Rob(45)

For fifteen years I was a visual artist in Amsterdam. I had a studio in Broedplaats NDSM, exhibited regularly and earned just enough to get by. But when rents rose and the creative spaces closed one by one, it became unsustainable. A Ghent-based artist friend told me about the Flemish artist status and affordable studios in Ghent.

The Flemish artist status (now "workers in the arts") is a scheme that doesn't exist in the Netherlands. If you can demonstrate you're an active artist — through exhibitions, publications, commissions — you can claim a form of basic income through RVA (National Employment Office). It's not lavish, but it provides a safety net that's completely absent in the Netherlands for freelance artists.

I found a studio at DOK, a creative hotspot on the waterfront in Ghent center. Rent is €400 per month for 60 square meters — in Amsterdam I paid €900 for 30 square meters. My home is an apartment in Brugse Poort, a multicultural neighborhood that's rapidly developing: €700 per month for two rooms. Total I pay €1,100 for living and working — in Amsterdam that was €2,200.

Ghent's art scene is surprisingly strong. SMAK (Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art) is one of the best contemporary art museums in Europe. Additionally there are dozens of galleries, artist initiatives and annual Gentse Feesten where art and culture take center stage. The scene is more accessible than Amsterdam — less commercial, more experimental.

Administratively I had to register as a self-employed artist at a business counter (I chose Acerta), apply for a KBO number and BTW number, and join a social insurance fund. Social contributions as self-employed are higher than in the Netherlands (about €800 per quarter in the first year), but you build pension rights and sickness benefits with them.

My tip for Dutch artists: research the Flemish artist status before moving. It can make the difference between surviving and thriving. And Ghent is the perfect city for creatives: affordable, culturally rich and with a community that values art. I've sold more here than in my last five years in Amsterdam.