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Art and Business – Internationality Requires Know-How
Barbara Baum
Art has its own dynamics, which depend on a variety of factors: on the social and political environment as well as on the economic situation and how it develops.
Sustainability reports confirm the willingness of businesses to assume not only economic but also ecological and social responsibility. Business groups that have expanded their fields of activity to (South) Eastern Europe in recent years are aware of the importance of art and culture for and in their companies. Art is no longer expected to serve primarily as a means of acquiring prestige. It functions as a connecting element in society, strengthens awareness for democracy and liberalisation and is of particular significance in times of crisis.
For several years now, major companies have been taking an interest in art from (South) Eastern Europe. Especially artists from European regions that until now have not been very well known in the West tend to create works that not only critically question political systems but also intensify our insight into history and the accompanying search for identity and authenticity. In many countries of (South) Eastern Europe, art has become a symbol of growing self-assurance and pride. Jan Vasilko, for example, the winner of the “Strabag Artaward International 2009”, titled his exhibition at the Strabag Kunstforum in September 2009 “Utopias and Visions from Eastern Europe”.
Along with the growth of new business metropolises, the art scene is growing, too, but it requires a solid foundation, which the business sector can provide. The goal of private art sponsorship is to improve the standard of living of artists in Austria and abroad. For businesses, art sponsorship is a means of gaining a foothold in new countries, of becoming active, making a positive impression, creating networks and also decorating new business locations in other countries with international (and also local) art.
“Building Visions. Building Values. Building Europe.” – This is the advertising slogan of the construction group Strabag SE, a group with multicultural diversity and a global outlook, which, after supporting Austrian art for 15 years, has extended its art sponsorship to Austria’s Eastern neighbours.
It won’t be long before the art world is orienting itself to a greater extent toward the upcoming talent from (South) Eastern Europe: a new intellectual “avant-garde” that will bring a breathe of fresh air into the familiar art scene, partly through specific, individual characteristics and partly through characteristics arising from national cultures. For inherent in art are qualities that everyone needs: freedom and transparency – everything that people used to think was unachievable.
About the author:
Barbara Baum is Artistic Director and Exhibition Curator of the Strabag Kunstforum.
