The New Agreement

The New Agreement is an initiative of the Civic Forum for Contemporary Art (OFSW) – a nationwide association of artists and professionals working in the field of contemporary art.

The New Agreement is a contract between cultural institutions and the artistic community that sets minimum fees for artists participating in exhibitions. It establishes a new standard of co-operation and transparent remuneration rules, and is a watershed change in cultural policy. To date, the agreement has been signed by: BWA Wrocław, TRAFO Trafostacja Sztuki in Szczecin, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and Zachęta –[AM2] National Gallery of Art.

On 27 November, the Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery in Kraków and MOCAK joined the New Agreement.

This is a very important step in the history of Kraków institutions. For MOCAK and Bunkier Sztuki, collaboration with contemporary artists is a key element of their programme, building a narrative about the contemporary world and culture, and creating a cultural offer for the city’s residents. The signing of the New Agreement manifests recognition of the social significance of artistic work. It is also a declaration of solidarity with the artistic community and an emphasis on the need to improve the economic situation and secure the basic living needs of visual artists.

The signing of the New Agreement at the Kraków City Hall – in the Mayor’s office – gives this event a special significance and a symbolic dimension.

In its capacity as an organiser of cultural institutions, the City Council helps create the conditions in which artists and public institutions operate. We interpret the Mayor’s support for the agreement as an important gesture of alliance for a responsible cultural policy and factual recognition of creative work. It is a clear signal that the standards of remuneration for artists are a common concern for the community and local authorities.

The artists are represented by Antoni Burzyński, Monika Drożyńska, Katarzyna Górna and Marta Romankiv. The institutions are represented by Adam Budak, director of MOCAK, and Delfina Jałowik, director of Bunkier Sztuki.

The Agreement

1. The institutions declare that they will pay artists participating in exhibitions remuneration not lower than that specified in the following provisions.

The New Agreement on Minimum Remuneration for Artists links the amount of remuneration for participation in exhibitions not only to the fact of presenting a work, but also intends to reflect the time and effort put into the creative process itself.

Due to the specific nature of the work of contemporary artists, the basis for calculating the minimum remuneration in the New Agreement is the number of months of work required to prepare an exhibition multiplied by the minimum wage. The level of fees will therefore be indexed over time based on the minimum wage in Poland as specified by the Regulations of the Council of Ministers.

The minimum remuneration rates established in the Agreement cover all artists who participate in artistic events in Polish institutions, regardless of their nationality or place of residence.

2. Rates are divided into exhibition categories and depend on the time and work required from the artist. The minimum remuneration for participation in an exhibition in a given category is calculated as the product of the assumed working time and the minimum remuneration for a given year.

a)    Group exhibitions:

presentation of an existing work or works by an artist:

not less than half of the monthly wage = half a month’s minimum wage

new work created for the exhibition:

not less than 2 months of creative work = 2 months’ minimum wage

b)    Small individual exhibitions of the project room type

containing new work or works:

not less than 4 months = 4 months’ minimum wage

composed of existing works or a work:

not less than 3 months = 3 months’ minimum wage

c)    ‘Large’ solo exhibitions

new works and/or retrospective containing new and/or existing works:

6 months = 6 months’ minimum wage

The above remuneration does not include other costs, such as the costs of production, transport, insurance, promotion, travel and accommodation.

3. The amounts applicable in 2025, calculated on the basis of the Regulation of the Council of Ministers, are attached to this agreement.

Each subsequent year, the indexed amounts will be published on the OFSW website and sent to the signatory institutions.