All about politics, policy, society and how those things relate to culture and art.
What would the world look like if art had had the power that book burners and iconoclasts have attributed to it over the centuries? In the fascinating documentary series 'Our Man with the Taliban', Thomas Erdbrink takes a rather perilous journey through an Afghanistan abandoned by the 'civilised' West. We see a world where book burners and iconoclasts...
Assault and finally rape of a 14-year-old girl by a bonkers vet. An enjoyable evening at the theatre is different, until the applause of this arguably (once again) best Dutch theatre production of the year relieves you of the harsh struggle. Author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and director Ivo van Hove emphasise that both 49-year-old vet Kurt and his minion, the farmer's daughter, are severely traumatised...
Dick Oostinga, member of the Restitutions Committee, will temporarily lead the Restitutions Committee on Nazi looted art as deputy chairman. Last week, chairman Jacob Kohnstamm and deputy chairman Els Swaab submitted their resignations. State Secretary Uslu (Culture and Media) appointed Oostinga as deputy chairman from 1 February. The position is vacant because chairman Jacob Kohnstamm and deputy chairman Els Swaab resigned last...
In the Schatkamer series, Asko|Schönberg takes you on a journey to the pearls of 20th-century music through live-played music, captivating guest speakers and visual and sound clips. The edition of Treasure Room on Thursday 16 February highlights the extraordinary world of György Kurtág (1926), the Hungarian composer known as the master of miniatures. His pieces consist of short,...
Together with the CPNB and the ILFU, the translation magazine Filter will introduce a brand new prize in 2023: the Filter Translation Prize for children's and youth books. With this, all parties underline the great importance of good translations and good children's book translators. The prize money is the same as for the existing Filter Translation Prize: 10,000 euros. The nominations will be announced in June 2023. The...
The Culture Council is positive about Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder's candidacy for a European Heritage Label (EEL). This is stated in an opinion sent today to state secretary Uslu (Culture and Media). She had asked the council for advice on the application within the theme of 'tolerance and justice'. It is up to the state secretary to decide on the basis of...
Of the 1910 self-employed people still working behind the scenes of the performing arts in 2019, only 1090 will be left in 2022. So what we suspected turns out to be true: technicians have gone up onto the roof to install solar panels and heat pumps, audience workers found a destination in healthcare. Although the Culture Monitor does not capture this migration, it is clear
Ms Nancy Jouwe is to be appointed as a member of the Culture Council. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this on the proposal of State Secretary Uslu of Culture and Media. The appointment will take effect on 15 February 2023 for a period of four years. Jouwe studied General Literature at Utrecht and York Universities and specialises in Women's Studies and Cultural History. She has...
'Dutch-language music has been unabatedly popular for years in a variety of genres; from pop to hip-hop, competing with English-language music. That's where you see what you can achieve with attention. The same can happen with books.' This quote by author Gustaaf Peek, recorded in a press release from the Authors' Union, is quite inspiring. The press release, in which the advocate of 1,750 Dutch writers...
Stop the declining sales of Dutch-language books, ensure more attention to literature. That is the only way to reverse the trend of the CPNB figures presented on Thursday, thinks the Authors' Union, the interest group for writers and translators with 1,750 members. By 2022, 10% less Dutch-language fiction has been sold. One in five books will now be in a language other than...
With The river is a wound full of fish, Colombian Lorena Salazar Masso makes a powerful literary debut. What does it mean to be a mother, when do you actually BE a mother? Can you be a mother even if you did not give birth to your child yourself? As a mother without a child, are you still a mother? That is the theme of the...
Besides a permanent collection presentation at Amstel 51 and in Huis Willet-Holthuysen and changing exhibitions, the Amsterdam Museum offers a public programme. At various locations and for a diverse audience. The following events are scheduled for October 2022. Visit www.amsterdammuseum.nl for the latest information. ---------------- Female Gaze Tour 12 February 2023 The returning Female Gaze Tour...
