Since my return to Malta, less than a year ago, I have been trying to absorb the changes that have happened to the Maltese contemporary art scene since I left in 2007.
I must say the changes have been many; a big leap has taken place. More funds have been allocated to culture, we are present in the Venice biennale this year and a new museum will be opening in 2018, just to mention three among many other positive things.
I have always seen the potential for Malta to become a hub for contemporary art, mainly because of our geographic position, at the heart of the Mediterranean, somewhere between Africa and Europe. The mix is visible in our culture, language and landscape.
Malta became particularly interesting to me after the Arab Spring. The Mediterranean region is the birthplace of culture, dating back to the days of Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Phoenicia and Mesopotamia. Throughout history, it has been a link between Europe and Africa and remains so even nowadays. Our geographical location has been key to the link between these two continents all throughout history.
But how does all this reflect in our efforts to internationalise and mix with the rest of the world when it comes to art?
Over this past year, I have thought deeply about our legal frameworks regarding art, our cultural institutions, art education at the University and what is happening here in terms of art.
Malta seems to be deeply set in this very nationalist view of art. Our art has become a by-product of this neoliberal wave that has taken over the country, a means to sell our country to tourists, to the foreign uber rich.
Our notion of art is completely cut off from what is going on in the rest of the world. We live in the 21st century, an era of globalisation, which has also extended to the art world.
The art market is global, the process of making art departs from a globalised state of mind, the art world is global.
Everything happening in the visual art world in Malta has to do with our traditions and our national identity.
Our notion of art is completely cut off from what is going on in the rest of the world
An idea that is completely outdated internationally. Our art history programmes at BA level oblige students to write a thesis about art in Malta or related to Malta. This is also the theme of our national museum.
Recently, while conducting research about the Maltese art market, I was quite shocked by the dismal state of legislation regarding consumer protection and penalties for fake provenance and corruption that is rife on the local market.
Most people do not realise how big the Old Masters’ market is in Malta and, yet, nothing is being done to make the market more transparent in an increasingly financialised art market.
Objects looted from archaeological sites, destroying entire strata and, therefore, without provenance, find their way on the local art market, sold without the slightest control. Works that are falsely attributed or without proper provenance and serious documentation are sold off as originals; no use of internationally-acclaimed authenticators for specific artists is being made.
The lack of legal control exposes the market to be infested with corruption and abuse at the expense of the consumer. The fact that no database with public prices is published means that the pricing of art work is also abusive. The process to obtain an auctioneer licence is simply too lax.
The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage enforces laws that hurt the local market and lays the ground for even more abuse.
Every artwork that enters and leaves the country must either have a permit to be exported or an inspection is held upon entry into the country. The fee is five per cent of the value of the artwork.
This would make sense for any art works and artefacts related to Maltese heritage, such as works by Noletti and other artists relevant to Maltese heritage. However, it simply does not make sense for contemporary art works by living artists.
It paralyses the dialogue that can be made between Malta and the rest of the world locally. It denies people access to international art and enforces insularity. It hurts galleries and independent institutions and makes them uncompetitive with the rest of the world.
It hinders the development of the Maltese art scene. It hinders local artists from having direct contact with international artists.
All these issues are very problematic and put Malta in a protectionist, far right-wing light, a position which most of us would refuse to assume. It is important for us as a nation to refuse this imposed xenophobic rationale, probably stemming from a lack of knowledge of what is happening globally by those who run the system.
The world must fight the rising populism and nationalism on a political level through art.
Art is the nucleus of free speech, it unites people by shedding light on the universal human condition, a threat to the very notion of fascism.
Fascism cannot co-exist with empathy.
Charlotte Agius is a graduate from Sotheby’s Institute of Art and the Sorbonne Paris IV.