Why the 'Prospects' exhibition organized by Mondriaan Fonds at #ArtRotterdam for artists who received its 'Starter' stipend has become problematic - op-ed by Simon Kentgens, in Dutch:

https://metropolism.com/nl/opinie/wat-zijn-onze-prospects/

The text critiques how the Mondriaan Fund Artist Start grant subtly steers emerging artists toward the commercial art system. By combining funding with the “Prospects” exhibition at Art Rotterdam, artists are nudged to produce object-based, sellable work, marginalizing process-driven, social, or non-market practices.

The problem is intensified by the venue: Rotterdam Ahoy also hosts a controversial arms trade fair, creating an ethical entanglement between publicly funded art and militarized industry. Artists are forced to choose between visibility and complicity.

Additionally, access is restricted: audiences must buy relatively expensive tickets, excluding lower-income publics—especially in Rotterdam-Zuid. Thus, public funding paradoxically supports an exclusive, market-aligned system that shapes art production, links it to problematic industries, and limits public access.

#contemporaryart #netherlands #artworld #art