Dialog Process

Since 2011 Haben und Brauchen demanded an open cultural political dialogue about the situation and future of the production and presentation of contemporary art in Berlin. With the formation of the Jour Fixe Bildende Kunst upon the recommendation of the Council for the Arts in November 2013, and with the commissioning of Haben und Brauchen and bbk berlin to develop a dialogue concept, the Senate Chancellery for Cultural Affairs began moving down a path toward dialogue. As part of a closed weekend retreat in mid-February 2014 three working groups took up their tasks and developed over the following months—with the participation of agents from other initiatives as well—three elements for a long-term and nonpartisan dialogue process about the crucial issues in the thematic fields of work, city/space and notions of art. This process is supposed to complement and further the urgently required adaptation of existing funding models in the visual arts. goengrich_gegen_die_wand_kl Finally, a draft was created that describes the key points of social and cultural city development from the perspective of artists living in Berlin, explicates backgrounds, and above all proposed a multi-leveled procedure that included a diversity of agents of contemporary art, groups and initiatives active in urban, social and cultural policy as well as political representatives and other senate departments. In October, Haben und Brauchen presented and publicly discussed the concept paper among others with the state secretary for culture Tim Renner. Shortly after the discussion the Senate Chancellery for Culturall Affairs rejected the realisation of the dialog process. Download Konzeptpapier goengrich_gegen_die_wand