Ruimte voor kunstenaars in de stad
12.05.2021

In most cities, large or small, finding affordable space for those less fortunate is becoming increasingly difficult. Artists also often find themselves caught in a carousel in their search for workspace due to the ever-shortening terms of temporary use. Studio organisations are also confronted with these limits and find it more difficult to offer affordable studios to artists.

Collaboration with governments therefore seems increasingly important to be able to guarantee space, but the current trend in many cities is to put social real estate on the market. This helps in the short term to close financial gaps or make governments more nimble in difficult times, but once real estate comes on the market it is difficult to make it available again for a social function.

Alternatives are being developed from the bottom up by artists and organisations who are taking the initiative to safeguard space from market mechanisms through cooperation and imagination. What are the spatial trends that artists have become embroiled in in recent years? What alternatives have they developed to counterbalance them? What is the place and role of the artist in the city?

An initiative by UFO with the support of Kunstwerkt in the context of Atelier in Beeld.