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Cultural initiatives get strong support from the European Union. The EU’s Creative Europe program provides touring support, prizes and project funding for collaboration. Artists are big beneficiaries of the freedom of movement provisions of the EU and of the translation programs available.
All these benefits could soon be out of bounds for UK artists and arts organisations following Britain’s vote on 24 June to leave the EU.
There are also fears that the move towards a more inward-looking Britain will have flow-on effects to tighter immigration and more emphasis on recruiting Britons rather than the best available regardless of nationality.
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Museums, which depend heavily on the exhibition tours they arrange with peers abroad may also find life tougher.
On the other hand museums may not be sorry to see the back of European regulation. The EU’s strong emphasis on the retention and return of cultural heritage has little support in Britain where the British Museum, in particular, holds a huge proportion of the region’s (and the rest of the world’s) cultural heritage and has been steadfast in its refusal to repatriate treasures, notably the Parthenon marbles.
But beyond the effects on the creative industries themselves and the possible flow on in cultural policy, artists are at the forefront of concerns about a narrower, more nationalistic Britain less open to global concerns.
‘I am heartbroken. I hang my head. I feel shame, shame, shame at the xenophobia of this country. There are so many levels of division in Britain. And it’s all so unnecessary. I think the three men involved – Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage – are despicable. And I feel shame, too, at the horrific lack of wisdom, at the criminal abandonment of duty, by David Cameron. He’s meant to lead, he’s meant to show us the way out, and he’s taken us to an abyss. We don’t expect our leaders to acquiesce to the loudest pressure group. He showed not one iota of courage … Great Britain is a great country, a place of tolerance and open-mindedness. But today it looks narrow-minded, small-hearted and mean-spirited,’ sculptor Anish Kapoor told The Guardian.
Kapoor was one of 300 prominent artists and leaders of cultural institutions who signed the StrongerIn campaign’s petition to remain in the EU. Also among them were actor Benedict Cumberbatch, installation artist Tracey Emin, writer Hilary Mantel, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, the Royal Ballet’s director Kevin O’Hare, choreographer Akram Khan, Sadler’s Wells chief Alistair Spalding, and Director of Tate Modern Chris Dercon.
In a letter accompanying the petition they wrote, ‘From the smallest gallery to the biggest blockbuster, many of us have worked on projects that would never have happened without vital EU funding or by collaborating across borders.
‘Leaving Europe would be a leap into the unknown for millions of people across the UK who work in the creative industries, and for the millions more at home and abroad who benefit from the growth and vibrancy of Britain’s cultural sector.’
Arts leaders have expressed concerns that Brexit will affect not only opportunities for British artists abroad but also the quality of work in Britain.
German culture editor Stefan Dege has pointed out that archetypal British rock star David Bowie spent three formative years in his youth in West Berlin (although notably before Britain was in the EU). ‘Whoever plays the nationalist card is rejecting the unifying abilities of music, literature, art and free thought. Brexit is a signal to culture: whoever wants freedom has to fight its enemies. And as David Bowie might have said, “We can beat them. We can be heroes!” he wrote in Deutsche Welle after the result was announced.
Royal Ballet’s director Kevin O’Hare told The Spectator, ‘British arts organisations benefit from the free movement of EU artists, which enables us to attract the finest talent. This is vital at a time of reduced public investment, when we need every tool at our disposal to remain competitive in a global market. If the UK were to leave the EU, how could our arts organisations attract and retain world-class talent and how would our own talents benefit from opportunities to work in the rest of the European Union?’
