Pi: Constant, irrational and transcendental. Apparently mathematical, if not fundamental.

But apart from indulging in further whimsical rhythmic anecdotes... I stop to ponder on the importance of titles, names, brands.

Branding is key; crucial, for just about anything. With letters, numbers, foreign-sounding words, colour combinations and general randomness bombarding our senses in various typographies on a daily basis, I was curious what a π symbol would have in store for me.

Gallery Pi is a delicious cubbyhole and the coming together of two artists’ unique vision – namely, that of Sergio Muscat and Rupert Cefai.

More like an artist’s studio, this small gallery, found in the capital’s Archbishop Street, is an informal and intimate space which can surprisingly host a considerable number of works. This is not your typical white neutral space all too often associated with modern/contemporary art. Here there is no room for the “breathing of works” or for conventional methods of hanging so crucial to interpretation in a more formal environment. Nevertheless, it works. It is the labour of love. And it shows.

The bright-eyed boys had their hands full before the gallery opened. They wore a look of exhaustion, yet their satisfied smiles revealed nothing but pride.

So what makes one delve into the gallery business? Mr Muscat tells me how this project had been under “discussion” for a very long time.

“There isn’t really anything like this in Valletta. We both believe that Valletta would be a great place to build an artistic community, so we wanted to take the first step in setting up something which will hopefully start a trend. It also provides us with the opp-ortunity to work with emerging and established artists, as well as helping them show their work in a relatively central location.

“We believe that there is a lot of talent in this country which is generally hidden away and unseen. This will hopefully help make that talent more visible.” In addition, “it gives us a place where we can exhibit our own work”.

As an afterthought, the ever-enthusiastic Mr Muscat says that it is also a “fun” project and experience.

He tells me how the location is one of the top aspects to consider when delving into this business. “We had to find a balance between somewhere central but not too expensive to maintain. The location on Archbishop Street is easily accessible... but far enough from the commercial area to not be prohibitively expensive.”

The size of the gallery is another aspect which they had to consider. “Larger locations would also incur greater costs in both conversion and maintenance, so we needed a place which was just about large enough to host around 20 works and had some circulation space.

“Once we found a good location (which is not easy in itself)... we had to restore the place, and make it work as a gallery. At the same time, we started looking up artists, contacting them, gauging interest and requesting work. We put together a basic agreement describing the conditions for participating in this project which was distributed to interested parties.” Other important considerations were the gallery’s safety and security.

Mr Muscat and Mr Cefai mostly tapped into their own artist network when it came to selecting whom to represent. “We try to look for artists who create work which is out of the ordinary. When we approach artists to provide us with work, we would usually encourage them to experiment with new styles and concepts. We are always open to being approached by new artists, of course. We ask for a set of images to be sent together with a short biography, and if selected, we offer the artist a space in the gallery for a period of time.

“Due to space limitations, we usually tend to keep the artists to around five. We are working on improving the efficiency of the space however, which should allow us to exhibit sculpture more effectively, and we are also building a collection of photography and limited edition prints.”

Besides offering the gallery as an exhibition space, they are also offering consultancy services for corporate clients wishing to build an art collection. “Artists represented by the gallery would obviously benefit from such projects. Other projects in the pipeline are a printed catalogue which would be available for viewing at the gallery itself, containing previously exhibited work, and a website containing an online gallery.”

I ask him whether being artists managing artists helps or hinders their business: “I think that in order to run an art gallery, one needs to have an innate passion for it. I believe that being an artist helps transmit that passion into the business. In general, artists are not known for their sharp business skills, however, by delving into this project, we are forced to look at both sides of the coin, which benefits us as artists, and the gallery.

So what has reception been like in the past months since the opening of the gallery’s doors? “The response has been very positive and encouraging, particularly throughout December.

January and February are notoriously slow months for art, so we are using this period to consolidate the business and plan for the year ahead.

“We are planning a number of events throughout the year, starting with one in April. We are also speaking with some artists in order to set up solo shows. However, for the moment, our main focus is on building the infrastructure and promoting the gallery through various channels.”

• Gallery Pi can be found at 47, Archbishop Street, Valletta. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 9.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information contact: info@gallerypi.com or visit: www.gallerypi.com