BY Zuzanna Czebatu in Opinion | 13 JAN 25

Why Berlin’s Budget Cuts Should Be a Wakeup Call

The city’s cultural scene has long branded itself as radical but, for too long, politics has been confined to exhibition walls

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BY Zuzanna Czebatu in Opinion | 13 JAN 25

Berlin’s budget for culture just took a catastrophic hit, yet the public barely flinched. While a handful of protests took place against the new spending plan, which slashes the budget by 12 percent – a whopping EU€130 million – they were mainly organized and attended by those directly affected by the austerity measures. Why the wider silence? For a city whose identity is fundamentally intertwined with its globally renowned cultural scene, this indifference feels symptomatic. The recent threat by the federal broadcasting commission to dissolve the cultural broadcaster 3sat, submerging it into Arte, only deepens concerns about the routine sidelining of cultural programming. It reflects a troubling trend in which culture is increasingly undervalued, seen as dispensable rather than essential to society.

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Artists and employees of cultural centers gather with candles for a ‘mourning march’ to protest planned cuts to the city budget 29 November 2024. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Endangered institutions like KW Institute of Contemporary Art and Schinkel Pavillon have raised concerns about a potential domino effect: reduced cultural programming will negatively impact both innovation and democracy. Yet, this might be precisely what Berlin’s conservative government seeks. Once art is dismissed as something that’s ‘nice to have’ rather than an indispensable cultural asset, its survival becomes precarious. Worse, the funds aren’t disappearing, they’re being rerouted: to bolster the police budget, for instance. This shift exemplifies a neoliberal strategy that pits public sectors against one another, forcing the culture sector to justify its existence in economic terms. In a particularly reductive remark, Mayor Kai Wegner recently claimed in an interview with TAZ: ‘Shop assistants don’t go to the opera anyway.’ His statement encapsulates a growing sentiment: cultural institutions are seen as elitist, disconnected from ordinary lives. Such a perception leaves those who work in the arts facing an uncomfortable truth: If the public won’t fight for us, then the state certainly won’t either.

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Artists and employees of cultural centers gather with candles for a ‘mourning march’ to protest planned cuts to the city budget 29 November 2024. Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Berlin’s cultural scene has long branded itself as radical and political. Yet, while exhibitions and performances often critique systemic inequalities, their impacts rarely escape exhibition walls. Too often, this form of ‘activism’ becomes self-referential – an aestheticized critique circulating amongst the same audiences.

Moreover, the arts sector is beset with contradictions of its own. Issues like toxic leadership, unresolved #MeToo allegations and pay gaps persist in Berlin and throughout Germany. Institutions tout inclusivity while often reserving leadership roles for white directors and board members. These hypocrisies undermine the sector’s credibility, alienating potential allies when public support is critical.

Self-censorship further complicates these matters. Recently, German cultural institutions have shown a worrying tendency to align with the term Staatsräson, the country’s unwavering political support for Israel. This has silenced artists critical of Israeli policies, resulting in cancelled exhibitions and exclusionary practices. Such concessions expose a sector unwilling to challenge political orthodoxy, undermining its claim to fearlessness. These contradictions make it easy for conservative voices to dismiss the arts as hypocritical virtue-signalling.

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HACK! Collective at Berlinale 2024, critiquing the invitation of right-wing politicians to the film festival. Courtesy: Zuzanna Czebatul

If artists and arts institutions are to regain the public’s trust, they must be prepared to engage differently. There are spaces in Berlin where this is already happening. Initiatives like DIE VIELEN unite thousands of practitioners for demonstrations, public assemblies and interventions that genuinely connect with communities. Wolfgang Tillmans’s project space, Between Bridges, has become a hub for refugee support, voter education and grassroots campaigns. Meanwhile, the HACK! Collective – a coalition of artists from film, literature, dance, theatre and fine arts, which I co-founded – takes anti-extremist messages directly into public spaces, showing that cultural activism can move beyond symbolic gestures.

Cultural institutions are seen as elitist, disconnected from ordinary lives

History also provides inspiration. The Russian constructivists aligned art with revolutionary goals, integrating it into everyday life. The Harlem renaissance wielded culture as a tool against racial injustice, celebrating identity while challenging systemic oppression. The situationist international merged art and direct action to critique consumer capitalism. These movements didn’t just reflect their times; they reshaped them. If Berlin’s cultural sector wants to remain relevant, this level of ambition is necessary.

Berlin’s struggles aren’t unique. Across Europe, austerity measures threaten public sectors, with the arts often being the first to suffer. Yet, the solution lies in solidarity. Cultural practitioners must align with those resisting cuts to education, healthcare and housing. The fight against societal defunding cannot remain siloed. After all, the arts thrive when society thrives, and vice versa.

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HACK! Collective intervention at Tresor Club, Berlin, prior to the EU elections in June 2024

This moment also offers a chance for reflection. What do we mean when we call art ‘political’? How is this concept perceived – or ignored – outside of the art world? Beyond flashy installations or provocative exhibition titles containing ‘radical’ or ‘revolutionary’, the cultural sector must engage with the unglamorous realities of electoral politics, urban policy and taxation. Practitioners could push to reform tax breaks for real-estate giants like Deutsche Wohnen, whose unchecked profits drive gentrification, eroding the social fabric where it hurts most. Campaigning for voter participation, for example, could create long-term policy shifts. By stepping into the messy realities of public life, the arts could dispel perceptions of elitism and hypocrisy while expanding their impact.

This moment also offers a chance for reflection. What do we mean when we call art ‘political’?

The recent cuts are not just a financial crisis but a cultural wake-up call. They expose the sector’s limits, its complacency and its imbalances, while also offering a chance to redefine its role. Art has always possessed the power to mesmerize and galvanize. Its strength lies not only in representation but also in participation – engaging with the complexities of society, not just critiquing them. For Berlin’s cultural scene, now is the time to prove its significance. This isn’t about simply surviving austerity; it’s about reimagining the arts as an engine of democracy, social cohesion and change, especially in the face of multiple accelerating crises.

Main image: HACK! Collective displaying 'Never again, today, yesterday, tomorrow' at a demo in Berlin in January 2024. Courtesy: Zuzanna Czebatul

Zuzanna Czebatul is an artist and activist based in Berlin, Germany. She teaches at Braunschweig University of Art, Germany, and is a co-founder of Hack! Collective.

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