Statement in response to article NRC

Statement in response to the article “Hoe een kunstenaar carrière maakt onder aanhoudende beschuldigingen van aanranding en verkrachting”, by Lucette ter Borg & Carola Houtekamer in NRC, 30-10-2020

The NRC article published on Saturday 30 October regarding the persistent sexual harassment and violent abuse by Dutch artist Julian Andeweg has shocked everybody at De Ateliers. We express our solidarity and compassion with anyone who has been a victim in these cases, and have the utmost respect for their bravery in coming forward.

The duration and scope of the alleged abuse and its interweaving with the Dutch cultural field’s ethics as reported in the NRC article, confronts us with a reality that calls for continual self-criticality and vigilance. At De Ateliers we are committed to realising a safe working environment for our participants, tutors, staff and visitors. We actively oppose any aggressive or violent behaviour that oversteps the boundaries of individual integrity and safety. We see it as our duty to continue improving in our efforts to ensure a safe and inclusive working environment at De Ateliers, developing protocols that include counselling procedures and communicating our code of conduct in a wholly  transparent manner.

As an arts community, we are collectively entrusted with the greatest of responsibilities: that of re-imagining the world around us, and its possible futures. Care, fair practice and the safety of our community is of paramount importance in this responsibility.