The speech by Macit Karaahmetoğlu, member of the Bundestag for the SPD, on the occasion of the opening of our exhibition “SHOWTIME” Müller & Sohn + Ko (Irene Müller, Diethard Sohn and Hyunjeong Ko) at the Ludwigsburger Kunstverein:
Dear Diethard, dear Irene, dear Hyunjeong Ko, dear Lord Mayor Knecht, ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to comply with the request to say something about art and politics in my speech.
Diethard is not only a long-time friend of mine, but as a member of the Bundestag, I am also involved in politics on a daily basis. So the topic was an obvious choice for my speech at this vernissage, which I was really looking forward to.
…..
As far as the subject of art and politics is concerned: in well-known quotes, politics is often elevated to an art form. Otto von Bismarck is said to have once said that politics is the art of the possible. I don’t know how many politicians have incorporated this saying into a speech to give their work meaning. I certainly don’t see myself as an artist. Politics is a completely different category to art.
In most of the quotes, however, my profession does not come off well. For example: “Politics is the art of creating new problems, even though you haven’t solved the old ones yet.” This quote is put into the mouths of various celebrities. Unfortunately, this malice is currently in vogue again.
What art means to me: I really enj
What art means to me: I love looking at art and letting it have an effect on me. I find art a pleasure, but I don’t usually analyze it. Especially not in connection with my job as a member of parliament.
I like going to museums and exhibitions.I look at paintings, photos, videos, sculptures and installations. I perceive the objects intensely. I admire the colors, the artistry and the creativity of the artists.But above all, I admire their talent for seeing and grasping the details in things and reproducing them artistically.But I don’t expect artists to make political statements.At least, I don’t see this as a permanent artistic task.
Nevertheless, art and politics are inextricably linked. In a democracy like ours, artists have the right to create and express their works freely.Art is independent of state censorship and influences the political landscape.It promotes dialog and raises awareness of the importance of art in our society.
Artists can give free rein to their creativity, they can provoke, stimulate reflection and show new perspectives.
However, the freedom of art in a democracy is not the result of a self-propelled process. It is based on the foundations of our political system and is guaranteed by
the protection of artistic freedom and freedom of opinion,
freedom of the press and
cultural diversity.
As members of the democratic parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag, we are committed to these foundations and have a responsibility to protect and promote artistic freedom.
In the German Bundestag, of course, it’s not just about funding when we debate the shape of our cultural and media landscape.I myself deal with issues of copyright and media law.Topics include
the digitization of our libraries,
artificial intelligence and copyright or even
music marketing in digital times.
Unfortunately, the political view of art is not the same in all countries.In authoritarian states, independent art is perceived as threatening, as it has the potential to undermine the state’s control over the masses.
In such regimes, art suffers from censorship and is reduced to the political mainstream. Artists are silenced, they end up in prison, their creative impulses are stifled. This may be beneficial for the political rulers, but it harms culture and the free development of the individual and ultimately society as a whole.
Such a danger is also looming in Germany.
In right-wing populist and right-wing extremist circles, artistic freedom is currently being called into question and “left-wing art” is once again being attacked. There should be no publicity and no state funding for this, they say.
One example of this lives here in the district of Ludwigsburg, an AfD member of parliament who sits on the Committee for Culture and Media. A few years ago, he told SPIEGEL that he wanted to “reduce the previous funding of politically correct projects”. He commented on his election as cultural policy spokesperson for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag by saying that he now wanted to “tackle the de-siphoning of the cultural sector” as part of the “Attack Department”.
Freedom of art is enshrined in the Basic Law.
Freedom also means that art can be political, but it doesn’t have to be.Art has a message or it only serves its own purpose.
That is part of artistic freedom. For right-wing ideologues, however, art is always political: if you don’t like it, it has to go. If it pleases, it is supported politically and financially.
Personally, I expect artists to
they have talent
they are creative and innovative
can do something special
their work stands out from mere craftsmanship.
However, art does not have the task of stabilizing a political system, not even state-sponsored art. We must all work together to ensure a strong democracy.
Art helps politics to gain new insights when it highlights what was previously invisible in society and illustrates grievances. It has the power to touch and inspire us. It can help us to see the world through different eyes and break new ground. Especially in times when our society is facing major challenges, we need this inspiration.
Because art can influence people and politics, art has always been dependent on politics: Financially and ideologically. You can see this right here in Ludwigsburg: dukes and kings saw themselves as generous patrons of the arts.
But they only supported those artists (very rarely female artists) who created works in their honor.
Criticism, irony and dissent were all forbidden and punishable by law.
In past centuries, art had to obediently obey politics. If it did not, artists were at best expelled, like Friedrich Schiller from Württemberg. In the worst case, art was exposed by force, as happened to the poet Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart when he was imprisoned at Hohenasperg Fortress. Just to cite two local examples.
Only a few actually become rich with art and thus independent of everything and everyone. Not least, however, young art needs support from good schools and teachers. After that, artists need financial support, especially if they want to try out new things.
This is all dependent on political decisions and to a certain extent creates a dependency on politics. Promoting culture is a central component of our political work. After all, a society that neglects art deprives itself of an important source of inspiration and progress.
This is why the art associations in our country, such as the Ludwigsburger Kunstverein, are so important.
Art would not be so diverse in Germany if it were not for institutions such as the Kunstverein, in addition to state funding and support from industry.
With their voluntary work, Kunstvereine not only give art space – in the literal sense – but also guarantee its independence. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Kunstverein Ludwigsburg for their commitment and for making the Müller und Sohn plus Ko exhibition possible here.
I look forward to exchanging ideas with you and finding out what the exhibition works trigger in you.
Macit Karaahmetoğlu
This post is also available in .de.