Permindar Kaur is a sculpture and installation artist who lives and works in the UK. Here she explains the importance of providing funding for individual creators. 

Getting funding for individual artists is enormously difficult. The current trend in funding is more focused on participation, engagement, or community, which is very welcome, but makes the practice of art for individual agendas or interests unsustainable.

The tech sector platform is immensely profitable. Creatives contribute to it massively, maybe not as paid members but providing visual culture. It could be an ideal source of income for art individuals. It would hopefully provide a regular funding stream that I could put back into my practice. Every contribution, however small, helps me to carry on making artwork. An innovative way of doing this is with a fund from the tech sector for artists.

New modes of funding will broaden and increase opportunities for visual artists. The Arts Council is among the limited number of funders that allow individuals to apply, with just a 30% success rate. Funding is incredibly competitive, and artists try to access various resources, partnering with academics, institutions, and others, but too often development of projects is not supported. Artists are often lucky to receive travel expenses, and we often subsidise the development of projects. Getting commissions and getting into exhibitions is also very competitive. Popular programming means experimental or lesser-known artists are less likely to be commissioned or exhibited. This is particularly problematic for mid-career or mature artists.

During a recent show in London, I put a lot of effort in to promote my work across social media platforms. I provide content for these platforms who gain most if not all the financial benefits. It is impossible to know if my images are being used or shared elsewhere. There is no way to track this, leaving me with little financial return for the work I do.

The Smart Fund could become a separate income stream, which would cover some of the costs of being an artist. I would be paid for the content I am providing. It would make the content I provide for social media much more beneficial. In addition to funding artists, the fund itself would raise the profile of artists and their work. The social media platforms would also benefit by being seen to be contributing financial support to artists in the UK.

First image: Permindar Kaur photographed by Brian Benson. Second image: Independence, 1998, Permindar Kaur © Permindar Kaur. All Rights Reserved, DACS/Artimage 2021. Photo: Nick Dunmur