Questioning and reviewing

Poet and playwright William Shakespeare touched on this subject with his now world-famous line from the late 16th-century Romeo and Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet". This is true, of course, with any other name the same association would be evoked as now the word "rose" does. It is not about the word, but about its meaning, the meaning it acquires by what it is, not by what it is called. For example, politician Baudet does not acquire a different meaning through the meaning of his name-'baudet' means 'donkey' in French-though that meaning may evoke a reaction in many people. Even titles of works of art have the meaning they acquire. Magritte regularly asked his club of friends to come up with names for his new works. These were perhaps coined in a state of meanness and over time acquired their meaning, if only that of a mystery.

Questioning a meaning is in the nature of most artists. By the way, also in that of philosophers and scientists. An important quality, the ability to question, to not always take things for granted, for what they appear to be at first sight and always remain critical, so that you can also revise. In this sense, artists have an important social role, which can become even more important when art reaches many more people, so that they too are invited to question things in order to be able to revise them. A good remedy against the success of populism.

Partly at the request of the Minister of Culture, the Council for Culture questioned the current culture system and makes proposals to revise it. This did not come out of the blue. Many of the questions that the minister posed to the Council, such as those concerning artists' fees, talent development and inclusiveness, were originally or in part raised by artists. Who continue to wonder from their being and their profession, regardless of meaning.