(translated by google, published in Trouw)
TINKEBELL
There is in the past week, something remarkable happened. Something everyone seems to amaze outside the arts sector. After extensive research of the Social Economic Council and the Council for Culture is the official. The artist in the Netherlands is poor. Minister Bussemaker said she was afraid of here, but now really frightened. Goh.
But the result is interesting. Namely that the artist in the past week has been transformed from lazy subsidy tractor feeding upon your tax money to poor man who works hard for a pittance or sometimes even no pay at all.
I am a visual artist (according to the report, the poorest group within the art sector) and I seize this opportunity to give you a look into my personal financial situation.
In the Volkskrant I read: “The cuts have wreaked havoc in the art world. Who does not belong to the top, can not make ends meet. “And I felt a little proud. It means I belong to the top.
I have no owner-occupied. No car. No expensive equipment. No expensive clothes. I’m very, very rarely on vacation.
I can usually pay my rent. My only regular sources of income are my columns in this newspaper and magazine OneWorld. What I earn is just enough for my rent and groceries. Or my rent, my gas, electricity, water, insurance and phone bill.
Extra costs are much travel within the Netherlands and of course my work. The latter especially, which costs a small fortune. Art is a very, very costly.
Fortunately, I give regular lectures. And I’m such artist who occasionally asks money for its participation in an exhibition. And no, unfortunately that is certainly not common. (Oh, and sometimes I sell a work, but usually my investments are so high that I had nothing to earn.) This my other financial fixed costs and if all goes well also part of my job.
When things or if it is summer, because that is the ‘sector’ still and I also write less columns, usually bills are piling up.
I am happy that one artist in the Netherlands (as far as I know, I do not know any colleague who did this too) with a so-called patron: an art collector who finances a part of my work. In addition, I get regularly (small) donations from individuals through a ‘friends of Tinkebell’- projection. And, occasionally, I get a little grant money.
This list of sponsors is a great luxury that makes me myself as rich experience. Not because I literally realm of word (a very few times I pay some bills that are too long, to avoid seizure by a bailiff) Everything goes straight to work.
I count myself among the most successful artists in this country, and when I look around me, I see mostly colleagues (much) lower income and fewer investment opportunities.
Why am I sharing this with you? Since you obviously have no idea, and because it would be nice if you had that indeed. Not as a complaint. Also no pettiness issue. But just for the sense of reality.