2017,

SOMA Art Gallery

2017,

2014

SOMA 700

Monumentenstraße

24

Berlin

10965

somaartspace.com

Kahee Jeong, Unmyth, 2021, Foto: Nabi Nara

Kevin Groen, Boys don’t cry, 2020, Foto: Nabi Nara

Art has the power to make people think and feel differently. Art has the power to activate change.To run a space is a form of appreciation of other artists, it is an outcome of friendship and mutual understanding; it is an indication of trust between all involved. To run a space means to take responsibility. To run a space is not only self-organization – money may not be vital to put up a show – but it is for sure necessary to animate a space and keep it alive. The prize comes due to hard and merited work, but maybe a grant would be more befitting than a prize? Maybe an iron scaffold holding up a structure in advance is better suited than a gold star for accomplishments? To run a space is a full time job. A group of artists who share their enthusiasm, interests, time, and skills would impart a project with a larger circulation of assignments between the makers. I am convinced that the longevity and success of a space relies on a horizontally organized (net) work.Ich wünsche mir mehr Selbstverwaltung der Förderungen und weniger Verwaltungshürden oder Barrikaden. Städtischer Leerstand sollte schnell und unbürokratisch zur Zwischennutzung für Projekträume nutzbar gemacht werden, selbstverwaltete künstlerische Freiräume, Projekte oder Hausgemeinschaften müssen unbedingt erhalten bleiben.