Cohesion

The summer edition of Boekman (see also Here) is about social cohesion and the role art can play in it. One of the things I took from it is that the formation of social cohesion from the outside, rather than the confirmation of existing social cohesion, can make way for fundamental changes in a society in which there is room for the other. That requires a challenge to prevailing views, values and standards, which in turn requires an open attitude and a willingness to take a surprising, abrasive, sometimes irritating, unknown new look at our reality.

The latter is something autonomous artists are capable of: connecting with what they do not know well, questioning what they do know and confronting their audience with a new perception of reality.

... in practice, the arts are placed in the category where value only really applies if there is an economic gain.

But what if the political course of a country remains the same for a long time, the same politics that determines how and to what extent it supports the arts? How much space can an autonomous artist conquer in that case? Politics then prefers to associate itself with art that confirms its own reality, that confirms the economic and social system. Indeed, in practice the arts are placed in the pigeonhole where value only really counts when there is economic gain.

Politics then prefers to associate itself with art that confirms its own reality....

We know the economic story and it is echoed in society. It is sometimes shocking to see how people and institutions without scruples and referring to the liberal economy try to rake in money on the backs of artists. The most recent example is the sale of accreditations to visual artists. What does that mean? Is it necessary? Who accredits the accrediting body? And who asks for such an accreditation in the first place? It seems to me that only one goal applies here, and that is not the interest of the artist, but self-interest in the form of financial gain.

Tip: use it to set up a fund that supports visual artists who respectfully scour, who are irritating and question everything we do, criticise, wake us up and make us think

Of course, it fits perfectly within our profit-oriented culture: profit as the goal, ignoring content and empathy. Abusing the economically weak is in this reality something that is fine. The profit is shamelessly pocketed.
What does this accrediting institution actually do with the money it acquires? Tip: use it to set up a fund that supports visual artists who respectfully grate, who are irritating and question everything we do, who criticise, who wake us up and make us think, who prevent us from falling asleep and who prevent us from being just satisfied with how 'it' is or just so dissatisfied that we buy things we don't need at all.