Global art showcase The Other Art Fair left artists with nowhere to exhibit their prepared work after it cancelled its Brisbane event that was set to open on November 6.
The recent cancellation of the event, which exhibits hundreds of artists at fairs across Australia, the United States and Europe, has left both artists and attendees concerned about the ability of those who were to be exhibited to generate an income.
Bruno Valente, a Sydney-based painter registered for the art fair, was required to find alternative options to sell the 15 paintings he expected to show at the 4-day event, and said the cancellation impacted his potential for further sales and artistic growth.
“It was definitely unfortunate because it would have been a new base of people that I would have got in touch with,” he said.
“I would have made a few connections and sales.”
Art collector Justine Hughes added to Valente’s sentiment, saying that the cancelled show will cause a disconnect between artists and their customers, which could jeopardise their ongoing sales.
“I’m more inclined to buy directly from the artist if I can,” Mrs Hughes said.
“I think it helps when you buy a piece of art that you get to know the artist and the story behind it, you feel like you can relate to the actual piece a lot better.”
According to Creative Australia, the main source of income for visual artists is the sale of their artwork, accounting for 65 per cent of their earnings.
Mr Valente, who had success at the Sydney and Melbourne exhibits, said that artists not only faced a loss of direct income but also missed out on the advertising involved in the fair.
“Usually, those bigger companies have advertising teams…whereas now I have to dedicate a bit more time to take care of that part of the business,” he said.
“I guess in the long run it’s going to help cause then you have multiple sources coming in.”
