The Night Of Culture

Activism, 2010

At the " Night of Culture " in Norrköping the artist´s association was asked to do something, of course without payment. I put a coin lock on my studio door and showed this text:

I will not work for free anymore.

Art is supposed to exist under the same conditions as other businesses in today's society. An artist must have a business plan and make art that pays off in economic terms. These are the signals we receive.

While we are expected to be businessmen but we are also supposed to work for free in all possible contexts. There are major exhibitions where the artists don´t recieve any payment. Instead, we are supposed to be satisfied with the publicity and advertising we get from the exhibition. That artists actually have to pay for the exhibit is quite invisible. The model contract between the major art galleries are often that the artist must pay for the shipping of the material. Most of the time you get carry all expenses for yourself! The advertising we get leads, at best, to selling something often at a loss and the amount we pay the organizer is up to 50% of the prize. An exhibition can of course also lead to another exhibition that we have to cover ourselves. Lots of artists turn exhibitions down because the simply cannot afford them.

Much of the important art is endangered. The kind of art that is truly avant-garde and subversive rarely works in the living room. Art that is objectionable or which causes you to think can be amazing but most people do not want to pay for it. They just want to get experience for free.

I will not do this anymore. You are welcome to come in, but you have to pay.

The toilet, to the right, is free.