The Dutch government distrusts citizens. And that stands in the way of a healthy art sector. This emerged on 17 January during a well-attended symposium at Amsterdam's Veem House. The occasion was the essay published in book form by Renée Steenbergen, who also published articles on this site. At the event, co-organised by Veem and Platform Beeldende Kunst, many makers were...
Eighty-six journalists and media workers were murdered worldwide in 2022 - one every four days, according to UNESCO data, highlighting the serious risks and vulnerabilities journalists continue to face in the course of their work. "After several years of consecutive decreases, the sharp rise in the number of journalists killed in 2022 is alarming. Authorities must step up their efforts...
Nice message from the Theatre and Concert Visit Promotion Foundation: last year, we went out again quite often after the lockdowns, and also gave each other a unique experience as a gift quite often. 138,000 stage visits were gifted. That earned the SPTC a nice 6.6 million. That means the Pokadoka (Podium Gift Card) included an average gift of 48 euros....
The collective labour agreement social fund Omscholing Dansers Nederland (CAO ODN) has been declared universally binding by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment with effect from 1 January 2023. This means that all dance companies based in the Netherlands that employ dancers are obliged to participate in the omscholing scheme. Since 1986, Stichting Omscholing Dansers Nederland (hereinafter: omscholingsregeling) has played an important role in...
Scored a new bullshit bingo card, today. 'Art must no longer tingle, I quit'. Big headline in a quality newspaper, with below it the terrible story of gallery owner Jeanette Dekeukeleires of Gallery Art Kitchen. The 60-year-old says she is quitting her job because nothing more is allowed. (Read the story here) For instance, she received complaints from young people about the famous PSP poster with that naked woman....
This is a pre-publication from the book The Art of Different, which will be available from 17 January 2023 via the author's site The arts sector is vulnerable, as was unmistakably demonstrated during the pandemic years. It is also clear that these are not just temporary setbacks, but problems of a structural nature. These were already in play before Corona but were anticipated...
The Rotterdam Council for Arts and Culture (RRKC) has been disbanded from 1 January 2023. I wrote about this in June this year2, and earlier the editor-in-chief did3. At that time, formal decision-making in Rotterdam had yet to take place. Given the question marks in the city council, it is safe to say that the college finally pushed through the dissolution. The...
This site became big thanks to Twitter and Facebook. We were also created at roughly the same time. In 2009, Twitter was just getting off the ground a bit, and the Netherlands still thought Hyves was going to be all the rage, while Belgium was already on Facebook. Anyway, tl;dr: social media was still fun. Only in the years that followed did...
A story about love, but above all an ode to imagination. Perfect Days by Spanish writer Jacobo Bergareche is a passionate novel. Deadly marriage With the excuse that it is necessary for his work, Spanish journalist Luis visits a conference in Austin, Texas. But actually, the trip is mostly an excuse for his dead-blooded marriage to Paula...
What do you hold on to when not only the world is tottering, but also your own life? Where then can you find a safe place, a future? That is what Tasmania, Paolo Giordano's new book, is about. Crisis What came first: the worries about climate change and other world crises, or the crisis in his own life? The first-person narrator in Tasmania, a...
The Amsterdam Museum - despite the impact of the corona pandemic and the move to a new temporary main location - had a successful year in 2022. The museum's exhibitions and public programmes attracted many visitors at various locations. The museum's pop-up exhibition at the National Monument on Dam Square was visited from mid-June to...
As you know, Culture Press is an important voice in cultural news coverage. We were founded in 2009, at a time when all newspapers and broadcasters were reducing their arts editorships, and many zzp arts journalists were on the street. Publishers no longer wanted to pay for what they called 'low-hanging fruit' (reviews, interviews, announcements). Culture Press jumped into that gap, and in the nearly 14...
Is art and culture of and for everyone? Is it also there for young people? What do they find important about art, culture and media? To get answers to these questions, the Culture Council is setting up a Youth Platform. The council is looking for young people aged between 15 and 20 who want to share their views on art, culture and...
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