Renowned international visual artist Laura Cionci came to Australia to present the 'State of Grace' art exhibition, which is centred around the theme of healing, directly connected to her ongoing battle with cancer.
However, some art festivals where she was meant to present her exhibition were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And so was her flight back to Italy, leaving her stranded in Melbourne.
"My physical condition is very fragile, which is why I am at risk [of contracting COVID-19]," Ms Cionci told SBS Italian.
Highlights
- Italian artist Laura Cionci is stuck in Australia after the art events where she was to present her exhibition got cancelled
- Her lung cancer makes her particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and she is now receiving help from friends and strangers
- The art industry in Australia has lost an estimated $316 million in revenue so far since the beginning of COVID-19
She overcame pancreatic cancer in 2015 and is now fighting lung cancer, which was diagnosed in 2018.
"Luckily, I have friends who are helping me. They are hosting me in their home in Frankston, near Melbourne."
"However, I'm not sure how to bear the daily expenses," she added. "I have a very particular diet that I have to follow [which is] quite expensive".
So, she decided to set up an online fundraising campaign to raise $2,000 to support herself while she is Australia.
Having already raised close to $1,000 in just one day, she is very impressed by the support she is receiving, including from Multicultural Arts Victoria.
"I don't know how long I have to stay here," she says.
"I will continue to work on my projects as I have done so far, bringing art and experiences to Italy as well as Australia, the country that is currently saving me from a situation of global crisis. I feel very lucky already," she adds.
Multicultural Arts Victoria CEO Veronica Pardo says many artists in Australia are out of work and international artists are in dire straits as they have no access to any type of government support.
"It's important to understand that these people are guests in our country," says Ms Pardo.
"They don’t have access to the same support system that local artists do have so it's important to think about how do we support them and MAV is really committed to supporting our local artists are well as our international artists who are here with us during this difficult time," she told SBS Italian.
Ms Pardo says due to Ms Cionci's visa conditions, she is allowed to only work as an artist and she can't do any other kind of work while she is in Australia.
'I lost my gig'
She says MAV doesn't have the exact number of artists affected due to the COVID-19 situation but the loss of income is estimated to be of hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to the website 'I lost my gig', $316 million is the financial loss due to the cancellation of art and cultural events due since the start of the COVID-19.
"It's a very dire picture across the arts," Ms Pardo says.
If it's bad for local artists, imagine how bad it is for international artists that have been left stranded here because their flight has been cancelled, they cannot return home and they don't have access to any of the support network that local artists do.
"So we are concerned about these people and we are wanting to help".
Ms Cionci says she'd like to go back to Italy as soon as it's viable, even considering how badly Italy has been hit by the virus, and also to continue her cancer check-ups in a Milan hospital.
She says the Italian Consulate has contacted her twice letting her know that they are trying to find a way for her and others in a similar situation to be able to return to Italy.
In the meantime, she's very thankful for all the support received in Australia.
"I have been saved twice, really. Once from cancer and now quarantining in Australia".
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