CALL FOR A EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF FREE ARTISTS
In the modern era, associations of free artists and collectives served largely the purpose of
creating possibilities and representing the artists' specific interests. Without the concentrated power of such unions, the artists' needs and requirements would unlikely been taken into account in any way.
The existence of such collectives and associations alone broke up antiquated structures. This created room for new, contemporary ideas and styles that replaced the outdated art forms. The19th Century secessionist movements rebelled against the prevailing views of the ruling elite thus marking the dawn of modernism. This is exactly how artists should contribute to the advancement of art.
It is never enough to just create a piece of art, it must also be seen and acknowledged by the wider audience. In modern times, this concept has increasingly been dissociated from the producers of art and was established as a sphere of its own.
Art curation and management is in itself surely an inherently honorable activity. However, this role seems to have become much more important than the works of art or their producers themselves.
The art agents and curators have set themselves up as the rulers of the development of art, imposing conditions over the art producers. If the independent artists do not abide by those rules, they will not be promoted on the market or to the general public.
Today, the so-called art communications partners stand between the consumers and the producers of art. Their responsibility should be to ensure that visual arts and other forms of artistic expression are subsidised by the government and contribute to the cultural education of our society. What art communications partners really do however is monopolise and block off access to financial sources. Like this, the artist's share in the market is subject to contracts and business calculations.
This alliance is trumped by prudent art investors who position their treasured arts collections on the market with calculated precision, and advocating against the possibility of diversifying art.
Very few artists are being channeled through this bottleneck of the art industry - and only as long as they make more and more money. Periodically a selected number of short-lived hypes are produced that are being kept up for a while by imitators and followers. Then, the stage is set for the next cycle, and the next generation of artists is called up. This is one of the main reasons why it is nowadays almost impossible for an artist to live in a stable and secure personal environment. Having to rely on subsidy, for example for an artist's workshop, is commonplace. Having to make a living from non-arts jobs is considered normal. And there's more: huge amounts of money being pumped into a few hyped artists. Poverty among the other art producers is universally accepted in the public domain. It is praised to the skies as idealism and cynically lauded as a creative element of the arts.
Nowadays, artists' associations tend to get pushed aside ubiquitously. The fact that they hold a key role in the art world has largely been ignored: autonomous, independent artists 'associations function as an international platform for artists. Once an association has developed its own programme, artist can produce and present their work independent of the elite end of the primary market. They have the potential to be creative laboratories for new discourses, positions and forms of presentation. In short: a creative space. That's why they were initiated in the first place. To achieve this we have to establish a wide network of associations. They will operate especially at European level, and support transnational initiatives promoting self-management and marketing among artists.The first phase of this will happen already between 'Münchener Secession' and 'Künstlerhaus Wien'. We appeal to you to enrol other groups and collectives; jointly as well as independently we will bring to light Europe's diversity of contemporary art production.
Join us, artists from all European countries! You have nothing to lose!