(In)securities of BI_PoC and FLINTA* artists working in public space
Discussion and exchange format as part of the “Safer Spaces” symposium on December 7, 2024
The moderated discussion and exchange on the “(In)security of BIPOC and WLINTA* in artistic work in public space” brought together a diverse and committed group of around 15 participants. The group was made up of artists and creative people from Leipzig who belong to different communities. The participants describe themselves as white, non-binary, trans, cis as well as black, of colour, and queer. Therefore the group as a whole experiences a wide variety of discrimination and marginalization.
BIPOC is an abbreviation for Black, Indigenous and People of Color. It describes a political self-designation of people who are racialized in a white-majority society. The term is intended to emphasize the specific violence, cultural erasure, and discrimination experienced by BIPOC.
WLINTA* is an acronym that stands for women, lesbians, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people. The asterisk serves as a placeholder for people who do not identify with any of the above terms, but are nevertheless affected by marginalization due to their gender identity.
While some participants are established artists in the city, others describe their work as creative but not explicitly “artistic.“ This diversity gave us a range of perspectives and experiences.
It was important to set up the space so that everyone felt safe and welcome, from the outset of the workshop. Tasty snacks and soothing tea, along with technical elements, helped create a comfortable atmosphere. Together, we used picture cards, a short meditation, and exercises to arrive in the room, become more aware of others, and calm our own nervous systems. We paused to breathe, and took time for each person to talk about themselves and their own experiences. This somatic, decelerated, and creative way of getting to know each other laid the foundation for a trusting exchange.
Thematic Focus and Discussion
Two central questions came out in the course of the discussion:
What does it mean to be established as an artist?
What demands do we, as Leipzig artists, have of the city of Leipzig? What do we long for?
Our mutual exchange led to a better understanding of the different needs and experiences of the participants. The artists described various types of exclusion and violence that they experienced in the art-and-culture scene. These included trans-hostile, racist and sexist discrimination, which in some cases led to participants being excluded, or excluding themselves, from artistic productions.
One central problem is the lack of spaces for exchange and reflection, where discriminatory behavior can be addressed on an interpersonal and structural level. In addition, many productions suffer from time pressure and financial limitations, which makes it difficult to prioritize support processes, reflection, or mediation.
These experiences are real. Without dealing with these harmful conditions, it can become impossible to continue working on projects. This, in turn, leads to exclusion and destroys important networks. This can result in BIPOC and WLINTA* artists withdrawing from art and cultural spaces, causing the cultural landscape to lose diversity, as different groups move further apart. As a result, important voices are lost.
In addition, many BIPOC and WLINTA* artists face more difficulty accessing funding and networks of cultural institutions, which further impairs their work.
Demands and Desires of the Group
A key outcome of the workshop was the development of a list of requirements, summarizing the concrete needs and desires of participants. The needs include structural changes as well as concrete measures to create non-discriminatory and safe working conditions in the cultural sector:
Anti-discrimination clauses in contracts, in all areas of cultural production:
Contracts should contain mandatory anti-discrimination clauses. These must ensure that injuries caused by discrimination, and resulting loss of work, have no financial disadvantages for those discriminated against. Fees should continue to be paid.
Support from the anti-discrimination office and other relevant NGOs should be tied to the institution.
There must be a discrimination-sensitive contact person on every artistic production, who is aware of the multiple burdens of marginalized people, and supports them. This person must be adequately remunerated for their work.
No contracts with NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) without secure exit options for marginalized persons. A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a contract in which the parties involved agree to keep all sensitive information strictly confidential and not to disclose it. For marginalized persons, this means that they are not allowed to disclose access issues or experiences of discrimination to the outside world, forcing them to participate in erasing the discrimintation they endured.
Insight into documentation from previous years:
Transparenz über diskriminierende Access to relevant documentation to create transparency about discriminatory incidents and how those incidents were handled, for example cases which referred to the AGG (General Equal Treatment Act).
Establishment of a trade union for marginalized persons
Establishment of an “Access Needs” or “Access Rider”:
These documents should clarify important questions and needs at the beginning of a working relationship, to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment for artists as well as the participating institutions, galleries or event organizations.
Mandatory further training for managers, including directors, artistic directors, curators, choreographers, art mediators, and, in the best case, for entire production teams, emphasizing discrimination sensitivity as a basis for joint work.
Compensation payments: Racialized and BIPOC people should receive higher wages due to structural, individual and systemic disadvantage. The associated pain and emotional work should be recognized and compensated.
Establishment of a central reporting office in the Department of Culture: this office must be staffed by WLINTA* and BIPOC persons, who are adequately paid to process and prevent incidents of discrimination.
A dedicated space for WLINTA* and BIPOC artists: A physical space open 24/7 that can be used as a workspace, shelter and retreat in equal measure. The aim is to create a sense of community and cohesion. It is self-organized, and not dependent on state funding.
Fazit
The exchange format clearly showed how important it is to create spaces in which people feel safer and can speak openly with each other. The experiences and perspectives of the participants helped to develop concrete demands for an art and cultural landscape that is free of discrimination. It became clear that safer spaces are not just particular physical places, but also environments created by living communities and mutual support.
The list of demands we developed provides an important push towards structural changes in Leipzig's cultural scene - towards more solidarity, exchange, and spaces of well-being for everyone.
Senja Brütting led the discussion and exchange format as part of the symposium “Safer Spaces in Public Space - Art as a Medium and Method”. Senja lives and works in Leipzig and is a dancer, movement performer, and educational consultant for racism-critical empowerment.
