When Should You Work For Free?
When the arts sector relies upon free labour from artists and arts workers, how do we have conversations about real job equity and sustainability? Sophia Cai unpacks this question.
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When the arts sector relies upon free labour from artists and arts workers, how do we have conversations about real job equity and sustainability? Sophia Cai unpacks this question.
“Dear 2022, I don’t want to write any more essays about the pandemic. Signed, Sophia Cai.” As we push ourselves to the finish line of 2021, Sophia Cai looks back on the last 12 months, reflecting on a year defined by the swiftness of loss and the struggle for optimism.
Building a personal brand can feel non-negotiable for artists—but is it worth the cost?
“When my editor suggested that I write a year in review column she cautioned me to take it easy on the bad news. We don’t need to be reminded once more that 2020 has been catastrophic. Make it upbeat. I’ll do my best.”
While galleries and museums raced to go digital during our national lockdowns, many artists embraced a slower form of connection: the mail.
When Vincent Namatjira won the 2020 Archibald Prize for portraiture for Stand strong for who you are, his painting of AFL player Adam Goodes, there was a widely held feeling that justice had been done.
Artist and ‘feral trader’ Kate Rich asks: how can artists shake up business as usual?
“We must fight, and we must resist, and we will win again as we have done before.”
As the closure of cities pushes art online, have we really learnt anything new?
