Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 4 CULTURE JOHANNA Barthet is a Maltese artist working mainly in paint- ing. Known for her figurative work, contemporary portraits and unique mode of expression, Barthet has a passion for the human form and capturing the emotional side of the characters in her paintings. Barthet studied art from a very young age and attended various courses in Malta, but she is main- ly self-taught. Drawing inspira- tion from fashion editorials and social media platforms, she rein- terprets the subjects in her own manner and simultaneously cre- ates a distinctive mood in each one of her works. Barthet's style has been likened to the move- ments of the early 20th century and she is considered as one of Malta's most fascinating artists of contemporary portraiture. About the exhibition: "NOW /you /see /me"is a collec- tion of paintings within a time- line of 4 years, 4 years that were of an upheaval for me on a per- sonal level, eventually also im- pacting my artistic performance. in 2019 i had my very first solo exhibition and immediately af- ter that i began to experience episodes of anxiety and panic at- tacks. i sought comfort in a huge number of very spontaneous drawings on wooden blocks,all 15 x 15cm in size. after a few months i gave these drawings color, giving birth to the works displayed in this exhibition to- day. the small squares depicted all types of personalities n dif- ferent faces. these continued to be of comfort especially during the covid lockdown periods, pos- sibly giving some kind of human connection in a time where as humans we were physically sep- arated, a period of time, where like so many other people, i cld feel the decline of my mental health. after that surreal period came a lull in my work, a period of dryness n silence reflecting my very own state of mind. fast forward to summer 2023, some- thing propelled me to find the strength to revisit these works, expressing a newfound passion n intensity in their execution. now you see me saw me through phases of darkness n loneliness n then exploded again after a pe- riod of self discovery n healing. the works want you to look at them, "see me, make of us what you will. stare at us while we stare back at you. now you see me." Johanna Barthet's fourth solo exhibition is currently taking place at studio 87 liesse hill val- letta until the 10th november. her previous exhibitions were "the little shop upstairs" at il kamra ta fuq mqabba in 2022, "dreamscapes" at desko valletta in 2021 and "stories untold" in 2019 at palazzo depiro in mdi- na. Johanna Barthet's fourth solo exhibition on display in Valletta Malta heads to Venice Biennale with solo show by Matthew Attard MALTESE artist Matthew At- tard will represent Malta at the prestigious 60th Venice Bien- nale with his solo show I will follow the ship, an AI-driven artwork. The solo show consists of a new art commission weaving to- gether cultural heritage and cut- ting-edge AI-driven technology, co-curated by Italian American curator Sara Dolfi Agostini and Maltese curator Elyse Tonna. Maria Galea and Galleria Miche- la Rizzo shall oversee the Project Management. Artist Matthew Attard said the project explores ideas of human existence and survival at the point of convergence between history and future, physical ex- perience, and digital input. It originates from his latest ex- plorations into AI and drawing technology, fused with his in- terest for historical images of ex-voto ship graffiti, vernacular iconographies which speak of ancient local tales of faith and salvation across the Mediterra- nean. "Located on the facades of sev- eral wayside chapels on the is- lands, these ephemeral etchings in stone were possibly crafted by seafarers because of the religious significance and political immu- nity these buildings offered. The meanings and values of these anonymous ship drawings re- verberate in our present times, where computer technology and the internet have propelled mass artistic emancipation and over- turned traditional local centres of power," Attard said. This point of departure for At- tard's project is billed to offer spectators a digital interaction together with collective specu- lative thinking about the future. The ship graffiti, unique to Mal- ta, resonate with many cultures whose relationship with the sea has been - and still is - crucial, as evidenced by Venice's own such 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 embed- ded in human consciousness, drift in the middle of the Pavil- ion to reveal what hides behind screens and beliefs," Attard said. Mary Ann Cauchi, Arts Coun- cil director for funding and strategy, said Malta's participa- tion at the Biennale strengthens Maltese arts and culture interna- tionally while actively promoting the creative and cultural sector. "Matthew Attard's exhibition brings Maltese cultural heritage together with the technology of artificial intelligence. It's an honour for Arts Council Mal- ta to be the commissioner, and give its full support to such an important event in the world of arts and culture, and the Coun- cil shall strive to continue to put Malta, and its artists, on the in- ternational map." Speaking at the launch, arts minister Owen Bonnici said this will be the first time that the na- tional pavilion will be entrusted to a solo Maltese artist. "Mat- thew Attard's project explores ideas of human existence and survival at the point of conver- gence between history and the future, the physical experience and the digital input." The Evaluation Board mem- bers were Perit Adrian Mamo, artistic director at the Manoel Theatre, Dr Katya Micallef, cu- rator at MUZA, and Daniel Azz- opardi, artistic director at Spaz- ju Kreattiv. The evaluation was chaired by Mary Ann Cauchi. The artist Matthew Attard (third from left) next to curator Sara Dolfi Agostini and arts minister Owen Bonnici