Queer, POC Spaces, and Artists Fight Funding Cuts
Germany’s creative culture is heavily funded by the state. A slew of cancellations is threatening the country’s arts by attacking freedom of expression and diversity.
Photo by: Ahmet Ögüt, from a series of photographs taken by the artist from 2013–17 at protests in Athens, Berlin, Istanbul, Ljubljana, London, Lyon, Managua, Nice and Paris
Germany has had a reputation for a very thriving art and culture scene, due to the state’s support, allowing artists and venues to alleviate the economic pressures of maintaining culture afloat with yearly grants which surpassed those of many European cities. Berlin’s budget for this year was double that approved for the same year in the UK. Both in and outside of Germany, the country invests billions in museums, theatres, culture exchange programs, and artists; having steadily increased the budget yearly, and a 973 million euros increase just this year. This investment has helped cultural hubs like Berlin to maintain a diversified and stable art scene, allowing people from all backgrounds to receive funds for their projects. In the last couple of months, this seemingly great aspect of the capital has proven its biggest downside: having to abide by the state’s norms and policing of thought. Ever since the attack by Hamas on October 7th, tensions have risen in the general discourse of the country, which faces a lot of internal censorship on any topic relating to Israel. There have been multiple cancellations within the culture sphere and beyond since October and a growing concern that artists may lose funding and invitations due to their public views on the conflict if that differs from the state narrative. Queer and POC-led venue Oyoun is one of the spaces that has suffered the consequences of being public about this issue. Oyoun held on November 4th an event which was initially meant in the summer to celebrate Jewish Voice's 20th anniversary before being turned into a vigil in response to the attacks by Hamas and the escalating death toll in Gaza.
Photo by: Nat Gass, Berlin
The authorities informed Oyoun’s CEO Louna Sbou that the event shouldn’t take place for being too "politically charged." It went ahead regardless, and criticism was followed by Berlin politicians who had classified the Jewish Voice as anti-Semitic for its link to the BDS movement, which stands for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions to Israel. The BDS movement—which, according to its website, "works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law"—was deemed anti-Semitic by the German Bundestag in a non-legally binding resolution. Speaking to Resident Advisor, Sbou said: "People needed to come together." Around 300 people, including Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and Germans, attended the event to observe the Jewish mourning ritual Shiva and unite through their grief. Sbou has also said that "this level of censorship and silencing is extremely dangerous." They added: "It takes a level of audacity for Germans to make claims of anti-Semitism against the Jewish Voice simply because it can't deal with its anti-Semitism—outsourcing it instead to marginalized intersectional communities and to leftist, queer Jews." In this climate of daily protests taking the streets of Berlin and artists engaging in critical discourses on platforms, the Berlin Senate launched an anti-discrimination clause. The clause required recipients of public funding to make a commitment against anti-Semitism, according to the IHRA definition, jeopardizing the funding and support of those who didn’t abide by its standards and had a different public opinion. In fear of having their support canceled, some venues had a revise of their programs and decided to cancel events with pro-Palestinian artists in their bills.
Photo by: Michele Tantussi/ AFP via Getty Images October 27, 2023, Berlin
One recent space to have received controversy is the infamous Berghain. The Berlin club canceled the Ritmo Fatale event supposed to happen on January 12 due to “unforeseen construction work,” besides being open as normal the rest of the weekend. This was perceived as a censorship act as it was disclosed that the club had called the label head Kendal to communicate the intent of canceling the booking of the DJ Arabian Panther. The reason for this cancellation was the DJ’s “global communication and networks,” about the artist’s public support for Palestine. In the DJ’s statement, it is mentioned that the club left it in Kendal's hands to disclose the real reason for the cancellation to the artists. Berghain has also undergone a similar situation with the local festival CTM and the opposition movement to the anti-discrimination clause Strike Germany, which calls for strikes and boycotts of institutions perceived to use this clause to attack freedom of expression. After protests from culture workers calling the anti-discrimination clause an attack on artistic freedom, this was withdrawn due to concerns about its legality. Senator for Culture and Social cohesion Joe Chialo said that he “will continue to work for the non-discriminatory development of Berlin culture.” Chialo noted that the senate will further its conversation with institutions and cultural workers in the coming months on the issue “to reach a uniform regulation.” Many people view the serious problems in Germany's cultural sector as a typical example of the challenges faced by cultural funding across the country. Artist Candice Britz, who has also faced some state cancellations, offers an interesting insight linking them to a national German longing to project an image of having homegrown anti-Semitism. “It seems we are fast slipping back towards the past,” the artist says. “[With] German institutions increasingly prioritizing cultural workers who are compliant with mainstream state narratives and don’t ask too many critical questions.”
This climate of fear and intimidation persisting in discussing this conflict is exacerbating issues in the country, with a rise in anti-Israel hate and anti-Semitic behavior, alongside continued discrimination and racist profiling against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. There's a perception that recent government efforts aim to label criticism as anti-Semitism, impacting not only those seen as "others" but also Jews supporting Palestine and anyone taking a stance. Those who speak out face silencing and exclusion from events, leading to isolation in the art community dependent on networking. What is art’s function if not to question the narratives? If not to offer different viewpoints and welcome those from all backgrounds? Our mind is deeply limited by our own experiences and understandings of the world and its events, and by dictating what others should feel, we are doing a great disservice to culture. As Oyoun’s statement reads, “Censorship and cancellations of (cultural) events create an erasure of public discourse, which is at the core of democracy.”
Photography by Vincent Wechselberger. Costumes by Larissa Bechtold
It seems that Germany is grappling with its past, and unfortunately, this struggle is being manipulated by some to unfairly target marginalized racial groups within the country, who have historically not been fully integrated into German society. The consequences of this attempt to silence voices from these communities could have severe repercussions on the vibrant arts scene and the cherished freedom of expression that Berlin, in particular, has long been celebrated for.
