Speech opening Biënnale Venetië

Toespraak | 10-05-2017 | Jet Bussemaker

Ladies and gentlemen,

Whenever I see the Dutch pavilion, I feel a renewed sense of awe for Gerrit Rietveld:
for the directness, the transparency and the clarity in his design.
By illuminating these traits he sketches the Holland of his time.

I must admit: seeing Rietveld’s pavilion today has struck me more than in the years before.
Perhaps this is because today I am opening the Dutch pavilion at the Biennale di Venezia for the last time as the Minister of Culture.
And since I feel a deep love for the arts, it makes me feel a bit melancholy.

But it resonates with me in other ways, too, because this year curator Lucy Cotter and artist Wendelien van Oldenborgh have chosen to have a special conversation with Rietveld.
In Cinema Olanda, they have added a new layer, new content to the pavilion and by extension to a specific image of Dutch society.

Cinema Olanda gives us pause to reflect on questions that are currently resounding everywhere in our society: who are we and why are we here?
What does it mean to be ‘the Netherlands’ or to be ‘Dutch’?
These are questions that evoke images, emotions and experiences in each individual.

And I cannot help but to personally reflect on them:

Questions like these evoke memories of my grandfather, who defended his country until his death as a Naval Officer in World War Two – while at the same time representing a repressive, colonial system in the Dutch East Indies.
His narrative impacts my own life, my feelings and my opinion about our society.

I must also think of my daughter.
As a young woman in our country, she is completely free to become whatever she wants – while her own great-great-grandfather, my husband’s great grandfather, was a slave – a victim of the same repressive, colonial system in Surinam.

In our deepest essence, we are the sum total of the narratives, images, experiences and events that are our partners in a constant dialogue.
And together we build a societal self-image based on almost seventeen million inner dialogues.
An giant image that changes with the currents of our times.
Changes that, in turn, cause friction.

I recognize this friction – a serious public debate – in the persistent identity politics that seem to be dominating our democracy.
I recognize it in the growing separations between groups of people in our society – causing the  images of others to become more one-sided and hostile.

Many people apparently see this state of affairs as a step to a solution,
but I’m afraid they will only be deceived.
Identity politics is only a symptom of something deeper.
It can never be the solution.

What we need is to take an honest, open look at ourselves and at others.
We need to focus on finding acknowledgement and recognition.
A process in which art has a crucial role to play.

In a polarizing, restless world, art – and by extension the artist as a creator – is like the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
If art grows silent, it’s time to worry – or even it’s already too late.
When dialogues cease, when groups grow apart and when politicians build fences and walls... this is when we need independent voices.
Voices that keep us focused.
Not to provide us with ready-made answers, but to help us think, experience and question.

This is precisely what Cinema Olanda does.
It does not prescribe our self-image.
It does not correct us, nor does it dictate answers.
On the contrary.
If anything marks the work of Wendelien van Oldenborgh, it is the urge to break down ingrained ideas about identity.
To liberate the fixed images of who we are – to create space in our minds for new thoughts and feelings.
For something that surprises or refreshes.
Something that confronts us or confirms our thoughts.
And so I would like to compliment Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Lucy Cotter and the Mondriaan Fund, and thank them for being a partner in this societal dialogue.

President John F. Kennedy once spoke on what the artist means for society: ‘If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice (…) make them aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.’ – end quote
 

Such full recognition fuels a society that hopes to advance and develop, and that can deal constructively with subtle yet stiff criticism.
If such subtle criticism is to be given free rein, then both the artist and his or her art must be free – in the most literal sense of the word.
The artist must be free to create – and art free to be created.
The artist must be free to show – and art free to be seen.

I once again quote John F. Kennedy:
‘If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation.’ – end quote

It is precisely in times of uncertainty that we need art and heritage for their stability or as a critical countermeasure – and as windows that force us to see things afresh...

Helping us to bridge the gaps of incomprehension and impotence with beauty to seduce us and imagination to forge new links.

This is why Cinema Olanda deserves not only to be experienced here in Venice – but especially in the Netherlands.
It is important to me that everyone in our society experiences art and culture, regardless of age or background.
Therefore, as minister, I’ve been striving for more cultural education in schools, for broader public outreach in the cultural sector and for greater cultural diversity.
For this reason, I am especially pleased that Cinema Olanda is more than just an installation in the Rietveld pavilion, but also a platform full of activities with artists, activists, filmmakers and researchers at Rotterdam’s Witte de With Center.
I sincerely hope that Cinema Olanda will draw big crowds – here and at home –  and that it will stimulate the senses and get people talking,
helping us to engage in dialogue about who we are.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to quote John F. Kenndy one more time:
‘Art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.’ – end quote

Everyone can experience Cinema Olanda here in total freedom.
It is an autonomous work, created by an autonomous artist.
But while it is free, it does not stand alone.
It is linked to our own narratives, images and experiences.

And this gives it a social and democratic function, too.
I am proud that this Biennale is providing the genesis for a special conversation between countries and cultures, between artists and identities.
 

Cinema Olanda adds a subtle, fragile and unselfish voice to this conversation.
A voice that wants to engage us in dialogue about who we are and where we are going.
Let us cherish that subtle voice.
And let’s listen carefully.

Thank you.