Influences on the success of Malaysian commercial art gallery: a case study of Segaris Art Center / Muhammad Zulkarnaen Mohd Zaine and Wahiza Abdul Wahid

During the global lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many art galleries worldwide on average have lost more than 70% of their total annual revenue. Art galleries suffered a 77% financial activity downfall in Asia, the second-highest drop recorded worldwide. This impact obliquely caused many commercial art galleries including in Malaysia to despair and cease their operation on promoting art to society. Therefore, the research seeks to identify the factors influencing Malaysian commercial art gallery success using Segaris Art Center as a case study. An in-depth interview with two employees from Segaris Art Centre was conducted to explore their standpoints on the studied topic. As a result, some factors that led to success were identified, namely, cultivating the new artists, staff management, financial management, marketing, and active art activities. It was also found that the art gallery should maximise the utilisation of digital technologies for wide-range engagement and a better interactive gallery experience.