An artistic hub

This is what Norbert Francis Attard – director, manager and founder of the Valletta Contemporary gallery that opened earlier this year – hopes his project will grow into. He shares some of his ideas with Anna Marie Galea.

Artistic director, manager and founder of the Valletta Contemporary, Norbert Francis Attard, cuts a striking figure. Full of passion and love for the space he has lovingly put together piece by piece, he walks me through the gallery’s journey from conception to birth and all the twists and turns that have been taken on the way.

So how did it all begin? “This project is one that I initiated around 10 years ago. As you can imagine, at the beginning the concept was on a much smaller scale. The first property I procured with the purpose of turning it into a gallery was much smaller and then things just developed and everything took its own course.

“Two years later I got the first property, and continued evolving from there. New spaces obviously call for new plans and so the layout and options kept changing and things started becoming more crystallised. There are always new ideas to implement; indeed, there is no shortage of innovative ideas. Even now we are...