Artists and art practices in the recent past: a microscopic view

The COVID-19 pandemic hit – first in China in December 2019, then spreading rapidly to other countries in the early months of 2020 –the health care systems and economies of nations across the world were quickly overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries. Closures of schools, institutions and other learning spaces have impacted more than 94% of the world’s student population. Social distancing and restrictive movement policies have significantly disturbed traditional educational practices. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to pave the way for introducing digital learning. These concern areas were varied for artists in different fields. For example, architects and dancers were more likely to be affected by loss of studio space, while filmmakers were more likely to suffer from lack of access to international markets and festivals. Dancers were also more likely than other artists to report being significantly or critically affected financially (87.5%, compared to 47% for visual artists). All activities have changed from daily routines to art exhibitions. Art exhibitions are a series of activities, the endpoint of the art process. Art-making is an activity that can still be carried out when social restrictions are imposed since it is an individual activity at the studio, usually at home studio. At every career level (emerging, mid-career, established), about 30% of artists said they are concerned about the ongoing personal financial implications of COVID-19.