THE LIVES OF ARTISTS 2026

Art thrives, but artists struggle.
Lives of the Artists asks how artists survive today — examining pay, precarity and power in a cultural economy that celebrates creativity while eroding the conditions needed to sustain it. Launched during the Venice Biennale, the project opens an urgent public conversation about value, visibility and what comes next for art.

Since 2011 we have involved 400 artists, curators, writers, film makers, critics and creatives, made 41 discussions and talks, 24 performances, 3 exhibitions and made projects in 19 locations including Venice, London, Athens, Tromso Norway, Bournemouth, Folkestone, Margate, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle.