Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 4 THIS WEEK ART Gallery owner and editor of Artpaper Lily Agius speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about remaining optimistic about the Maltese visual arts scene and maintaining a safe cocoon of art while a pandemic rages in the background Caretaking creation in the What are some of the most obvious ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your operations as a gal- lery owner? Well, the gallery is closed, and I have had to cancel all this year's exhibitions with- out knowing when to lock in the next. I had just sent out the invitations for an exhibition with a group of French artists in collaboration with the French Embassy in Malta when this all happened, so it is a time of limbo. Also, clients do not gener- ally have the appetite to buy art, or are on a lockdown elsewhere waiting to get back to Malta. This has been a time to reboot and assess the future – to be patient for good times ahead. I have spent a lot of time re-thinking the role of a physical gallery means to me, and how to improve online presence. I've started to create the website for my magazine Artpaper, and have been up- dating my Artsy page – which I signed up to for more global exposure – as well as Artzid.com by Maria Galea. These are necessities and safety cushions, but I do miss welcoming guests from all walks of life into my gallery and having a sponta- neous chat about the art within it and the art scene in general. Meeting inspiring people at the gallery has always helped me move forward with confidence and direction – it also leads to new ventures and adds a personal touch that my clients appreciate. I chose my line of work and to open a gallery for that specific reason – to be surrounded by art and people who inspire me. So, even with the lack of sub- stantial sales during this time, I will not let it go that easily without a last fight to stay present and driven. After having to put the exhibitions that I planned for Malta and London aside, I will need to ex- perience and assess the aftermath of this global pandemic in order to be able eval- uate everything properly before making any big business decisions. I have, howev- er, started to prepare for 2021 exhibitions without setting any dates in stone just yet. How would you say that your personal time during Covid-19 has been affected and how have you kept yourself in- spired? One thing that has raised my spirits is watching the world unite. They say, 'a problem shared is a problem halved'. Al- so, the creativity and humour I've seen on social media has kept me smiling. It has not been easy for anyone, for various reasons, but a lot of good has come from all this. We have had the tiniest taste of war-time comradery, which should never be forgotten. It has made me step back and reminisce about times past and family members lost and their immense energy and participa- tion in my life, as well as my family as a whole, it has made me closer to certain friends – affirming that we are all here for each other in hard times. At the time of writing this, the pandem- ic is not over, the shops have opened for the first time today and I'm just hoping for the best and planning for my family's future, as well as dreaming of all the plac- es in the world I would still like to visit. Could you tell us a little bit about your experience as a gallery owner? What are the key steps that have led up to it, and what were some of the most signifi- cant lessons you have learned along the way? I did not have much of a plan at the start. I often do things on a whim following my heart rather than my head. My only wish was to bring international and local art to the Maltese public and to raise the bar for local talent. I also wanted my own exhibi- tion space without any particular display restrictions or rules. It just worked from the start. There was a need for more art exhibitions 15 years ago and the public were very responsive. I began with pho- tography shows from New York by Pat Kurs and the UK by the late Charlie Roff. Strangely, I think photography was better received then with regard to pricing than it is today, so there is still a lot of work with that medium to be done. When I opened my gallery in 2011, I gave up my secure job at The Malta Independ- ent as an editor and sales executive. The satisfaction took over the financial gain, and it remains the same for me today. I did struggle a few years in and returned to my previous job as a freelancer, which was perfect for the time being especially when I had my baby, but I would have never been happy to remain that way and decided to give that up for good to start my own magazine from the gallery – Art- paper. The idea for publication had been brewing in my mind for 10 years, I had been slowly working up the energy and support I needed to produce and publish it – it's been achieved with loyal advertis- ers and talented writers that I've met over the years. Today my work is wholly satisfying. My job is to elevate and support my artists, and to keep the Maltese publication we need and deserve alive. Maltese creatives have something so special and unique to say and the foreign artists and designers who live here have absorbed that and get it too. What do you miss the most about the day-to-day operations of being a gallery "For me life is art and I cannot help but feel it should be like that for everyone"