Arts In The Firing Line - The 2012 Cultural Olympiad

As Britain's economy weakens, metaphorical belts are being tightened and the dwindling funds for the Olympics are gradually and surreptitiously shifting to the 'core attraction', a celebration of sporting achievement.

Behind the typical governmental clouding of the issue one can rightfully suspect that hard and fast economic strategy is at play. Alongside the economic imbalance one can expect to see a new cultural conservatism on the horizon. A retreat has begun, back to the staid and unchallenged security of the past, art history, and in particular globally recognised historically cultural elitist forms such as opera; ballet, Renaissance painting, and of course Britain's infinitely regurgitated Bard, Shakespeare. In a time when China is witnessing a revolution in modern arts, gaining critical recognition and acclaim across the globe, Boris has been been quoted as saying "Chinese cultural influence is virtually nil and unlikely to increase".

The mirroring between the entrenchment of the arts, the new cultural conservative zeitgeist and the economic failure of much of The West in recent years is uncanny. In all aspects of life, the signs are loud and clear, be it the recent removal of most of Banksy's (the infamous and influential graffiti artist) works from a vast swathe of Britain's cities, resignations of various directors of Arts Councils around the world due to lack of funding, the relatively recent collapse in government arts investment due to a series of vociferous public backlashes, the decline in auction prices for contemporary art, and the retreat of the Russian Oligarchy, who at one time accounted for a vast slice of global arts revenue, such events have left many involved in the industry stunned.

As the world looks on in anticipation of the 2012 London Olympics one can only wonder what will remain of Boris Johnson's original vision for a Cultural Olympiad. Ironically regional government across the country has in fact blamed the London Olympics for the sudden cancellation of local arts funding, closing a ream of smaller arts organisations and ending all contributions for many events which have in the past brought a great deal of tourism and income to cities, towns and counties countrywide.

Ever since the inauguration of Barack Obama, America has been debating the inclusion of arts funding in the proposed stimulus bill. Senator Colburn of Oklahoma is leading a charge against arts funding for both public schools and the National Endowment for the Arts. As Britain and much of Europe begin to follow the Australian model for corporate arts sponsorship, affording the largest contributors greater marketing opportunities and brand exposure, one has to consider that since the economic downturn much of the planned private sponsorship for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad has in fact dissipated in a cloud of broken promises.

Could it be that there is indeed a true correlation between the rise in commercial funding for the arts and the explosion of cultural conservatism? Soon we may find ourselves living in an age where culture, taste, and even imagination itself will be empirically dictated by the directors and shareholders of failing corporations and institutions, audited by an accountancy of historical tradition and tourist expenditure, and indeed stifled by the very governmental bodies charged with the task of developing new and innovative arts from all sectors of society.

Art has throughout history played n essential role in revitalising the economy, culture, identity and potential of towns, cities, states and countries around the world. Without the innovative insights of artists from every discipline, we could all find ourselves living in a homogenous and utilitarian state, afforded little choice in any aspect of our lives. State controlled arts are little more than propaganda, corporate art is nothing more than an exercise in branding, art has a vital part to play in the future of the global economy, yet it is suffering under the weight of short term political wrangling and conjecture. Lateral thinking has always been the prerogative of the imaginative mind, by not recognising the true correlation between arts investment and cultural development the early 21st Century may become one of the most regressive rather than progressive periods in relative recent history.

As the athletes jump hurdles of all kinds in the 2012 Olympics, one must wonder how many psychological hurdles society will negotiate in order to keep its sense of identity, artistic integrity and cultural solvency in this most trying of economic periods.

Written by Paul Baines - UK graffiti artist and arts blogger paulbaines.co.uk