Black Box - White Cube: New narratives, diversity of forms, aesthetic risks or ancient blockages?

As a diverse group of artists, we see artistic freedom not only as a basic constitutional right, but also as a precondition for the preservation and further development of a democratic, open society. Today, in an era of growing autocracy and stronger far-right parties around the world, its significance is particularly obvious: The independent performing arts are the space in which we can design aesthetic visions for the future, question entrenched boundaries and make empathy tangible. Where cultural canons have a limiting effect, we experiment with freedom. We can act. We are empowered – and I also see this as our mission – to reflect and explore diversity and difference in society and to constantly question ourselves. However, for this transformative power to unfold, a stable yet open framework and dynamic support are needed. Today more than ever, this requires the protection of the institution and its independence in equal measure, and this must also and absolutely be a signal from the federal government and at the federal level.

In the workshops, there was therefore a kind of demand, which was for: No cuts to the dismantling of barriers; a cultural provision that is enshrined in Germany’s constitution. A kind of minimum provision. But also, for cultural policymakers who provide expertise and love in the broadest sense and can represent us. Theaters and production companies must be strengthened in their efforts to create access for minorities and safe spaces where the controversial exchange of ideas is possible and genuine opinions can emerge. Artists and institutions must be encouraged to venture into vulnerable forms of expression and artistic experimentation. Protection from political appropriation and economic structures that continue to give minorities access is needed, as well as safe spaces where vulnerable forms of expression can be lived out, where mistakes can be made in the broadest sense. This is not just a matter for the states, but must be brought into a larger context of protection. Freedom in the choice of themes, in the way of speaking and not speaking, in addressing the audience and at the same time the expansion of a community based on solidarity.

As independent performing artists, we have created structures in recent years that reflect society. In all our diversity, we are at least close to achieving this. We also question our own entrenched structures and in doing so we are far ahead of many other art forms.

Artistic freedom is not a given. It requires a continuous confrontation with power relations, discrimination and the barriers that exclude people from participation. What dystopian and/or utopian possibilities await there. And that has to be allowed to stay in the minds of independent artists; only then can we remain diverse. One suggestion from the workshop was: art and culture in the Bundestag once a week. With an outlook orientated toward the future, we see ourselves as a laboratory for renewal. We must be allowed to experiment without fear of censorship or loss of livelihoods. This requires a digital infrastructure that is designed to be supportive and inclusive, as well as public funding models that understand diversity not as a buzzword but as a lived practice. It requires spaces like flausen and the Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser. We can only remain capable of action if we are understood not as a commodity but as a common good, if our value is reflected in a way that differs from capitalist logic. A common good that must also be accessible to all, in different forms, in different places, in different contexts. In this sense, guaranteeing artistic freedom is a promise for the future. A future in which we can bring many voices, many bodies and many stories to life. Thank you very much! 

In cooperation with strong partners, BUNDESTREFFEN25 provided individual groups with closed rooms for in-depth reflection. In the statement published here, Heinrich Horwitz summarized the results of the workshop “Black Box - White Cube: New Narratives, Diversity of Forms, Aesthetic Ventures, or Ancient Blockades?” for and with artists at the end of the second day of the event.