There are many members of our community who at the start of 2020 called themselves artists. Some were working artists, funded by their work, by grants, by exhibitions funded by companies - all imperfect in their own individual ways.
Most of those artists will no longer be funded when you hear this. Pandemic, recession, and government decision has and will cause a reaping of the arts community. Artists will have to turn their hand to other things for paying work. But will they cease to be artists? Will they cease to have a voice?
Gabrielle de Vietri shares her story of the 2014 Sydney Biennale, her excitement on being selected, her two years preparing her work, the bitter pill of learning of the event sponsorship and its connection with the Manus and Nauru detention camps. Her decision to retract her work, and what it says about the power of art that the decision to not show it possibly achieved more than the art itself ever could.
Artbreaker is a program dedicated to the arts community as it faces and is affected by the climate crisis, and the 2014 Sydney Biennale Boycott was just one dramatic example of this.
If you're a working artist, former artist, or a creator not comfortable with the artist label, we'd love to hear from you and work to adapt a story for the show.
Credits:
Gabrielle de Vietri - https://www.gabrielledevietri.net/
Marty Gallagher - https://echidnaaudio.com/
Mark Spencer - www.climactic.com.au
Jacob Richards/Puscha - https://puscha.bandcamp.com/
Bronwyn Johnson and Catriona Black-Dinham - Climarte
