Mather & Co explain collaboration with photographer whose portraits have graced Vanity Fair and The Face covers, presented without glass in transformed galleries.
Lorenzo Agius: Framing the Iconic is a celebration of photography as both art and encounter – of what it means to look, and to be seen.
Behind this exhibition is a successful collaboration involving leading exhibition designers Mather & Co, Studjurban, curator Prof. Charlene Vella, Lorenzo Aigus, and the team at Spazju Kreattiv.
Internationally renowned photographer Lorenzo Agius brings his first major retrospective exhibition to Malta this summer, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to experience the iconic portraiture that helped define a generation. Lorenzo Agius: Framing the Iconic celebrates over three decades of visual storytelling, cinematic atmosphere, and emotional depth. The exhibition showcases his most iconic portraits and cinematic moments across four immersive rooms.
Chris Mather, CEO at Mather & Co said: “Working with Lorenzo Agius on this exhibition has been a fantastic opportunity for us at Mather & Co to gain a deeper understanding of Maltese culture, while exploring the mind of a photographer and what goes into creating his iconic shots. Lorenzo’s work captures the moments between the poses, the laughter, the stillness, the spark of something real. We’re proud to have brought this vision to life for visitors to enjoy.”
Agius, who is British born with proud Maltese roots, rose to prominence in the mid-1990s with his arresting portraits of the Trainspotting cast and quickly became one of the most sought-after photographers of his generation. His lens has captured some of the most recognisable figures in contemporary culture – from actors and musicians to fashion icons and global personalities — not in rehearsed poses, but in moments of intimacy, spontaneity, and humour.
Gallery
This exhibition is far more than a showcase of celebrity. As Agius himself insists, “I don’t photograph famous people. I photograph people who happen to be famous.” Curated as a deeply immersive experience, the exhibition draws on Agius’s fine art background and cinematic sensibilities to create a visual narrative that is both painterly and profoundly human. Monumental prints are presented without glass, erasing the traditional barrier between viewer and subject, while ambient projections and spatial interventions transform the galleries into spaces of movement and memory.
The exhibition’s structure mirrors Agius’s own working process: deliberate yet instinctive, composed yet open to chance. Each room has been designed to evoke mood and emotional tempo, echoing the music and mise-en-scène that Agius uses during his shoots. Visitors are encouraged to reflect not only on the final image but also on the invisible rituals that precede it: the conversations, the silences, the moments of shared vulnerability that turn a photograph into a story.
Agius’s portraits have graced the covers of Vanity Fair, The Face, Elle, and many other magazines, yet some of his most compelling works are those lesser-known images that distil the essence of a person in a single frame. His group compositions, often recalling Baroque painting and historical portraiture, reflect his ongoing dialogue with the history of art that is regularly nurtured through visits to institutions such as the Tate and the National Gallery.
For Agius, this exhibition is also a personal homecoming. “I look back at my childhood being raised in the UK by Maltese parents with great affection. It was humble, full of strong values, and it shaped how I work,” he says. “I hope this exhibition inspires young artists in Malta to pursue their vision. If I could do it, so can they.”
