2021,

COVEN BERLIN

2021,

2013

Initiative

covenberlin.com

Kiona Hagen Niehaus, Dr. Self, video work in the frame of PROBAND WERDEN, Foto: Billie Sara Clarken

future babies, performance in the frame of the exhibition LUCKY, 2018, Foto: Judy Landkammer

Prinzipiell ist unsere Haltung heute, dass wir honorierte Arbeit − ob nun für die Infrastruktur oder einzelne Inhalte und Formate, ob für uns oder Dritte, mit denen wir arbeiten − als Prinzip anstreben.These try-outs should be understood not in abstract terms, but in the light of the current struggles with labor, housing, racism, homophobia, and anti-fascist positions. If politicians can facilitate these processes for us to work, that would be great. We would wish that the situation wouldn’t look as somber but reality is also knocking on the door of the art sphere. Can politicians regulate the price for studios and project spaces? Can they facilitate real financial support for diversity? Can they push a little bit further and understand the complex situation of art practitioners during and after the pandemic, and give some more support?In the early years, we were not thinking so much about accessibility to our exhibitions and events in a physical sense of venues without elevators or events without translation, but also in a digital sense. For many years, our online magazine hadn’t been accessible for screen-readers for people with poor vision or the blind, or keyboard navigation for people with mobility issues, for example. Getting there was a journey, and I think we would now start from a more accessible place. I would want local politicians to make their funding applications more accessible, not only in terms of able-ism, but also in terms of all forms of discrimination, e.g. proof of citizenship, applications having to be written in German. I wish that they would give a universal basic income to everyone (not just citizens), open their borders, and make healthcare free, free for everyone.