Again, artists step in when politicians fail: Helping Afghanistan
George Gittoes, Ben Quilty, Luke Cornish (aka e.l.k) – they are artists who have jumped into action to lobby for Afghan artists and musicians in the wake of last week’s events.
George Gittoes (with monkey), Hellen Rose, and Jalalabad Yellow House crew. Photo: Waqar Alam.
The world reeled at the speed with which the Taliban descended on Kabul last week, bringing with them a blanket of fear for the future of the nation – especially its women, artists and musicians.
As we were confronted nightly with horrific images curated by our news channels, a coterie of artists were quick to react (one might argue quicker than government cogs). Information at this time is also hard to balance and gauge. So we turned to artists with a connection or history to decipher the pathway forward.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
