Con cariño, de parte de un amiga
Written by Andrea Farah Gaeta, co-host of the upcoming Satellite BEYOND, “Activating bottom-up coordination for the future of cultural policies in Europe” taking place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain on 21-22 April, 2026.
This letter is a part of Culture Action Europe’s At the Heart series, “Love Letters to Culture.” This February, we’re inviting hosts of the upcoming 2026 Satellite BEYOND events to write their own love letter. Not necessarily to a person, but to something that holds meaning within their Satellites: a location, an object, a site, an event, a fleeting moment between people, or something more abstract, like potential, hope, care, continuity. These letters speak to what members love about culture, why this matters where they are, and what makes their Satellite more than just a programme.
What an intimate privilege to see where care blossoms across our network’s communities. Learn more and join us at a Satellite near you.
Querida Cultura,
Hace muchos años que nos venimos observando y conviviendo juntas. La verdad es que, cuando te conocí, te veía como un monstruo enorme. Supongo que tiene que ver con esa sensación tan común entre quienes creamos: la de no sentirnos nunca del todo merecedoras de la palabra artista.
Con el tiempo entendí que, en realidad, tú creces gracias a nosotras. A quienes siempre hemos estado en la calle, en los espacios, dinamizando, poniendo el cuerpo y la energía. No solo para defenderte o celebrarte, sino porque es ahí donde se puede practicar, equivocarse, aprender y crecer. Es en esos lugares donde muchas personas descubren que quieren seguir alimentándote, donde se hacen grandes o se profesionalizan.
Y no solo hablo de artistas. Hablo también de todas las personas que trabajan en la cultura: técnicas, mediadoras, productoras, gestoras, personas de montaje, de sonido, de cuidados. Gente imprescindible, muchas veces invisible, sin la cual nada de esto sería posible. Esto no quiere decir, ni mucho menos, que aquello que tradicionalmente se ha llamado Cultura con mayúsculas no forme parte de ti. Pero sí es verdad que desde hace tiempo estamos bastante separadas unas de otras. Quizá deberíamos sentarnos más a hablar.
Hablar es importante, porque querida cultura, tú no eres solo un lugar amable. También eres el lugar donde discutimos, donde no siempre estamos de acuerdo, y donde eso es necesario para crecer. Eres un espacio de fricción, de conflicto, de negociación, y también de democracia viva. También creo que deberíamos sentarnos más a hablar con quienes nos financian desde lo público. Que sea más que eso y se convierta en una relación basada en el respeto y la confianza mutua. Porque demasiadas veces se olvidan de que detrás de cada acción hay muchísimas horas previas, y de que no queremos, ni podemos, ser pagadas solo por un instante. Queremos que se reconozcan y se cuiden los procesos. Cuidar los procesos es cuidarnos y también cuidarte a ti. También pondremos de nuestro lado para tratar de aportar desde lo constructivo y colaborar con quienes están ahí para salvaguardar el interés general, incluida la cultura.
Y antes de despedirme, no quiero olvidarme de algo fundamental: una de las grandes batallas que tenemos que empezar a luchar juntas es la del cuidado. A veces pensamos que cuidar es solo una caricia ocasional, un gesto bonito de vez en cuando. Pero el tiempo nos ha dejado claro, a quienes nos dedicamos a esto, que cuidar es mucho más que un abrazo puntual.
Cuidar es establecer normas, marcos y condiciones que nos permitan tener una vida digna. Y cuidar es entender que lo que cuidamos en un rincón pequeño también sostiene algo mucho más grande. Que los pequeños bares, los espacios modestos, los márgenes, no son solo anécdota: son red, son base, son futuro.
Porque es ahí donde nacen los nuevos artistas, sí, pero también nuevas formas de estar juntas, de participar, de pensar y de ejercer una ciudadanía cultural consciente y crítica.
Con cariño,
una amiga
Dear Culture,
For many years now, we have been watching each other and living together.
When I first encountered you, I saw you as something enormous, almost like a monster. I think this has to do with a feeling that is very common among those of us who create: never quite feeling fully deserving of the word artist.
Over time, I came to understand that you actually grow thanks to us. Thanks to those of us who have always been in the streets, in the spaces, activating, putting our bodies and our energy into it. Not only to defend or celebrate you, but because those are the places where practice happens, where mistakes are allowed, where learning and growth take place. It is in those spaces that many people discover they want to keep nourishing you, where they grow, or become professionals.
And I am not only talking about artists. I am also talking about all the people who work in culture: technicians, mediators, producers, managers, people working in installation, sound, and care. Essential people, often invisible, without whom none of this would be possible. This does not mean, of course, that what has traditionally been called Culture with a capital C is not part of you. But it is true that for some time now we have been quite distant from one another. Maybe we should sit down and talk more. Talking matters, because dear Culture, you are not only a gentle place. You are also the place where we argue, where we do not always agree, and where that disagreement is necessary in order to grow. You are a space of friction, conflict, negotiation, and also of living democracy.
I also believe we should sit down more often with those who fund us through public institutions. That this relationship should become more than a transaction, and instead be based on respect and mutual trust. Too often they forget that behind every action there are countless hours of prior work, and that we do not want, and cannot afford, to be paid only for a single moment. We want processes to be recognised and cared for. Taking care of processes means taking care of us, and also taking care of you. We will also do our part by contributing constructively and collaborating with those who are there to safeguard the public interest, culture included.
And before I say goodbye, I do not want to forget something essential: one of the great battles we need to start fighting together is the battle of care. We sometimes think that caring is just an occasional gesture, a kind touch now and then. But time has made it clear to those of us who work in this field that care is much more than a brief hug.
Care means establishing rules, frameworks, and conditions that allow us to live with dignity. And care also means understanding that what we protect in a small corner sustains something much larger. That small bars, modest spaces, and the margins are not just anecdotal: they are the network, the foundation, and the future.
Because this is where new artists are born, yes, but also new ways of being together, of participating, of thinking, and of exercising a conscious and critical cultural citizenship.
With affection,
a friend