Over the past eight posts we have laid out in detail how one major Australian art platform structures its terms to extract maximum value from the artists it depends on. We have sourced every claim from Bluethumb's own public documents. We have compared those terms to other industries. And we have made the case - plainly and directly - that what has been normalised in the art world is not normal anywhere else.
But this is not only about Bluethumb. The art industry has been doing versions of this to artists for a very long time, in very many ways. And most of those experiences never become public. They are absorbed as private losses, private humiliations, private lessons learned too late. The artist who paid a booth fee under 24-hour pressure and watched the fair close its Australian operation. The artist who promoted a platform for three years and left with nothing they could take with them. The artist who paid commission on a sale they had already made themselves. The artist who handed over work for an exhibition and was charged for the privilege of showing it.
Silence protects the system. It tells the next artist walking in that the terms are normal, that the loss was their fault, that this is just how the industry works. It is not how it has to work. And it is not how Solene Haus works.
What is the Burnt by the Art Industry series?
Burnt by the Art Industry is a content series collecting real stories from Australian artists about exploitation, unfair terms, and financial loss within the art industry. It was created by an artist who has 26 years of independent practice, whose work has been featured in British Vogue, World of Interiors, and House and Garden UK - and who has also invested in systems that took that money and gave nothing in return.
The series exists because the experiences that feel too shameful to talk about are exactly the experiences that need to be spoken aloud. Not to name and shame individual people, but to document the structural practices that make those experiences possible - and to make sure the next artist can see them coming.
What kinds of stories are we collecting?
If any of these sound familiar, we want to hear from you:
- Paying to exhibit at a fair that charged high booth fees, delivered minimal marketing, took commission on sales, and then closed its Australian operation
- Being charged commission by a platform on a sale you made entirely independently
- Building a following on a platform for years and discovering you cannot take any of it with you when you leave
- Paying for promotional packages on an art platform and seeing no return
- Having your prices controlled by a platform's terms across your own channels
- Being told you owe commission on a sale that happened off-platform
- Paying representation fees to a gallery and receiving no meaningful support
- Having your artwork images used by a platform without specific consent for each use
- Any experience where the art industry took from you in a way that felt wrong but you were told was normal
How to submit
Submissions can be made with your name and permission to publish, or completely anonymously. Every story will be treated with respect. The goal is documentation and collective education - not individual exposure.
We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. But we believe that artists who understand what has happened to others are better equipped to protect themselves - and that the art industry's relationship with the people who create its product needs to change.
If you have been burnt, we want to hear about it.
Submit your story - Burnt by the Art Industry →
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit anonymously?
Yes. You can submit your story with or without attribution. If you prefer your story to be published anonymously, simply say so in your submission and no identifying details will be included.
What will happen to my story?
Stories may be published as part of the Burnt by the Art Industry series on Solene Haus, with your permission. The aim is to document industry practices and provide information that helps artists make more informed decisions - not to identify or target individuals.
What if my experience is with a platform not discussed in this series?
All experiences are welcome. The series is not limited to any specific platform or type of exploitation. If the art industry took from you in a way that felt wrong, your story belongs here.
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