Fellows Who Stand in Solidarity With Displaced People

March 6th, 2022

We, the undersigned fellows of the Akademie Schloss Solitude, stand in solidarity with displaced people from Ukraine and the whole world, regardless of the origins of their displacement such as the violence of war, settler-colonial enterprises, imperialistic economic trade, and/or natural disasters. We ask all cultural institutions inside of the European Union, especially those based in Germany, to mobilize their bureaucratic instruments to support and uplift the movement of migrants and displaced people, black, brown, indigenous and Roma folks, people of the LGBTQIA+ community of all ages and abilities, across borders. We ask for institutions to urgently step in as networks of aid and to implement a set of ongoing support structures for forced migrants.

We call upon the Ministry of Culture from Baden-Württemberg to do everything in their power to facilitate the safe passage of individuals of these communities and to ensure accommodation, medical care, food, and accompaniment in terms of all legal matters related to their rightful stay in Germany. We stress this necessity, especially in regards to trans- and gender-non-conforming individuals, who may face even more difficulty moving across borders in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia due to conflicting information on their legal documents. This support should not be offered depending upon people’s occupation or nationality, but it should be extended to those most vulnerable. Migration is a long process that does not end once a border is crossed. We urge for a long-term plan to be developed so that such movements are not interrupted by the limitations of inhabiting a new legal system and society.

To support the movement of those who are facing extreme adversity right now, including those who are not in close proximity to whiteness, we urge all cultural institutions to issue letters of invitation, to extend funding, and provide jobs so that people are not only able to enter Germany but sustain their livelihoods.

These struggles can hardly be eased by individuals and independent communities. Their ability to stay in the country and intertwined right to safety is directly dependent on European institutions. Currently, as we know and see, there are a number of vacant studios at Akademie Schloss Solitude. We ask that these spaces be allocated to people in need and be used as leverage to argue in favor of those intending to come to Germany. Additionally, Akademie Schloss Solitude enjoys facilities that can function as gathering spaces for those who come, so that collective gatherings can be held within the national protocols for COVID-19. The funds from the Ministry of Culture allocated for the support of displaced people should be used at the discretion of the Akademie Schloss Solitude.

Transparency in this process is of the utmost urgency and necessity. There is no time for unending paperwork and administrative wormholes. Action is needed now. All people should be welcomed in all available spaces.

In SUM, our writing aims at specific goals. We ask for:

• Statements of support from cultural institutions and the Ministry of Culture from Baden-Württemberg that name their direct action in favor of marginalized communities fleeing war zones.
• A statement affirming Akademie Schloss Solitude’s institutional commitment to intersectional solidarity with a direct account of the institution’s available resources and plans.
• Transparency from the Ministry of Culture towards the conditions of support, and emphasis on the allocation of resources to non-Europeans, displaced people without citizenship affiliation, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
• Letters of invitations for non-EU citizens waiting to cross borders to mitigate and leverage their bureaucratic entry into Germany.
• The Ministry of Culture to incentivize the opening of job opportunities in this sector to support the livelihood of those fleeing with their families to facilitate entry into Germany.
• A bullet point list with direct actions from the Ministry and Akademie Schloss Solitude for the upcoming days.

We urge all cultural institutions: Museums, Galleries, Residency Programs, Independent Artist Spaces, Universities, Schools, Project Spaces, Nonprofit and For-Profit Art Organizations, Theaters, Opera Houses, Funding and Grant Organizations, Public Offices, Libraries, Archives, Literature Houses, Publishing Houses, Film, Music, and Art Festivals, and the like to implement a package of policies and conduct to support displaced people regardless of their origins to open up and repurpose their structures to service all, especially those in need.

SIGNED BY
Jazmina Figueroa, Fellow
Ted Fendt, Fellow
leo
Florian Model, Fellow
niall jones
Nino Bulling, Fellow
luiza proença
Sofia Lomba, Fellow
Moran Beeg, Resident
Barbara Gryka
Anike Joyce Sadiq, Fellow
Charlotte Warsen, Fellow
Hannah Häußer, Fellow
Maximilian Borchert, Fellow
Ariel Bustamante, Fellow
Judith Hamann, Fellow
Ramy Al-Asheq, Fellow
Abdessamad El montassir, Fellow
Sasha Shestakova, Former resident
Anna Engelhardt, Former resident
Hannes Schwertfeger, Fellow
erre erre, Fellow
Lydia Schellhammer, Fellow
Christ Mukenge, Fellow
Khotso Lamola
Oliver Storz, Fellow
Gloria Aino Grzywatz
Olivia Berkowicz
Kathy-Ann Tan
Sebastian Bodirsky
Andrea Hoff
Sílvia das Fadas, Fellow
Sabina Hyoju Ahn
Dagmar Keller / Martin Wittwer
Víctor Muñoz Sanz, former fellow
Maria Daria Oancea, former fellow
Ivana Ivković, Fellow
Olivia Berkowicz
Kinga Toth, former resident
Anke Zürn, former resident
Lissy Willberg
Mara-Johanna Kölmel
Martin Zeilinger
Sophia Guggenberger
Lark Alder
Grayson Earle
Anke Zürn, artist researcher and former fellow
Aouefa Amoussouvi – former fellow
Gordon Shrigley
Yeama Bangali
Matthias Megyeri
George Marinescu, former fellow
Sarah Imrisek
Nathalie Mei
Simina Neagu, Former resident
Shaka McGlotten, former Fellow
Eric Golo Stone
Fender Schrade
Hans D. Christ

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