Silence
'To speak is silver, silence is gold' is the age-old saying and as true as it is in many cases, - think for example of Wiebes' statements in Zomergasten - the rule certainly does not apply in all cases. The labor market position of artists is being talked about more and more; it has now become a matter of course. That's a good thing; all artists deserve a better position in the labor market, a better bargaining position, a better income position, and this cannot be talked about enough.
There is much to improve and fortunately politicians now see this too and thanks to many initiatives from the field, there is now not only talk but also action.
Yet there is a friction. As everyone knows, and this is also still often discussed, it was not even that long ago that the culture budget was cut by 200 million euros. There is now another 80 million euros, which is fine, but the fact remains that there is still a huge hole of 120 million euros in the financing of the sector, not counting inflation. Artists notice this in their purses and in the opportunities they have professionally.
That purse is now being worked on. Minister Van Engelshoven announced the Fair Practice Code as a condition of subsidy which, among other things, would allow artists to earn better (see also article on the 2018 Paradiso Lecture). That's fine. But what happens to the opportunities that artists have professionally?
Although money is used very creatively in some sectors, in the creative sector money can only be spent once. This means that if more money is spent on the income position, cuts will have to be made elsewhere; after all, the extra 80 million will not just go to paying artists. For many artists, a decent income is in the offing - and again, that is a good thing - but at the same time that opportunity will be accessible to fewer artists.
The greatest pain will be felt by emerging artists, artists who develop their talent off the beaten path, artists who work off the beaten path, and artists who have erratic career paths. The gap between established artists with acceptable incomes and non-established artists without or with low incomes will widen and solidarity will diminish. Exhibition organizers will struggle with their options, there will be less space for fewer artists, and the alternative circuit will become more of a base - underpaid - than it is today that does not meet the Fair Practice Code can meet and therefore cannot receive a grant.
A Fair Practice Code is fantastic and much needed, but it seems to be a curtain call. An additional 80 million euros is much needed, but that has not solved the crisis in the sector. At best, the sector has been silenced.
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