Survey reveals 80% of Colombian art field have considered leaving

A survey conducted by esferapublica between November 24 and 28, 2025, via Instagram Stories, reveals that 80% of respondents in the Colombian art field have considered leaving. The survey, the third and final in a series on the economics of the art field, asked four linked questions with a 24-hour response window each. Participation ranged from 360 to 250 responses per question among active subscribers of @esferapublica. Reasons for leaving are dominated by financial issues and exhaustion, together accounting for 87% of responses. Symbolic reasons like recognition or frustrated expectations account for only 13%. Temporally, 82% have no defined timeline for leaving, while only 2% say they might leave soon. The gap between considering leaving and having a tentative exit date is 75 percentage points. Reasons for staying are split: 50% cite their practice, 20% say leaving would be too costly, and only 11% mention community ties. The survey indicates that economic reasons drive the desire to leave, while practice or the cost of leaving keep people in the field. The narrative of the Colombian art field as a network of affections is largely irrelevant to decisions about staying or leaving.