"Delegitimation, Denunziation und Verunsicherung"
German cultural critic Georg Seeßlen warns in his taz column of a right-wing 'war of conquest' targeting liberal cultural institutions through systematic delegitimation, denunciation, and intimidation. Meanwhile, a new Berlin artist study reveals that the average annual income from artistic work is just €6,000, highlighting a structural dysfunction in the art system. Additionally, Jonathan Meese's play 'Alaska Kid' has been canceled at the Volksbühne Berlin following the death of his mother Brigitte Meese, who was his organizer, muse, and confidante.
These stories matter because they expose converging crises in the German art world: political attacks on cultural institutions from the far right, the economic precarity of most artists despite a booming art market, and the deeply personal human cost behind high-profile productions. Seeßlen's call for resistance, the study's indictment of art schools producing too many graduates, and Meese's cancellation all point to systemic vulnerabilities that affect how art is made, funded, and valued in Germany today.