Members share their story: “It's becoming increasingly difficult for many colleagues to keep their heads above water.”

A report by Andrej Wolff

Berlin's independent art scene is under enormous pressure. "If we deprive professional (visual) artists in Berlin of their livelihoods, if we take away their spaces, funding, and security, we rob them of the opportunity to continue practicing their profession and fulfilling their socially important role: to have the courage to try new things, to make their often marginalized voices heard, to break down stigmas, to make precarious realities visible, to facilitate understanding between cultures, and to initiate critical self-reflection," said Frauke Boggasch, co-spokesperson for bbk berlin, in the bbk berlin press release dated September 12.

This year, we have received an increasing number of concerned voices from the field. In this interview, our bbk berlin member Andrej Wolff shares insights into his professional reality as a visual artist in Berlin.

Hello Andrej, how long have you been working as a professional artist in Berlin?

I have been working as a professional artist for almost three decades, including my time studying art. Since becoming self-employed in 2003, I have completed around 700 projects and commissions. 

And how have your working conditions changed over the years?

With new technical possibilities and global networking, a new and incredibly exciting era has dawned for artists. For many colleagues, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep their heads above water as rents and living costs skyrocket. Many are forced to take on additional side jobs, which ultimately become their main occupation, while art shrinks to a secondary occupation.

What specific changes have you personally experienced in terms of access to workspaces, funding, or exhibition opportunities?

For ten years, the landlord supported our studio building on the RAW site with very low rents, but after that time, the rent had to be doubled. I think short-term support programs for individual artists up to the age of 35 make sense. But I no longer qualify for those. Institutional support remains crucial for everyone. Even our studio community now has hardly any resources left for exhibitions, which is noticeable.

What are currently the biggest challenges in your everyday artistic life?

I am happy and grateful as long as I have a good workspace and an apartment in Berlin. Both are the basis for concentrated work and for everything I develop artistically. It remains a constant struggle to find a balance between financial security and free artistic work.

Would you like to send a message to politicians?

Instead of cutting funds, we need better cultural policies that keep our city alive. In times of inflation, budget cuts for art and culture are not 12 percent cuts, but effectively a halving – almost like the famous “Thanos snap” from the Marvel movies, which suddenly makes half of everything disappear. Even if government funds are lacking, politicians should act more as mediators and hold the business and construction industries accountable in order to secure affordable workspaces and commissions for artists in the long term.

Thank you very much, Andrej Wolff, for sharing your experiences with us!

Would you like to share your personal stories with us? We look forward to hearing from you at: @email