Barcelona Metropolis

Culture has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. Artists have learned a painful lesson from this crisis at first hand, which is that you cannot create when you are famished. Today, more than ever, we need the authorities to undertake a resolute commitment to culture and creation.

Culture has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic. Artists have learned a painful lesson from this crisis at first hand, which is that you cannot create when you are famished. They have also learned that, if the cultural ecosystem collapses and market demands slump, the creator composes, writes or paints with absolute uncertainty, but also totally free of charge. After all, beauty does not acquiesce to conditions nor does it bow to ideological servitudes. Time will tell what works have emerged in these inclement circumstances, in which beauty will have been the only stronghold.

That said, we cannot ask artists and cultural workers to make the same sacrifices they were obliged to make in the wake of the 2008 crisis, which forced creators to keep their balance on the tightrope, without a safety net, losing sleep and money to bring their projects to fruition. Today, more than ever, we need the authorities to undertake a resolute commitment to culture and creation. The cultural agreement developed in Barcelona City Council and the increase in the Government of Catalonia’s culture budget must be translated into real support for an impoverished yet essential sector to rebuild the economy and the emotional well-being of the city. Now that the debate surrounding the Hermitage comes up against different city models at the meeting point of culture and tourism, it should be borne in mind that Barcelona’s recovery is subject to self-love and the impetus of its creators.