Goethe-Institut New York

Art production has always been linked to its historical context. But race and class are now, perhaps more than ever, its determining factors. Many galleries in the Lower East Side pay monthly rents in the five-digit range. According to a 2017 study by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs , 40 percent of the artists surveyed said that they could not afford their materials. Furthermore, 90 percent said that having access to affordable housing and studio space was important to them. 2 When a subsidized residential building of 89 units opened for artists in East Harlem in 2018, over 53,000 applications were received. 3 This is a clear sign that creative production and discourse are still in the hands of an elite―the same one that built the white cube on white supremacy and cemented it in social inequality.