Olafur Eliasson har opsummeret sine tanker om Trumps sejr. Han påpeger, hvor vigtigt det er, at vi gentænker den kulturelle sektor indefra – så vi kan udvikle dens potentiale til at frembringe samfundsmæssige ændringer.
Jeg er helt enig med ham, og jeg har fornøjelsen af, at viderebringe hans tanker her:
"As an artist, I realise that those of us in the cultural sector have failed to adequately address the feelings of frustration that people of many nationalities – including, as yesterday made clear, many Americans – harbour with their societal structures.
There is deep anger and scepticism. Trump saw the extent of this anger and, much to my surprise, by reflecting it he must have appeared to offer some kind of hope – albeit in deeply polarising, populist terms that are clearly racist and misogynistic.
This result leaves me with food for self-critical thinking that I will need a long time to digest, but it is clear that we have to reinvent the cultural sector from within, further developing its potential to become an agent for societal change.
We must not remain inactive. We have no choice but to use this moment as an opportunity to give rise to new movements built on respect and empathy, and to really listen to those who feel unheard.
We can only do this if we embody and enact the values that are essential to nurture our societies: generosity, inclusion, the empowerment of everyone. If we, collectively, do this, we can work towards a future that is sustainable and trust-driven for all."
– Olafur Eliasson, 9. november 2016