A new online art gallery launches today showcasing some of the country’s most sought-after contemporary fine art. The Allura Art website is presented by award-winning arts organisation Allura and features original pieces from both emerging and established fine artists, exposing them to a world-wide audience. Allura’s founder Laura Swale explains why, in an evolving global marketplace, artists must embrace change if they are to meet the expectations of local and international art-lovers seeking high quality, affordable art.

Until recently, Allura was more or less unknown. But today, while technically still a start-up, it has become a multi-award-winning arts organisation. In its mission to showcase creative talent in fresh and engaging ways, Allura has won a series of awards for its innovative approach to bringing the Arts to a wider audience. These include a Medal for Creativity from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, first and second prizes for creativity in the Malta Intellectual Property Awards, a place in the finals of the Social Impact Awards Malta and shortlisting in the Innovation category of Il-Premju għall-Arti, Arts Council Malta’s national arts awards.

Allura is perhaps best known for The Trail, a festival-style visual arts experience which took place in 2018, presenting over fifty artists in 20 pop-up ‘open studios,’ all sharing their creative process with the visiting public. A similar event was scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19.

Allura was established by British artist and entrepreneur Laura Swale. Impressed by the creative talent she discovered when she moved to Malta in 2016, she felt it deserved an international audience. Swale started her career in art at a gallery, then spent fifteen years as a secondary school art teacher, moving up to head of department. Now a writer specialising in the Arts, she is a judge on the panels of several art prizes, a regular guest speaker at the University of Malta and a practising fine artist.

Swale founded Allura based on the concept of the ‘open studio,’ which she describes as a “fresh take on the traditional gallery format.” This involves inviting the public into the artist’s workplace, either in person or virtually, to meet them while they work. While a typical gallery emphasises the finished artwork, Swale explains that, increasingly, art-lovers are just as interested in the artists themselves, the ideas behind their work and the creative processes involved in making it.

“The art market has changed. Buyers expect new artwork to be presented in context. They want to see the artists and be given a glimpse into the making of the work. According to the Hiscox online art trade report 2019, 73% of under 35s said that the posts by artists and their studio had the biggest influence when buying an artwork. With Allura we want to create meaningful and engaging connections between artists and buyers by getting artists to open up and share more of themselves and their practice. We do this by publishing studio visits, interviews and painting sessions online.”

But Swale has discovered that not every artist is receptive to the idea of opening up. While most relish the chance to talk about their work, some are either unaware of its value or resistant to the idea. “Some artists are camera-shy and some prefer to keep their methods a secret, which I can understand. But these artists would be doing themselves a great service by sharing just a little of who they are and what they do. Making a genuine connection with potential buyers brings artists one step closer to making a living from their work.”

The new website was established as a support mechanism for artists and addresses some of the issues they face. “For a small country, the number of local artists is surprisingly high. The Cultural Participation Survey of 2016 revealed that almost a quarter of Malta’s population considers itself to be an artist. Local artists are competing with each other for a very limited pool of collectors, and those looking to expand their market must tackle a series of obstacles in order to reach a wider audience. This is where Allura steps in.”

“Given that Malta relies so heavily on Facebook, most artists with a Facebook page for their portfolio do not see the need for a separate website for their art. Of the few who do have a website, even fewer have an online store, or a payment system buyers can trust. The small number who do might not have the time, inclination, resources or skills to plug into the international market or may not know how to promote themselves effectively. Even if they do, without a gallery to represent them in a professional manner and to vouch for the authenticity of their artwork, online buyers are unlikely to feel confident buying work directly from the artist. As consumers, we want our payments to be secure and our purchases to arrive safely. Shipping, insurance, legal and consumer rights are all complex subjects for artists to navigate alone.”

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“All things considered, reaching a global audience can be a daunting prospect for an individual artist, and so Allura’s role is to bridge the gap. We support artists by providing them with an online profile and portfolio, photographic, videography, writing, curating, marketing and shipping services as well as a secure online payment service buyers can trust. Faced with an increasingly saturated local art market, Allura works to lift the barriers preventing artists from selling overseas, to help fulfil their dreams of going professional.”

To ensure visibility for its artists on the international stage, Allura has partnered with the world’s most successful online art platform. Multi-gallery website Artsy is ranked as the number one most visited art marketplace on Google. Presence on Artsy exposes Allura’s artists to the 2.2 million visits the website receives each month from art enthusiasts and collectors in more than 160 countries.

“The Artsy partnership is just one piece of the jigsaw. The online art market is growing consistently year on year and to tap into it, understanding social media is crucial. While Pinterest, Youtube and Facebook all feature art-related content, Instagram is by far the social media platform of choice for those seeking new artwork to purchase online. But it’s not just about where to be seen, it’s about what is seen - the way in which people are introduced to the work. Where possible our online content will be driven by the open studio approach. While these in-person activities are somewhat restricted at present due to COVID-19, they will take place as soon as it is appropriate.”

Allura Art launches with a cohort of Malta-based artists, both Maltese and international, which it plans to add to in the coming weeks. The website features established names alongside up and coming talent. The handpicked selection includes published, critically acclaimed and prize-winning artists. The artists currently represented are Andrew Borg, Fabio Borg, Rosette Bonello, Debbie Bonello, Bogdan Dyulgerov, Christine Porter Lofaro, Christopher Saliba, Andrew Smith and Dagmara Zaczeniuk.

“Artists are represented by invitation only. Each artist constitutes quite an investment of time and resources on our part, so we are highly selective. Not only do we headhunt exceptional talent, we target those who are prolific and committed to honing their craft. Artists who produce regular work are constantly sharpening their skills and therefore more likely to stay current and fresh. I really am very proud to be working with the gifted artists we have chosen so far, each of whom creates unique and exceptional art. But we are also in talks with other artists with a view to bringing them on board.”

“COVID-19 has prevented us from staging a physical launch event, but we look forward to marking the occasion at a future date when public events are deemed safe. Going forward we have ambitious plans for Allura Art. Although currently Malta-based, it is very scalable and we plan to expand into other countries to become a multinational online gallery.”

“I’m excited about the future, not just on behalf of our artists, but also because Allura Art is great news for buyers. Many of us like the idea of buying original art, but whether it’s for our home, office, rental property or even a gift for a fellow art-lover, it can be a challenge to find something suitable. Even if we know what we are looking for, we want to be confident the artist is reputable, that quality is guaranteed and that our chosen artwork is fairly priced. Allura Art features only original, one-off pieces from carefully selected artists. Both artists and artworks are subject to quality assurance procedures for production, authentication and pricing, so while genre, style and media may vary, quality does not. Collectors will also be looking to invest in what I call ‘watch this space’ artists, those who are building a name for themselves and whose work will appreciate in value. The professional biographies on the Allura Art website give an excellent introduction to each artist to help art-lovers make informed decisions. An original painting is a thing of beauty, it can send a message, make a statement or elevate a space. I am confident we have found some of the finest current work there is, but as we all know, art is highly subjective. It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I would invite anyone who appreciates the value of original art to come and take a look and decide for themselves.”

For original fine art by locally based artists visit the Allura Art website at www.allura-art.com. Find Allura on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AlluraMalta or Instagram at @allura_malta. Contact Allura at info@allura.mt or +356 99583389. Allura offers international shipping or local delivery throughout Malta and Gozo.