The war on Bohemia

Long read: In his annual review for Artforum, renowned art critic and pop theorist Diedrich Diederichsen writes a lengthy piece entitled “The War on Bohemia” about Berlin, the vibe shift in the city, the world, and the visual arts, beginning with a definition of what bohemian art is and was: "Let's define art—in a broad sense—as, at heart, a preoccupation that rejects the alienated labor of capitalist society, whether to do something meaningful or simply for the sake of play. It might be objected that art often degenerates into just such labor; that the ideas that an individual can define as ‘meaningful’ for themselves and can simply insist on ‘playing’ are, in the long run, illusions; that bohemians have used these stratagems to secure privileges for themselves or build lives as parasites in the fur collars of the bourgeoisie." We're not entirely sure we understand every aspect of these meandering explanations and can follow the train of thought. But of course, we too sense the vibe shift that life in the city is becoming harder for artists who don't belong to the absolute top segment. The reasons are not only the crumbling support infrastructure and gentrification, but also the erosion of the middle ground in the art market. With @Worksonskin, we are trying to be a prototype of how large and small studios, most of them from Berlin, could work together in solidarity, according to the motto: a rising tide lifts all boats. It was the idea of a more democratic and accessible art market that started it all, beginning with the fact that all of our editions start at €100 (plus shipping, fees, and VAT), regardless of the prices the artist otherwise achieves on the market, and then rise within the range set by the artist themselves. What is your opinion? Comment on our Instagram or Facebook account!

(Picture: Karl Völker, Kaffeehaus (Coffeehouse), 1923, oil on wood, dimensions unknown.)