Matthew Attard’s Work Featured and Sold in Europe’s Leading Philanthropic Art Auction
The fourth edition of the TOP CHARITY Auction, organised by Poland- and Malta-based philanthropist Omenaa Mensah and the OmenaArt Foundation, reached new heights this year, raising nearly €14 million in support of international philanthropic initiatives. Held in Poland, the event is now considered the largest charity auction in Europe, bringing together leading figures from business, art, and culture to advance social impact through creativity.
TOP CHARITY 2025 has set a new benchmark for philanthropic engagement in Central Europe. What began as a Polish response to the war in Ukraine has evolved into a global movement. Thirty percent of the funds raised will support the Philanthropic Consortium, Europe’s first platform uniting over 60 NGOs and working in partnership with organisations such as the Obama Foundation, the Rafa Nadal Foundation, and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. The remaining seventy percent will contribute to a newly created endowment fund, designed to ensure long-term support for philanthropic projects.
Among the featured artists was Matthew Attard, whose work Follow the Ship (2024), a 127-minute digital video piece, sold for over €35,000 at the auction. The artwork is a newly developed piece derived from I Will Follow the Ship, the project with which Attard represented Malta at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024.
The work explores the intersection of digital technology, heritage, and drawing. Using eye-tracking technology, Attard retraced historic ship engravings etched into Maltese architecture, effectively drawing with his gaze. These movements were translated into evolving digital visualisations that reflect on authorship, perception, and our growing dependence on technological systems.
Matthew Attard (b. 1987), currently represented by Galleria Michela Rizzo in Venice, has exhibited in major cultural centres including Venice, Rome, London, Beijing, Los Angeles and Cape Town. His practice examines images as cultural constructs, employing technology to push the boundaries of visual language and to question the artist’s role in an algorithm-driven era.
The inclusion of Attard’s work reflects the broader vision of LuginsLand of Art, a Poland-and Malta-based initiative supported by the OmenaArt Foundation, which is actively working to position Malta as a centre for creative cultural exchange. Through this platform, the Foundation has made it a mission to integrate Maltese artists into its international programme and auctions, offering them opportunities for global recognition and collaboration.
Luginsland of Art’s cultural initiatives in Malta have included a three-month site-specific exhibition at Villa Luginsland, featuring over nine Polish and Maltese artists, paired with an educational outreach programme, participation in maltabiennale.art 2024, and the development of artist residency programmes in Malta and Gozo. They have also recently facilitated the loan of a sculpture by Polish artist Ida Karkoszka, now permanently installed in Valletta’s city ditch, promoting greater public access to and engagement with the arts in civic spaces.
Luginsland of Art is currently working on expanding its activities in Malta through a series of new events and projects dedicated to art and cultural dialogue, artistic presentation, and international exchange.
The auction overall featured 15 extraordinary artworks and 10 unique experiences. The top-selling artwork, a sculpture by Pablo Atchugarry, reached €720,000. Yves Scherer, a visual artist based in New York City, exhibited his piece Imagine, which had a starting bid of €50,000 and was ultimately sold for €130,000. His work confronts the integrity of existence, blending elements of antiquity with the contemporary. In both sculptural forms and lenticular works, different realities are blurred and presented as one. Complexity orbits simplicity, encapsulated by avid desire. Perception, both biological and cultural, is questioned and dismantled as viewers reevaluate notions of depiction itself.
The gala’s main partner was Dictador, with actor and creative director Will Smith appearing as special guest, further elevating the event’s international profile.
Hosts Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska expressed their deep gratitude to participants and supporters, emphasising the growing role of philanthropy within the business and cultural sectors.
“Every guest at the gala contributes to significant social change, not only invigorating the economy and creating jobs but also sharing their wealth responsibly,” remarked Omenaa Mensah.
Launched in 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine, the TOP CHARITY Auction continues to set new standards for how philanthropy, art, and entrepreneurship can work together to drive meaningful impact, both locally and globally.
