The following letter from the Black Artists and Cultural Workers in Switzerland reached us in June 2020.
Dear cultural institutions, museums, art spaces, galleries and off-spaces in Switzerland,
We have compiled a series of questions to help you self-assess and scrutinise your actions against structural racism and white supremacy in your own structures. These can serve as a guide to identify which aspects of your efforts require more commitment. We therefore urge you to take the time to answer these questions honestly and take all necessary steps to answer each of them positively in the future:
These questions are intended to help you as a guide for sustainable change. We encourage you to share your answers publicly with your audience, set targets for improved practice and regularly review your commitment to becoming a fundamentally anti-racist organisation.
Anti-Black racism is just one of the oppressive and discriminatory manifestations of White Supremacy. Xenophobia and racism has also manifested itself in our society against non-Black People of Colour. Although our letter focuses on the issues surrounding anti-Black racism, we call for appropriate steps to be taken to tackle all forms of discrimination. We call on all stakeholders to take an intersectional approach and recognise the intersections of racism with ableism, homophobia, classism, sexism and transphobia and to take all necessary means to ensure that the contemporary art and cultural scenes in Switzerland sustainably gain in diversity and inclusivity beyond the publicly presented solidarity and virtues and act accordingly.
Aargauer Kunsthaus
Open answers to Black Artists and Cultural Workers in Switzerland
Aarau, August 2024
Your open letter reached us in 2020 and we were unable to respond immediately. Now we are one step further: we were able to develop the exhibition Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin in dialogue with an advisory board, which showed works by 40 artists on 1,000 m2 covering the entire ground floor of the Aargauer Kunsthaus from September 2023 to January 2024. With an awareness of intersectionality, we endeavoured to create space for polyphony. Among other things, police violence in Switzerland was also addressed in this context – namely with works by Sasha Huber showing portraits of Roger Wilhelm (Nzoy), Mike Ben Peter Amadasun and Hervé Bondembe Mandundu.
This exhibition enabled us to acquire several important works for our collection (Omar Ba, Sasha Huber, Uriel Orlow), thus not only supporting the work of talented artists affected by racism, but also permanently anchoring the theme of anti-racism in the institution’s memory. The resulting bilingual publication also enabled us to develop reflections on structural racism in the Swiss art world – for example with an in-depth contribution from Nayansaku Mufwankolo (responsible for diversity and inclusion, HEAD Geneva). The anti-racism workshops held with the expert and diversity coach Dr Nia Cuero were attended by the entire Kunsthaus team. We are aware that these are the first steps towards a goal that is still a long way off.
The questions you ask us in this questionnaire point to gaps that we plan to close. After the exhibition, we will continue to address the topic of diversity in our team, our programme and with our audience. We are open to your suggestions. We can also think together about how we can make the topic even more visible and achieve a long-term impact.
Team Aargauer Kunsthaus
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Questions about the programme, collaboration with Black artists and cultural professionals
How many Black artists and cultural practitioners are represented in your galleries, collections and programmes, your residency programmes and scholarships?
The Aargauer Kunsthaus has not yet reached its goal on the road to greater diversity. There is a long road ahead of us, not a short section. By raising awareness of the issue, the Aargauer Kunsthaus has increased diversity in its temporary exhibitions and events programme in recent years. In Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin, we were able to show works by 20 people of colour (PoC) artists. A monographic exhibition of a PoC artist is being planned: in 2025, the work of Ishita Chakraborty, who has already been a guest at the Aargauer Kunsthaus several times, will be exhibited as part of the Manor Art Prize. Further exhibitions will follow.
Experience has shown that exhibitions allow us to react more quickly and respond to social change. In the case of the collection presentation, which takes up to two thirds of the exhibition space, a change in the acquisition strategy will only become noticeable in the medium to long term. The collection focussing on ‘Art from Switzerland’ at the Aargauer Kunsthaus dates back to the 18th century and extends to the present day. It is always collected and purchased with the present in mind. Attention is also paid to diversity. This present – and the endeavour to open up – will become visible in the future.
How many Black artists and cultural practitioners do you invite to participate in exhibition and event programmes that do not deal with topics such as racism, decoloniality or being Black?
The Aargauer Kunsthaus does not specify any themes for the artists. The artists are invited to exhibitions and events based on the quality and topicality of their work. PoC artists and mediators are regularly invited to take part in exhibitions or events that are not directly related to the topic of racism (e.g. sustainability, illustration, music, films, photography, mediation). We also ensure that diversity is respected within the framework of art juries (e.g. in the Auswahl)’ format.
Do you pay all Black artists and cultural workers who are represented in your programme? Are they paid the same for their work as their white colleagues?
Yes, the Aargauer Kunsthaus is committed to ensuring that all artists and cultural practitioners – regardless of age, origin, gender or identity – receive equal and appropriate remuneration.
