The exhibition no one saw – artists speak on coping with closures

With so many exhibitions cancelled, ArtsHub spoke to artists about the knock-on effects of gallery closures, and the toll it's taking on their careers (and bank balances).
Ben Quilty The Beach, installation view Tolano Galleries, 2021.

Digital artist Deborah Kelly put her hand up for six; painter Ben Quilty put his hand up for two. For glass artist Brenden Scott French it was zero, and it’s looking the same for ceramicist Honor Freeman. These are the number of days these artists’ works were shown, before their exhibitions closed due to lockdowns.

For Caroline Rothwell the magic number was five – but that’s not five days, that’s five exhibitions.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina