Statement by the Board of Trustees on the Independence of Jury Decisions in the Arts and Culture

As the Board of Trustees of the Fonds Darstellende Künste, we are taking a stand on the independence of jury decisions in the arts and culture in light of recent events.

The integrity of independent jury processes is a fundamental prerequisite for credible public funding of the arts and culture, which is rooted in the principle of artistic freedom as enshrined in Article 5 of the Basic Law. When decisions made on professional grounds are subsequently relativized, corrected, or distorted in communication for political reasons, it is not only the individual process that comes under pressure, but the structural reliability of the entire system.

Particularly problematic are interventions that take place without transparent criteria or selectively target individual projects and recommendations. They create the impression of unequal treatment and undermine the reliability of the processes. This discredits and damages trust in the decision-making processes as a whole and leads to considerable uncertainty among all parties involved. 
We consider it essential that the roles of politics, administration, and the independent jury remain clearly separated. Decisions must be made in a manner that is transparent and consistent, in accordance with the respective responsibilities, and based on professional standards as well as the freedom of art. Only in this way can trust in public funding for art and culture be secured in the long term.