Do you benefit from unpaid work by Black artists and cultural professionals in the form of recommendations for programme design or talks or as educators or consultants? What forms of compensation have already been considered?
We also benefit from unpaid work such as recommendations in the sense of an exchange with institutions and cultural professionals. However, this applies to everyone.
As part of the exhibition Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin at the Aargauer Kunsthaus (2023), curator Dr Céline Eidenbenz engaged in a targeted exchange with various Black or PoC cultural practitioners during workshop visits or public conferences. Additional advisory discussions and the work of the advisory board were compensated (workload and/or expenses) – just as with other projects.
Members of the advisory board: Mandy Abou Shoak, social pedagogue and anti-racism coach, Zurich; Joshua Amissah, picture editor, editor, curator, Berlin and Zurich; Sasha Huber, artist, Helsinki; Laura Arminda Kingsley, artist and mediator, Dübendorf; Nayansaku Mufwankolo, commissioner for inclusion and lecturer in cultural studies and critical theory, Haute école d’art et de design (HEAD), Geneva
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Questions about personnel, organisational structure and management
How many Black people are employed in your institution? How many of them are in curatorial teams, committees or other leadership positions within your institution? How many of them are employed on permanent contracts?
Our team of permanent and temporary staff has not yet been characterised by a high level of diversity.
Black and PoC is also a self-designation that is not accepted or used by everyone. As we have not conducted a survey on how our employees identify themselves and we cannot speak for Black people and PoC in our team, it is not possible for us to provide accurate figures.
What political positions do the individual members of their boards, juries or other governing bodies take? Are they sensitised to the reality of life for Black artists and cultural workers? How many of them are Black people?
Let’s be clear: political affiliation is not a criterion for election to committees or juries. As a cantonal institution, we do not publicly disclose personal data such as religious affiliation or political views.
The members of the board of our Kunstverein can be viewed in the annual reports of the Aargauischer Kunstverein. Some of them are also public figures with political responsibility. As of today, no Black or PoC person is represented on either board. However, the members are sensitised, as we consciously involve them in the preparation of exhibitions, specifically Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin, and invited them to the anti-racist team workshops and a special workshop. We are endeavouring to increase the diversity of our juries and to sensitise all Kunstverein members to the issue of exclusion and racism.
Are there ethical guidelines in your institution that restrict you from accepting funds from private donors or organisations that engage in colonial, racist and discriminatory practices that directly or indirectly harm Black populations?
As one of the lessons learnt and as a result of the exhibition Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin, we have decided to develop a ‘Code of Conduct’ as a cultural institution that will also take a stand on racism.
How do you ensure that Black employees, artists and cultural workers have the space to voice the discrimination they experience while working in your institution? How do you actively and vocally support Black people who experience and address discrimination within your organisation?
As part of the exhibition Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin, an e-mail address was set up for the protection of visitors and employees, which could be used to send messages with the keyword ‘awareness’. The responses were all answered and in some cases personal dialogue was also sought.
In preparation for the Stranger in the Village exhibition, anti-racism workshops were held for the Kunsthaus team, members of the Kunstverein and representatives of the Culture Division of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport. In 8 to 16 hours of training, the team was sensitised to the topic of racism and discrimination.
We were all asked to become aware of our privileges and the need to share power and words. We learnt how important it is to take people who are disadvantaged by society seriously and to include them. The feedback from the diversity workshops showed that the exchange of experiences with the reception and supervisory team at the Kunsthaus in particular led to genuine empowerment on a professional and personal level.
We are aware that raising awareness alone is not enough. A clearly defined point of contact would be desirable. As things stand today, there is no such centre – for racism and other forms of discrimination – within the cantonal administration. The Aargauer Kunsthaus is a private-public partnership and the institution is supported by the Canton of Aargau and the Aargauer Kunstverein.
Has your institution or organisation ever been accused of racism? What measures do you take to ensure that the person making a complaint feels safe? How do you deal with and document complaints publicly? What forms of compensation do you provide in such cases?
In 2019, there was a controversy surrounding a work from our collection by Pascal Danz, which was depicted on the Kunstverein’s membership card. The author Klaus Merz criticised this and sent an open letter to the board of the Aargau Art Association and the management of the Aargauer Kunsthaus to the editors of the ‘Aargauer Zeitung’. This was an example of how depictions without contextual information can lead to irritation. The work of Pascal Danz, who grew up in Central Africa, examines objects of colonialism from a critical perspective. In a public statement in 2019, the Aargauer Kunsthaus explained the multi-layered nature and complexity of the work while recognising the problem of the lack of context. As part of the exhibition Stranger in the Village. Reflecting on Racism with James Baldwin, the online text (in German) of this work in the public collection was revised and adapted to the current state of the discussion on racism. At all times, works require the willingness and sensitivity to be re-evaluated and appropriately communicated.