TR + NL collaborations

In the field of art there is a lot of Dutch activity in Istanbul, but little outside Beyoglu or outside Istanbul. When Turkish artists are invited to the Netherlands they are still often invited in the context of projects with Dutch people with Turkish roots or for Dutch-Turkish audiences. However, according to most Turkish people in Turkey, integration problems of Turkish workers in the Netherlands should be solved by the efforts of the immigrant Turkish communities themselves and/or via policy efforts of the Dutch government. Most artists who were born and raised in Turkey and are part of the intellectual elite of the country, feel they have little in common with Dutch Turks who according to them are more Dutch than Turkish in their communication style and whose lifestyle may be more traditional than theirs. The other way around, when work is made by an artist in Turkey this is not automatically interesting to Dutch-Turkish audiences. 2010 can be seen as an opportunity to gain insight in what audiences and artists want and how they can be best brought together. 2012 Offers Dutch arts professionals the opportunity to gain more insight in the arts community in Turkey. Exchange programs, workshops, residency and internships can provide opportunities for cultural exchange between communities. Student exchange programs are popular. The attendance of exchange programs such as Erasmus increased in the last 5 years, but problems with attaining visas and the high costs of visas and residency permits are barriers for Turkish students and artists alike. Cultural cooperation can be intensified between sister cities such Gaziantep-Nijmegen and Istanbul-Rotterdam. Supporting artistic activities, artists or sponsorship can be provided by Turkish and Dutch businessmen working together (such as Netherlands Turkish Bussinesmen Association).