetic potential of digital tools, and the enduring pull of the sea and geology that shape the nation’s borders.
“I have been 3d scanning details of our landscape for quite some time, and I now have the space and time to be developing them into a drawing exploration” – Matthew Attard.
This is your first solo show at a gallery in Malta since representing the country at the Venice Biennale with ‘I Will Follow the Ship’. How does it feel to bring your work back to a Maltese audience?
Last month we opened ‘The Ship (unseen)’ at the Inquisitor’s Palace, as a restaging of ‘I Will Follow the Ship’ curated by Elyse Tonna, and that had felt like a great opportunity to reinterpret certain highlights from the pavilion, while also introducing an opening towards a possible future development of the project. For the show at R Gallery I wanted to exploit this and take it further, and therefore the putting together of the show felt quite exciting.
Your upcoming exhibition at R Gallery, Variations, revisits your ongoing exploration of ships while also introducing a new body of work focused on the Maltese landscape. Can you walk us through this evolution?
Yes, ‘Variations’ continues the ongoing possibilities of image-making relating to the ship project, while also introducing new work that stems from the 3d scanning of landscape elements such as boulders. In some ways, they are parallel projects in their merging of digital technologies with a drawing exploration. I have been 3d scanning details of our landscape for quite some time, and I now have the space and time to be developing them into a drawing exploration.
You often incorporate AI into your process as a creative tool but also with a layer of irony. How does AI shape your work, and what interests you in its possibilities and limitations?
Yes, I am primarily interested in how it affects us. ‘AI is neither artificial nor intelligent’, is a citation from Kate Crawford that informs my perspective of it. I am not interested in using it as a tool that enhances my work, but am rather interested in its glitches and shortcomings as a critical inquiry.
Drawing is a traditional medium, but in Venice you expanded it through eye-tracking technology. How has your approach to drawing continued to develop in this new body of work that you will be presenting?
I am interested in drawing as an activity that is open-ended in nature, and thus, in its exploratory aspects of an ongoing search. As many have conceptualised, drawing is a way of seeing. This is where my primary interest in drawing lies, and part of this exploratory search consists in expanding drawing via other media, such as eye-tracking, AI glitches and 3d scanning, all part of the work in ‘Variations’.
The sea and the rock formations that define the borderlands of the Maltese islands appear frequently in your work. What draws you to these motifs, and why do they continue to be such a persistent source of inspiration?
I go on many walks seeking such motifs and details that they offer. For example, I am interested in looking at the design resulting from the geology’s sedimentation. I am also interested in the heritage of such landscapes, that when drawn out and put in evidence, can perhaps serve as a comment on current environmental and urban issues.
‘Variations’ by Matthew Attard runs until the 30th of January 2026 at R Gallery, 26 Tigné Street, Sliema.
