A broad majority of the parties in the Folketing have agreed on help for the opening and restart of cultural life, after the latest corona shutdown. This means that i.a. museums and art galleries can open their doors again on Sunday 16 January, with the requirement that guests wear masks and show a corona passport.
"We are delighted that the visual arts space can now open to visitors again," says Marie Thams, head of the Association of Visual Artists (BKF).
The shutdown has been unfortunate both for the audience and for the artists who had been working towards exhibitions for a long time, which ended up being four weeks behind closed doors. Some of the exhibitions do not manage to reopen before the end of the exhibition period, but instead new ones are opened. And it is both gratifying and necessary that everyone once again gets access to the art space, believes BKF's front person:
"In the midst of the pandemic, which still puts pressure on us in different ways in everyday life and in social life, we have extra need for art's ability to create perspective, meaning and sensual presence. The corona crisis has shown how important art and culture are for the collective state of mind and well-being. So our call to the politicians is to let 2022 be the year in which active investment is made in giving the entire visual arts area a boost," says Marie Thams.
Possibility of flexible reopening
The new political agreement on the reopening of cultural life means, among other things, that cultural institutions that cannot reopen at short notice can get financial help for flexible reopening. The adjustment period, during which cultural life can act as open or remain closed for a little longer, applies from 16 January to 31 January 2022.
In addition, the politicians have decided to set aside a new activity pool of DKK 30 million. DKK to restart large parts of cultural life. The activity pool is targeted at cultural actors, i.e. Among other things, theatres, venues and associations, and applies to activities aimed at the public in the period 6 January – 4 February 2022.
Read more about the new reopening agreement at the Ministry of Culture, here…
The art support scheme reopens
The arts support scheme for artists with combined incomes is also reopened.
This means that artists with combination incomes can apply for compensation for lost income from artistic work for the period from 1 December 2021 to 28 February 2022, if they have a loss of income from artistic work of at least 30%.
Artists can be compensated for 90% of their lost income from artistic work.
The art support scheme is expected to open in week 3. This will appear from this side, when it is possible to apply.
Get an overview of all aid packages and compensation schemes in the area of the Ministry of Culture here…
Top: The Free Exhibition Building in Copenhagen is one of the art galleries that reopens on Sunday 16 January 2022. At the current exhibition The legacy of Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, you can, among other things, experience works by Hannah Heilmann: Storage room doors, 2021 and by Sif Itona Westerberg: Sproutings I-III, 2021. Photo: David Stjernholm.
Updated on January 17, 2022.