The article vaguely alludes to why this trend could appear but unfortunate it couldn't devote at least a paragraph to it. It's such an important issue, but given that this the industry impacted is considered small and niche it's so under discussed.
Decades of political opposition toward any and all redevelopment of existing low density single family dominated residentially zoned areas has meant that practically all creation of new housing in the major cities of Canada has meant greenfield sprawl or for urban areas, creeping into brownfield redevelopment, rezoning old industrial areas into new condo developments.
The problem with this is that the arts and gallery system has long relied on repurposing old and affordable industrial space into arts production space gallery and performance space. So what we've been seeing as the housing crisis has become more severe, is an increasing amount of destruction and rezoning of irreplaceable industrial land, aiding a shortage of industrial space, badly wanted by the Amazon's of the world too.
So artists are being squeezed on both ends. The shortage of affordable housing is especially severe for low income working artists, and the political solution for solving this problem is to destroy the artist spaces which makes things more expensive for artists too.
This could all be better fixed if we simply left industrial as industrial and actually allowed people to more intensively develop residential homes to meet our housing goals, and add more arts uses into residential areas (because let's be clear, everything mentioned in this article is likely on the down low, breaking municipal bylaws and Provincial liquor laws), but people have been incredibly resistant to this, no matter how much they claim to love the arts etc etc.
CBC has had a few articles related to art and artists recently, I noticed something about cross border tariffs affecting art shows and exhibits.
But I don't understand how art and art galleries aren't just the perfect vehicle for money laundering in certain cases?
I also have a hard time with it, surely a portion of artists are in the trust fund class, I get the vibe that the really successful ones have massive amounts of connections with wealthy groups and can afford to fail. It's hard to relate to some complaints coming from the artist quarter, ie my gallery is getting shut down, my exhibits are getting held at the border.
Surely, there is still the true starving artist. But if you were true low income, lower class, you wouldn't have gone through art school, you'd be trying to survive and working.
Money laundering. It's perfect, anonymous buyer, all of a sudden you have a bunch of money/assets that can get funneled to whoever at your leisure. And famous high status artists are also high status, highly trusted members of society with important connections. I don't have any proof. Does this ever happen?
The article vaguely alludes to why this trend could appear but unfortunate it couldn't devote at least a paragraph to it. It's such an important issue, but given that this the industry impacted is considered small and niche it's so under discussed.
Decades of political opposition toward any and all redevelopment of existing low density single family dominated residentially zoned areas has meant that practically all creation of new housing in the major cities of Canada has meant greenfield sprawl or for urban areas, creeping into brownfield redevelopment, rezoning old industrial areas into new condo developments.
The problem with this is that the arts and gallery system has long relied on repurposing old and affordable industrial space into arts production space gallery and performance space. So what we've been seeing as the housing crisis has become more severe, is an increasing amount of destruction and rezoning of irreplaceable industrial land, aiding a shortage of industrial space, badly wanted by the Amazon's of the world too.
So artists are being squeezed on both ends. The shortage of affordable housing is especially severe for low income working artists, and the political solution for solving this problem is to destroy the artist spaces which makes things more expensive for artists too.
This could all be better fixed if we simply left industrial as industrial and actually allowed people to more intensively develop residential homes to meet our housing goals, and add more arts uses into residential areas (because let's be clear, everything mentioned in this article is likely on the down low, breaking municipal bylaws and Provincial liquor laws), but people have been incredibly resistant to this, no matter how much they claim to love the arts etc etc.
Great that this is a trend. Its also a long tradition in contemporary art. I had my staircase and hallway as a gallery for a couple if years.
Please donate to https://savethecbc2025.ca/ we need your money Americans to support our amazing Olympics coverage thanks!
CBC has had a few articles related to art and artists recently, I noticed something about cross border tariffs affecting art shows and exhibits.
But I don't understand how art and art galleries aren't just the perfect vehicle for money laundering in certain cases?
I also have a hard time with it, surely a portion of artists are in the trust fund class, I get the vibe that the really successful ones have massive amounts of connections with wealthy groups and can afford to fail. It's hard to relate to some complaints coming from the artist quarter, ie my gallery is getting shut down, my exhibits are getting held at the border.
Surely, there is still the true starving artist. But if you were true low income, lower class, you wouldn't have gone through art school, you'd be trying to survive and working.
Money laundering. It's perfect, anonymous buyer, all of a sudden you have a bunch of money/assets that can get funneled to whoever at your leisure. And famous high status artists are also high status, highly trusted members of society with important connections. I don't have any proof. Does this ever happen?
[flagged]