Young artists

These are difficult times for young, starting artists. You could already read part of it in the letters that the six starting artists write to each other in our section 'Starting up'. Through these artists we can better understand what is going on among start-up makers and how they move in a world that others have shaped for them. We, and hopefully you, are very happy to follow them. 

Through these artists, we can better understand what's going on among startup makers and how they move in a world that others have shaped for them

For many young artists, the corona crisis has made starting an artistic practice difficult or perhaps impossible. The Raad voor Cultuur (Council for Culture) also delved into the lives of starting artists and spoke with nearly forty young makers from all disciplines. Conclusion: "The picture that emerges from the interviews is more intense and worrisome than previously thought".
The council sees it as a moral duty of society and the cultural and creative sector as a whole to prevent this generation of young makers from being lost and calls for solidarity from educators, producers, programmers and governments. On May 23 it became clear that politicians are also aware of the vulnerable position of young makers. 

It was the day we had long looked forward to, but thought might never come. State Secretary Gunay Uslu of Culture and Media presented her recovery plan for the sector and announced that an additional 135 million euros will go to culture this year, an amount that will subsequently rise to 170 million euros extra per year. Of this amount, 9.9 million euros will be set aside for starting makers, to give them a chance to find a stage or workplace and build a career. 

A moral imperative to prevent this generation of young creators from being lost

The interviews that the Cultural Council had with the young makers show that this is no unnecessary luxury. Conversations in which, among other things, dejection and fatigue emerged. Young makers are either suffering from burn-out or can no longer cope. The pressure is sometimes so high that it stands in the way of creative development, and the institutions are eliminating the queues (for exhibitions that were previously unable to take place), so that new makers are not given a chance to get involved, while the new generation of makers is already knocking on the doors. The council warns of a lost generation of makers. 

The pressure is sometimes so high that it gets in the way of creative development

Thus, the situation of starting artists is worrisome. As mentioned, through the "Startup" section and thanks to the six startup artists participating in it, we are trying to BK Information view of the professional lives of young makers. We will continue to follow these six creators in the upcoming issues, a second round, and are eager to see what will have changed for them. 

As every year, in the June issue we show work of graduates of Dutch art academies

And just like every year, we show in the June issue work by graduates of Dutch art academies. We again received many submissions: the work we could not show in this issue we will take to the July issue. But be sure to check out the graduation work of these new young colleagues in the country for yourself.