Shereen Shabnam
Stepping into LOOK AT ME: Framing the Iconic at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta felt like crossing into a world where art, memory, and celebrity merged into one immersive experience. For me, this was not just a retrospective of Lorenzo Agius’s remarkable career. It was a personal journey through faces and stories that have shaped my own cultural memory.
The first thing that struck me was the sheer presence of the portraits. Larger than life, displayed without glass, they felt alive, as if the subjects were there in the room, waiting to be engaged. Seeing some of my favourite personalities up close through Lorenzo’s lens was nothing short of exhilarating.
The famous Trainspotting cast portraits radiated that rebellious, electric energy that defined the 1990s, an era I remember vividly. Then came the familiar faces of global icons like Madonna, David Beckham, the Spice Girls, Jack Nicholson, all captured not in contrived glamour but in unguarded moments of humour, attitude, and humanity.
It was deeply moving to see these images in Malta, knowing that Lorenzo’s own Maltese roots shaped the humility and authenticity behind his practice. Behind every carefully managed public image, his portraits reveal flickers of vulnerability, laughter, or stillness. Those fleeting truths made me feel closer to people I had admired from afar for years.
The exhibition’s design intensified this sense of intimacy. Soundscapes, projections, and clever spatial arrangements evoked the atmosphere of Agius’s shoots, allowing us to step into his process. Each room carried its own emotional temperature, from playful to contemplative, mirroring the rhythm of his subjects’ personalities. At times it felt as though I was standing in a cinematic frame myself, swept into the energy of his creativity.
What resonated most was the dialogue between past and present. His group portraits echoed the grandeur of Baroque painting, while his use of light recalled Old Master portraiture, a reminder that portrait photography, at its best, is not just about capturing likeness but about continuing a centuries-old conversation on how we see and remember people.
For Malta, this exhibition is a milestone: a cultural homecoming that places the nation firmly on the international art map. For me, it was an unforgettable afternoon spent in the company of icons I have long admired, filtered through the artistry of a photographer who understands that to frame the iconic is to frame the human.
LOOK AT ME: Framing the Iconic is not just an exhibition. It is an invitation to connect, to remember, and to celebrate the faces that have defined our times.
