{"id":100659,"date":"2026-02-08T15:43:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T14:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=100659"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:28:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T08:28:54","slug":"hoog-tijd-voor-obscure-onbegrijpelijke-kutkunst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/02\/hoog-tijd-voor-obscure-onbegrijpelijke-kutkunst\/","title":{"rendered":"High time for obscure, incomprehensible pussy art"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before Mark Rutte professionally engaged in unprotected viewing of Donald J. Trump's rectum, he was the prime minister of the Netherlands who was sure that Dutch theatres only had 15 people sitting in the front row. It was 2011 and the beginning of a decade full of outraged artists. Whereas now we must seriously long for that very empty theatre back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-cultuurpers wp-block-embed-cultuurpers\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"quMaZ2jxngcSFm4eB6ly\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"KKuJSiAbJC\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/2011\/01\/wat-zegt-mark-rutte-nu-eigenlijk-precies-over-de-kunsten-het-past-in-1-minuut-en-het-klopt-niet-helemaal\/\">What exactly does Mark Rutte say about the arts? It fits in 1 minute and it's not quite right.<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cWhat exactly does Mark Rutte say about the arts? It fits in 1 minute and it doesn&#039;t quite add up.\u201d - Culture Press\" src=\"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/2011\/01\/wat-zegt-mark-rutte-nu-eigenlijk-precies-over-de-kunsten-het-past-in-1-minuut-en-het-klopt-niet-helemaal\/embed\/#?secret=UnLIMhTirF#?secret=KKuJSiAbJC\" data-secret=\"KKuJSiAbJC\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The prime minister was not right in 2011. Halls were certainly well-filled in the Randstad. Perhaps in \u2018the region\u2019 there were fewer audiences for subsidised theatre, but things were not bad. Indeed, since the most successful governing party has been in power unabated, things have only got better. Halls are full. festivals are bulging. Even at a relatively small theatre festival, you have to book in advance to see anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But is it still distinctive? The well-known, and highly successful substack \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/havermelkelite.substack.com\/\">Oat milk lite<\/a>\u2019, usually not averse to mildly-ironically following the masses to the latest hype in a world without flight shame, this time interviews a writer who looks at it differently, David Marx considers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bol.com\/nl\/nl\/p\/blank-space\/9300000225789543\/\">Blank Space<\/a> cultural development at the beginning of the 21st century. He observes an increasing uniformity. A ski jump that leads inevitably to fascism. (<a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/home\/post\/p-187164750\" title=\"\">read the interview here<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Colourless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone looking around and listening cannot help but agree. In the last 30 years, almost all colour has been removed from clothes and interiors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theculturist.io\/p\/why-is-the-world-losing-color\">disappeared<\/a>. Cute tents look the same all over the world, no matter how original local they claim to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, it must be said, a bit of the same thing is happening in the arts. The performing arts, which I follow quite well, have long been dominated internationally by makers who show work that could be anywhere, could have been made anywhere. This is also because internationally operating artists are ludicrously expensive and productions with more than four collaborators soon need multiple co-production partners with deep pockets. Not to mention internationally leading music ensembles. Then \u2018distinctive\u2019 becomes a hallmark, but no more than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seven sisters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But it is not just that price trend, it is also the public's taste that is becoming increasingly uniform, increasingly conforming to a kind of international average that does well on Instagram and TikTok. Those who are too weird will at best be laughed at globally and could possibly make some money from it, but generally the masses gravitate towards what sounds familiar, looks familiar and writes about seven sisters. The world is confusing enough as it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its cultural policy, Mark Rutte's VVD believes that art only has the right to exist if it can keep its own trousers on. Only heritage deserves support, according to the liberals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a small language area like ours, that means going with the crowd, making sure your halls are full and no one is left out. We thus create our own analogue algorithm. With the logical consequence that performances start to resemble each other. The umpteenth immersive Van Gogh experience is then as istagrammable as the Renoir experience, a year later. This venue's indictment of the world differs marginally from that, two theatre doors away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Untraceable on Google<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Shouldn't we return to an art world where the empty room is the norm? Where art is made by people the general public doesn't understand, but subsidy advisory committees can't boil soup either? Should we not move towards a subsidy system where applicants do not have to explain themselves in advance, but are given carte blanche by a government that sees risk-taking as a virtue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Art in places that can't be found on Google Maps. I sign for it. What can we do against algorithms that keep presenting us with the same thing?   Innovation rarely comes from big factories and carefully selected norm followers. Innovation comes from people who dare to deviate from the norm. Only then will we move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps it is a sweeping sign that even the Oatmeal elite are starting to get bored that a writer like David Marx is now being taken seriously.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It's time for non-instagrammable art, noticed only by casual visitors to an obscure gallery, or cherished by a small group of insider friends. Off to those little rooms with 15 people in row 1. Cosy. Phone off. