Why should I become a member of Platform BK?Your membership supports Platform BK and contributes to the promotion of art and culture, focusing on a better position for artists, designers, curators, and critics. Furthermore, you help us carry on our activities and mapping out the changing field of the arts. We think about the value and role of art in society and generate new ideas and insights on the topic. We keep members up to date on all of our activities, such as events we organize and publications we publish, and offer them active participation in the members’ meetings.
How do I become a member of Platform BK? You can subscribe immediately here.
I’m a member. Where can I check my data and invoices? You can log on to our encrypted server and view your data and invoices, click here.
Can I visit Platform BK?Yes, at the office (Da Costakade 158a, Amsterdam). Members or aspiring members are always welcome. To be assured that we await you with coffee or tea, you can send an email to kantoor@platformbk.nl.
Why is it necessary to establish yet another platform? Because there is no proper representation of makers (artists, curators, critics, designers) towards the political arena and the mainstream media. Platform BK bridges this gap.
Are you a temporary initiative? No. Platform BK exists for nearly ten years and we’re not planning to stop any time soon. Moreover, many of us have been active with such campaigns for a very long time. Using the platform, we can support our efforts and guarantee continuity.
How was Platform BK founded? As a reaction to the budget cuts in culture announced in July of 2012 by Halbe Zijlstra, who was at the time Secretary of State for Culture in the government Rutte I, a large group of people from the cultural sector convened in the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. Based on a sense of communality and urgency, they aimed to counteract the planned cuts together, as a sector. In the following months, the group convened regularly in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam to plan a first series of actions and find a workable organizational structure. Various actions were set up, but, due to a lack of organizational structure, several people lost their patience and dropped out. A small core team continued working under the name Platform Beeldende Kunst and officially launched the platform on the 27th of June, 2012, in W139 in Amsterdam. Several of the founding members still have a seat on the Board of Platform BK, while the organization has recently inaugurated its third-generation core team, and its network has proliferated to include a large group of members, workers, interns, volunteers and partner organizations.
Where does your money come from? We’re funded mainly by members’ contributions. Furthermore, we received a development grant from the Mondriaan Fund in 2012 and some of our campaigns are supported by collaborating parties, such as the Dutch Artists’ Union and the Pictoright Fund.
What do you use the membership contributions for? With this money, we keep up our activities, such as publishing Retorts and Essays, lobbying for implementation of the Fair Practice Code, and organizing events for our members. Also, the membership contributions are used to pay our core team and the rent of our little office in Tetterode, Amsterdam.
What is the difference between Platform BK and BBK? The BBK (the Dutch professional association of visual artists) helps a large group of artists with practical support in accountancy and legal advice. They also campaign for better government policies for art. Platform BK does not provide direct services to individual artists but is an active think tank. We focus primarily on mapping out the changing field of the arts, improving the image of the arts, guarding a good implementation of the Fair Practice Code, and facilitating self-organization amongst artists. In influencing art policies, we collaborate closely with organizations such as BBK, Kunsten ’92, FNV Kiem, Kunstenbond, and De Zaak Nu.
What is the difference between Platform BK and De Zaak NU? De Zaak Nu represents presentation-institutions in the visual arts. We represent artists, curators, designers, and critics.
Is your aim to undo all the budget cuts in culture since 2011? No, even though we much regret the accumulation of budget cuts, that is not our main goal. We focus on formulating a sensible vision on art and culture, shaped and underpinned by certain values. How can we measure the success of art without using visitors’ numbers and public reach?
Why are subsidies a good idea? Subsidies enable cultural workers to work in independent from the will of the market or a Maecenas. By guarantying this independent position, the government gives space to types of artistic production that would be impossible in the market system. In this sense, subsidies are a guarantee of independence and diversity. This diversity is the starting point of Platform BK.
Aren’t there also successful artists who do not receive subsidy?Yes, there are.