The Union of Visual Artists has not yet been invited into the reform work towards a new museum act, even though the conditions of the visual artists will be affected to the highest degree by this. Therefore, BKF's chairman Marie Thams and deputy chairman Jóhan Martin Christiansen used the invitation to appear before the Danish Parliament's culture committee at the Cultural Meeting to tell the committee's members about BKF's wishes for an upcoming reform.
BKF's wishes, which were happily supported by a number of committee members, follow here:
Fair payment: It is important to ensure that artists and content producers are paid fairly for their work in connection with exhibitions, lectures, performances, etc. It should be mandatory for all state-supported exhibition venues to remunerate artists and content producers in a fair way, thereby recognizing the value of artistic work.
Transparency: It is important that there is openness regarding the distribution and use of the funds for museums and state-supported exhibition venues. Public availability of this information can allow all interested parties to follow how the funds are distributed.
Diversity and equality: It is crucial that art is shaped by society's diversity and that art, in its diversity, inspires the audience in a more nuanced way. This requires not only that the imbalance between the number of male and female artists exhibiting in the country's museums, art galleries and exhibition venues be redressed, but equally artists who are marginalized due to other visible and invisible markers of identity such as ethnicity, religion , sexual orientation, social class, age and functional variations, are rightfully included.
Sustainable collaborations: Museums and artists can play an important role in raising awareness of the climate and sustainability agenda. Art can be a powerful platform to convey messages and evoke emotions in the audience. By involving artists in collaborations that focus on climate and sustainability, museums and the art world can contribute to creating increased awareness and commitment to these issues.
Photo: Per Bille