Turkish culture and arts sector mulls future amid virus

As the world came to a near-standstill due to the novel coronavirus, so too has the entertainment and arts sector across the world.

Entertainers, artists, executives, and organizers worldwide are thinking about how to weather the virus' severe impact on show business and the fine arts.

In Turkey, all actors in the sector are mulling the future of arts and entertainment venues and how artists and performers will survive without any upcoming events, Görgün Taner, head of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and
Arts (İKSV), told Anadolu Agency.

Apart from the digital stage, Taner added, culture and art production and consumption have slowed down amid the pandemic, which has killed over 290,000 people worldwide, with total infections of more than 4.2 million.

Although some countries across the world have begun gradually easing measures against the virus, movie theaters, cafes, and other venues are currently still shuttered across Turkey.

Taner said he expects the sector to take a huge financial blow from the virus in the short term.

He also highlighted a document called The Uniting Power of Arts and Needs of the Cultural Field During the Pandemic released by the group.

Citing a report by KREKSA, an Istanbul-based culture research company, the document said that in 2017 nearly 15,400 enterprises active in the culture industry generated over 52,000 jobs, reaping revenues of over 14 billion Turkish
liras ($2 billion) and added value of over 3.5 billion liras (around half a billion dollars).

"The already vulnerable situation of the field due to its reliance on limited resources demands the urgent support of national and local governments, private sector actors, and individual donors in cooperation with...