The Sydney arts centre Carriageworks has gone into voluntary administration after Covid-19 shutdowns resulted in an “irreparable loss of income”. One of the largest multi-arts centres in Australia, Carriageworks is known for hosting a huge range of creative exhibits and festivals. Since New South Wales placed bans on large gatherings in mid-March, Carriageworks has been forced to cancel or postpone all its major upcoming events, including the Sydney writers’ festival, Mercedes-Benz fashion week Australia and its popular weekend markets. As a result, the company released a statement on Monday announcing that it had appointed voluntary administrators. “Carriageworks generates 75% of its revenue outside of government funding, primarily through on-site events and programs,” a spokesperson said. “The sudden cancellation or postponement of six months of activities due to restrictions on public gatherings has resulted in an irreparable loss of income.” The chief executive, Blair French, said the company had stood down all its casual staff and half of its permanent workforce. “[We] asked those remaining to move to a three-day week. Focusing on essential work only we have been striving to find a way through the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown,” he said. “During this time [Carriageworks] has become a Sydney institution attracting one million visitors a year to the site in Redfern and up to 5,000 people every Saturday to the Carriageworks Farmers Market. But with restrictions on social gatherings likely to remain in place for some time to come, the Board determined that it had no alternative but to place the company into Voluntary Administration.” French said he was hopeful Carriageworks would be able to reopen when the lockdown lifted. This is the first NSW major arts centre to shut down, and the state government has not announced any specific stimulus packages for the arts sector. The premier, Gladys Berejilklian, did not address the closure of Carriageworks at her press conference on Tuesday. Phil Quinlan and Morgan Kelly from the KPMG accounting firm have been appointed as administrators. Quinlan said he would be “exploring the possibility of a Deed of Company Arrangement to stabilise Carriageworks’ financial position”. “All options are on the table for consideration,” he said.