A Dealer Barred a Curator From Her Art Fair Booth Because Asians Are ‘Seen as Carriers’ of Coronavirus. A Firestorm Erupted

A New York art dealer has been dropped from the Affordable Art
Fair’s forthcoming London edition after she disinvited an Asian
curator from working at her booth out of concern that his presence
would scare away fairgoers worried about the coronavirus.

“The coronavirus is causing much anxiety everywhere, and fairly
or not, Asians are being seen as carriers of the virus,” dealer
Raquelle Azran, who runs a Vietnamese contemporary art gallery,
wrote in an email to curator An Nguyen.

“Your presence on the stand would unfortunately create
hesitation on the part of the audience to enter the exhibition
space.”

In a statement provided to the Independent,
which first reported the story, a spokesperson from the Affordable
Art Fair in London said Azran would no longer be at the
event.

“We have now spoken to the gallery and they will no longer be
exhibiting at the fair next week,” the spokesperson said.

“I apologize unreservedly for any offense caused by my actions,”
Azran said in a statement to Artnet News. “They were insensitive
and in hindsight reflected poor judgement for me to cancel An
Nguyen joining my stand as an assistant. I will no longer be
exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair next week. I shall continue,
as I have over the past two decades, to encourage and exhibit
Vietnamese artists and help them achieve the recognition they
deserve.”

As of press time, Ngyuen had responded to inquiries from
Artnet News.

Some art fairs have been canceled
outright in response to the coronavirus, including Art Basel
Hong Kong and the London Book Fair, both of which were slated to
open this month.

The organizers of Art Dubai have
postponed the commercial portion of their event, but will hold
a slimmed-down program of talks during the originally scheduled
March dates.

The post A Dealer Barred a Curator From Her Art Fair Booth
Because Asians Are ‘Seen as Carriers’ of Coronavirus. A Firestorm
Erupted appeared first on artnet News.