A few years ago, museums were said to be tired. They had lost their role as places of social exchange.
Now, however, museums and exhibition venues seem to be totally pumped up. They are under pressure from many sides: financial, political and public pressure. They are suffering from nationwide budget cuts.
The Academy of the Arts of the World in Cologne had to close completely a few days ago as a result. Art associations have to fight unwilling city councils for funding for their exhibitions.
Meanwhile, the right-wing AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is denouncing the Bauhaus Dessau as a ‘misguided path of modernism’ and would rather see German painting in museums.
However, the aggression against the houses comes from many political directions. Especially on social media, where people react to art exhibitions with shitstorms and calls for boycotts. And the discord in the cultural sector since 7 October is far from over.
Cancel culture from the right
In an interview with Der Spiegel a few weeks ago, Klaus Biesenbach, director of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, blamed left-wing identity politics and its call for political correctness for this toxic climate. He argued that it ultimately leads to a cancel culture that stifles freedom of expression and artistic freedom.
In fact, we have already arrived at a post-restitution debate. Public mistrust of museum collections has given rise to mistrust of what museums actually show in their exhibitions, whom they address or exclude.
Institutions are called upon to negotiate between different social perspectives. And this is done through language and communication.
