Maybe You Should Explore That Further

Many examples of diversity policies can be found on the websites of Western European cultural institutions. However, these policies often remain in abstraction or include the artist in separate and exotifying exhibitions, indicating ingenuine attempts to include marginalized perspectives. For this reason, it can be questioned how this notion of inclusion influences artists with migratory backgrounds. Therefore, this project aimed to research artists' experiences with a migratory background in the Western European art sector. By engaging and reflecting upon the following theoretical concepts: Migratory Aesthetics, Representing Marginalized Identities, and Navigating Confined spaces, the following research questions have been formulated: Firstly, how do visual artists with a non-Western background negotiate migratory cultural backgrounds in their art practice within the Western European art sector? Secondly, how do Eurocentric biases influence the artistic expression of artists with non-Western backgrounds? Lastly, how do Eurocentric biases influence the career trajectories of artists with non-Western backgrounds? Data was analyzed employing the methodologies of thematic and discourse analysis. Drawing from ten semi-structured interviews, the findings suggest how motivations to negotiate migratory backgrounds among artists differ from a tool for visibility to conserving heritage practice, reinforcing the argument that migratory aesthetics as a commodity for visibility is an oversimplified view. Thereby, there was ambivalence among participants when I inquired how Eurocentric biases inform artistic expression. Artists acknowledge bureaucracy, rigid art structures, and perceptions challenging their art practice. However, the respondents distance themselves from altering their practice for the curating culture. Interestingly, in the context of the Netherlands, artists studying at the art academy experienced instances where their practice had to fit preconceived notions of their cultural background. Lastly, policy-driven quotas have taken prominence in the cultural debate, indicating a favorable cultural landscape for artists with migratory backgrounds. Nevertheless, my findings illustrate how professionals within the sector cannot understand nor support artists with migratory backgrounds due to a lack of knowledge, counteracting the favorable cultural landscape and, instead, challenging artists in their practice development and sustainable career trajectories.