Cultural cooperation Germany-Netherlands 2021-2024 

Both on the German and Dutch side there is a shared curiosity among artists and policymakers for developments regarding certain themes. Climate change, energy transition, youth culture, diversity, inclusion, the function of cultural institutions and museums as public spaces, dealing with colonial collections and digitisation are just a few to mention. To stimulate reflection and knowledge exchange on current societal themes in the cultural domain, the Netherlands Embassy in Germany developed the programme Diverse Gespräche in 2020. An example is the lecture series Neuverortung about libraries and innovation with the Stadtbibliothek Köln and the debate on talent in crisis connected with the FOAM Talent exhibition in Berlin.

The three focus areas of Dutch-German collaborations are visual arts, literature and creative industries. In addition to those disciplines, there will be more attention for developments in the Netherlands that make the Dutch art scene stand out and complement the existing offer in Germany. This includes for example youth culture (youth literature, theatre and film), cultural education, digitisation, public outreach (e.g. a museum card), a broadened view of culture (street culture, popular culture) and diversity. The focus of exchanging knowledge will furthermore be on societal themes, geographical presence and cross-border collaboration.

DutchCulture, the Netherlands Embassy in Germany and the public cultural funds also organise visitors programmes in the Netherlands for Germany-based cultural professionals to facilitate knowledge exchange and potential collaborations. Visitors programmes to the Netherlands often lead to programming; in about 80% of the cases, a project with a Dutch (based) partner emerged within two years.

In the past years, the position of Dutch visual artists has been strengthened by presentations at important fairs like Transmediale, Berlin Biennale, Ruhrtriennale and Documenta. Those art events do not only offer Dutch artists to exhibit their work, but also enable to network with the art field. In addition, the Kunstvereine, a system of around 300 community art galleries all over Germany, offer great opportunities for starting and mid-career artists to gain international recognition.

Around 80 - 100 Dutch books (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's books, graphic novels) are translated into German every year. In 2022, Dutch authors presented themselves for example at the lit. COLOGNE, Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin, Europäische Festival Debutroman Kiel, and the Literarischer Sommer NRW. In the run up to the Gastlandauftritt (guest of honour) at the Leipziger Buchmesse in 2024, the Dutch-Flemish literary podcast Kopje Koffie includes interviews with for example Simone Atangana Bekono, Lisa Weeda and Arnon Grunberg. Being guest of honour in Leipzig provides many chances to put a new generation of writers, diverse genres and upcoming voices in the spotlight. In the course of 2023, the Dutch public cultural funds, the Netherlands Embassy in Berlin and the curatorial team prepare an interdisciplinary programme in Leipzig accompanying the presentation at the book fair in 2024.

The creative industry is a relatively new field of expertise, combining the disciplines architecture, design, fashion and digital culture. In what way can art and culture contribute to the societal questions of our era, such as climate change, energy transition, a post-corona society, inclusion and diversity? For example, circular economy is a hot topic in the creative industry, raising questions around how new materials and techniques can be used in the future, how waste can be reduced and what is needed to reach the sustainability goals. In times of change, there is a special opportunity for synergetic collaborations. One example is the programme ALL GOOD(s): New Materials in Architecture, Design and Fashion for a Future Circular Economy, developed by the Cultural Department and the Department of Infrastructure and Water Management at the Embassy in Berlin. The programme resulted in a series of events, with for instance an exhibition at Gropius Bau Berlin. Other recent examples are multiple exhibitions on the depletion of resources with project space gr_und, a participation at the Berlin Fashion Summit about circular textile and the exhibition Circular Practices in Construction.

There are many opportunities for the Netherlands outside the large metropolitan areas and in the border regions that are waiting to be discovered. ”Germany is not just Berlin! There are amazing opportunities in other parts of Germany as well,” says cultural attaché Beate Gerlings. Accordingly, the Dutch diplomatic network in Germany wants to increase its awareness of opportunities in the eastern states of the country by increasing its knowledge and network there. During the policy period 2021-2024, a special focus will be on the Leipzig area (guest of honour of the Leiziger Buchmesse in 2024) and Chemnitz (European Capital of Culture in 2025). Cultural professionals are invited to explore those areas and encouraged to initiated meaningful collaborations there.

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most visited federal state of Germany by Dutch (based) makers. For many people living and working close to the border, it feels natural to expand activities to the other side. The Consulate General in Düsseldorf pays special attention to promoting cross-border cooperation with partners operating close to the German-Dutch border. They do this by broadening networks, providing targeted impulses for exchanges between culture makers and mediating between non-congruent government structures. Numerous cultural initiatives have recently been launched along the border, ranging from project-based cooperation to long term collaborations. For instance, the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland and the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe signed a cultural covenant aimed at Entwickeln, koordinieren und teilen (to develop, coordinate and share). Cross-border subsidy programmes such as EUREGIO are already in place to facilitate the collaboration across and around the border.

The cultural sector is affected by societal developments and cannot refrain from urgent topics such as the climate crisis, social inequality and decolonization. In both countries there are ongoing debates about the role of museums in the context of those topics. What are the responsibilities and functions of museums and who are they tailored to? In Germany as well as the Netherlands, there has been a shift of defining what a museum should look like in the future, and who it should be for. Rather than educating the public, museums could function as so-called third spaces. Museums can be a place of encounters, mutual learning and voice of different social groups. This includes a public that actively co-creates exhibitions and co-decides on the content of programmes.

Get inspired by Futures-Oriented Museum Synergies (FORMS) network members Rolinka Kattouw (Next Nature Eindhoven), Gabriele Zapf and Stefan Brandt (Futurium Berlin), imagining the future:

Important recurrent fairs and festivals:

• Ruhrtriennale (10 August - 23 September, 2023)
• Stuttgarter Buchwochen (16 November - 3 December, 2023)
• Berlinale Film Festival (15-25 February, 2024)
• Leipziger Buchmesse (21-24 April, 2024)
• Berliner Festspiele Theatertreffen (3-19 May, 2024)
• Transmediale (2024)
• Frankfurter Buchmesse (16-20 October, 2024)
• Aedes Architekturforum Craftmanship
• Manifesta Biennial - Ruhr Area (2026)
• Theater der Welt - Chemnitz (2026)
• Documenta (12 June - 19 September, 2027)

Would you like to receive more information regarding opportunities for cultural exchange with Germany? Feel free to contact our Germany advisor Astrid Mörk with your questions. She can inform you about the latest developments in the country, relevant contacts and cultural venues.

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• Webpage of the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands in Berlin
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• Webpage of the Consulate General of The Kingdom of the Netherlands in Düsseldorf
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