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voordat Mark Rutte zich beroepshalve bezig ging houden met het onbeschermd bezichtigen van de endeldarm van Donald J. Trump, was hij de premier van Nederland die zeker wist dat er in Nederlandse theatertjes slechts 15 man op de eerste rij zat. Het was 2011 en het begin van een decennium vol woedende kunstenaars. Terwijl we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4757,15614,9392,4763,9619,8843,11687],"tags":[16514,16515,923,16495],"class_list":["post-100659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beeldende-kunst-2","category-beleid","category-internet","category-literatuur-2","category-media","category-podiumkunst","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-algoritme","tag-instagram","tag-subsidie","tag-tiktok"],"views":1646,"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4941,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2011\/06\/podiumpeiler-biedt-nuttig-cijfermateriaal-over-de-podiumkunst\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":0},"title":"Stage pollster provides useful figures on the performing arts","author":"een van onze leden","date":"21 June 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Gerard Marlet is becoming a veritable numbers guru for the Dutch arts sector. His latest publication concerns the \"Podiumpeiler\". We have embedded it for you. Worth reading, not only for number and art freaks. After all, many discussions about whether or not money goes to art, full theatres or not, they can...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/gerard-marlet-in-nova-over-cultuurbezuinigingen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/gerard-marlet-in-nova-over-cultuurbezuinigingen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/gerard-marlet-in-nova-over-cultuurbezuinigingen.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4079,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2011\/01\/wat-zegt-mark-rutte-nu-eigenlijk-precies-over-de-kunsten-het-past-in-1-minuut-en-het-klopt-niet-helemaal\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":1},"title":"What exactly does Mark Rutte say about the arts? It fits in 1 minute and it's not quite right.","author":"een van onze leden","date":"19 January 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"We zijn politiek neutraal en zelfs in de subsidiediscussie proberen we dat vol te houden. Immers, iedere medaille heeft een keerzijde en het is niet de taak van de media om altijd en eeuwig partij te kiezen. Maar nu dit. Mark Rutte werd zondag 16 januari 2011 geinterviewd door Clairy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64736,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2020\/05\/terugkijken-mark-rutte-denkt-dat-er-maar-30-mensen-bij-kunst-willen-zijn-waarom-een-archief-belangrijk-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":2},"title":"Looking back: Mark Rutte thinks only 30 people want to be at art. Why an archive is important.","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"10 May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Cultuurpers bestaat 11 jaar, en dat wilde ik vieren met een leuke blik in het archief. En toen kwam ik deze tegen. Uit 2011. Kijk maar deze minuut video en weet dat het\u00a0 niet te verwachten is dat een minister president in 9 jaar honderdtachtig graden van inzicht kan veranderen.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/reet-mark-rutte.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4084,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2011\/01\/rutteleaks-premier-en-staatssecretaris-kennen-eigen-cijfers-niet-inkomenseisen-kunstinstellingen-al-gehaald-in-2007-en-meer-subsidie-levert-meer-publiek-op\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":3},"title":"\"RutteLeaks\": Prime minister and state secretary don't know their own figures: income requirements for arts institutions already met in 2007 and most subsidy already going to successful institutions","author":"een van onze leden","date":"23 January 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"We dachten al dat er iets niet klopte, toen Mark Rutte in zijn door velen bejubelde krachtdadige optreden in Buitenhof sprak van 'al die lege zalen met 10 mensen op de eerste rij'. Ok, hij was zelf al jaren niet meer geweest, maar volgens zijn Staatssecretaris Halbe Zijlstra was de\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/halbe-zijlstraj.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/halbe-zijlstraj.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/halbe-zijlstraj.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/halbe-zijlstraj.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4245,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2011\/01\/de-vvd-staat-altijd-pal-voor-de-kunsten-gastcolumn-van-jeffrey-meulman-over-ruttes-boude-uitspraken\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":4},"title":"\"The VVD always stands up for the arts\" - Guest column by Jeffrey Meulman on Rutte's bold statements","author":"een van onze leden","date":"30 January 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Jeffrey Meulman, directeur van Het Nederlands Theaterfestival TF, reageerde op de uitspraken van Rutte in Buitenhof, die ook op deze site te zien zijn. Vervolgens kreeg hij een brief terug van de VVD. Die brief, en zijn reactie daarop, wilden we u niet onthouden. Werkelijkheid en politiek komen steeds verder\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/SuperStock_463-5015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/SuperStock_463-5015.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/SuperStock_463-5015.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/SuperStock_463-5015.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7276,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2012\/02\/rutteleaks\/","url_meta":{"origin":100659,"position":5},"title":"Rutteleaks","author":"een van onze leden","date":"27 February 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Het begon ermee dat Halbe Zijlstra op tv riep dat niemand in de kunst zijn leven zeker kon zijn. Toen kwam Mark Rutte met zijn stelling dat er per avond in Den Haag in 30 zalen 15 mensen op de eerste rij zitten. En toen [wp_eStore_fancy2:product_id:1:end]","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3yKke-qbx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100659"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100668,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100659\/revisions\/100668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}