Less than 10% of young artists in Europe make a living from their art. Most have to take other jobs in unrelated fields, working two or three jobs to make ends meet, and if they miss a day of work, they don't get paid for it.
Culture Action Europe highlights survey from the DE.A.RE (Deconstruct And Rebuild) project, developed and promoted by the BJCEM (Biennale des jeunes créateurs de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée) and co-funded by the European Union.
According to the conclusions of Bernardo Armanni, author of the study, "the overall picture that emerges is of a sector characterised by a high degree of flexibility, precariousness and uncertainty".
The BJCEM and the scientific committee of the Deconstruct and Rebuild (DE.a.RE) project, co-funded by the European Union, invited artists and young artists from across Europe and the trans-Mediterranean area to fill in the survey. The aim of the survey was to explore a number of dimensions related to artists' social rights, working conditions and international mobility.
The responses made it possible to identify the needs and specific concerns of artists at a time of converging crises and emerging alternatives.
The sample consisted of 303 respondents. Approximately 70% of the sample is aged between 21 and 45. Men make up about 36% of the sample and women about 58%. Other gender identities make up less than 6% of the sample. The average level of formal education of the sample is quite high. Bachelor's degree is the modal category. The respondents hold 41 different nationalities and reside in 34 different countries.
The results of the survey will be the building blocks of the DE.a.RE advocacy and awareness-raising campaign, targeting decision-makers such as European institutions, local, regional and national authorities, international agencies, but also international cultural networks, opinion leaders and researchers.
Working conditions
In terms of artistic practice, more than 60% of respondents indicated that they are independent artists, around 17% indicated that they work in intangible practices (such as research, education, residencies), around 15% are members of an artistic collective. The remaining categories, being a member of a studio and 'other', together account for 7% of responses.
It is interesting to note that the main source of income for most respondents does not coincide with their artistic practice, nor with another job in the arts sector. Instead, the modal category is 'Other job in another sector'. Selling their artworks is the main source of income for less than 10% of respondents. The sum of all the categories relating to grants and fees is around 20%, i.e. this is the proportion of the sample for whom grants and fees are the main source of income.
In terms of secondary sources of income, teaching is one of the higher-ranking categories (15%), as is 'other work in the arts' (14%). Selling artworks is the most common secondary source of income (around 16%). Family support is also an important additional source of income, benefiting around 12% of the sample.
The vast majority of the sample are self-employed artists (36%). 80% of respondents stated that they do not get paid if they miss a day of work. Only 21% of respondents said they received any employment benefits (such as medical, vision, dental, life insurance, pension, etc.) from their current employer(s), while 56% said they did not receive any employment benefits from their employer(s).
Closely related to these findings is the number of jobs that respondents held at the time of the survey. The majority of respondents had two jobs. 11% were unemployed, 19% had one job and a third of the sample (33%) had three or more jobs.
DE.a.RE is a three-year research project supported by the Creative Europe Programme. DE.a.RE aims to enhance artists' competences, to promote the visibility and circulation of emerging talents and artworks in Europe and beyond, and to reflect and debate on the role of artists as vectors of change in contemporary societies.
You can read the whole survey here
--
Photo: © Jorge Royan
