10.10.2025 | Press release from bbk berlin: Preserve cultural infrastructure and the independent arts scene!
Fifth statement by bbk berlin on the cuts in Berlin's cultural budget 26/27 against the visual arts
Our demands remain the same: FABiK must stay, studio spaces with their conditions must be secured, as must art in urban spaces!
The planned cuts in the Senator for Culture's draft literally go to the heart of the matter and have far-reaching consequences. It is now up to politicians to signal that they want to preserve the cultural infrastructure and the independent scene.
Berlin is still a capital city with appeal. Many artists and cultural workers from all over the world still come here to stay. Their presentation of art creates space for discourse, public debate, mediation, and accessibility in urban space. And this is precisely why the visual arts need reliable production spaces in the form of secure studios!
But while the 2026/27 double budget is growing by 4 billion euros to just under 44 billion euros, the culture budget is shrinking to 2% for the first time in a long time! As a result, the workspace program cannot count on the urgently needed 23.24 million euros for securing and investing in new spaces.
Frauke Boggasch, co-spokesperson for bbk berlin: “Billions are being built up, but there is no money for workspaces for artists? We will not accept this. Investments in production and presentation require a political spirit that goes beyond exploitability and swims against the tide.”
To reinforce this, artists have taken the initiative to start the #SaveOurStudiosBerlin petition, which will be handed over to the Culture Committee on Monday. The bbk berlin supports this petition because the freezing of commitment appropriations jeopardizes studio funding: 82% of the main rental contracts are privately owned. Without unfreezing, Berlin's studio space program will lose around 368 studios by the end of 2027. That is one-third of the total stock.
Furthermore, according to “Rote Nummer 2026 DE” and current Senate statements, spaces are to be allocated at cost or market rents in the future. These are rental costs that 85% of subsidized artists cannot afford. This defeats the actual purpose of studio subsidies: to secure affordable workspaces and a stable cultural infrastructure.
Birgit Cauer, co-spokesperson for bbk berlin: “For over half of visual artists, this means the end of their professional existence, as they cannot continue working without studios. We are talking about people who practice art professionally and pay taxes. Don't forget that the art market is also a relevant economic factor.”
We therefore once again urge politicians to take action:
The FABiK exhibition fee fund must be retained in order to ensure that the work of artists in municipal galleries is remunerated as a matter of course and that their activities are clearly recognized as professional work. Only through this targeted support, including guidelines as a quality mark of municipal guarantees, can artistic diversity in Berlin remain alive.
Budget item 81278 “Artistic Design in Urban Space” and the continuation of the ‘Draussenstadt’ program and the “Urbane Praxis” project fund must be adequately funded.
It is essential to maintain the current stock of studios and secure the conditions for their use. The freezing of commitment appropriations jeopardizes studio funding and thus the entire artistic infrastructure.
Frauke Boggasch und Birgit Cauer,
Spokespersons bbk berlin