Do galleries have a responsibility to commission work?

Risk and new creative territory are core to commissioning for some institutions, building visibility and viability in the arts ecosystem.
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Chen Qiulin, One Hundred Names (2016), exhibition view 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Courtesy the artist and A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, Chengdu. Photo Document Photography

To keep our arts ecosystem strong, organisations need to be commissioning new work that is in sync with our times, from the local to an international perspective. This not only secures the livelihood of artists but also that of the organisation by ensuring visibility of its programming and building vitality as a destination.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina