Artists in Lockdown | A Series of Interviews with Irish and International Artists

A new project by David Archbold launching on 24th July 2020 on davidarchbold.com 

Artists in Lockdown is a series of interviews with over 30 artists discussing how the ongoing global crisis and lockdown have impacted their artistic practice and life over the past few months.  

Artists in Lockdown captures an intimate and, at times, profoundly personal insight into the lives of artists during lockdown. It is a collection of unique and intriguing experiences from the perspective of artists from various disciplines (painters, sculptors, printmakers, illustrators, designers, photographers, street-artists, and other visual artists).  

While heavily focusing on Irish artists, including Cian McLoughlin, Joe Caslin, Maser and Threadstories, this project also includes artists from Australia, Nigeria, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, and the US, including artists such as Arinze Stanley and Fabio La Fauci. 

This project sheds light on the impact of the limitations and restrictions faced by artists and how they coped with lockdown. On the one hand, artists were faced with the inevitable struggle with motivation while self-isolating. Some artists produced little to no work as they devoted time to self-care, restructuring and planning ahead. On the other hand, lockdown bred a new creative drive in artists as they experimented with unconventional materials and alternative mediums and methodologies, while facing the challenge of showcasing their work almost exclusively through social media.  

The global crisis also directly influenced their art. Some artists created work conceptualizing the daunting impact of the pandemic, while others were inspired by the hope and resilience of the people. 

The project will be launching on davidarchbold.com, the new website for arts professional David Archbold. Having graduated with an MA in Art History, David has worked in some of Dublin’s prominent art galleries such as the Hang Tough Gallery and the Origin Gallery, as well as having project-managed public and private art collections.