좀비예술가와 벌거벗은 임금님 - 우리나라 예술지원정책에 대한 비판

초록

This paper argues that the arts subsidy policy in Korea has resulted in the overflow of socially unnecessary ‘Zombie’ artists. Most scholars and policy makers agree on the legitimacy of the state support for the arts. However, the question about the legitimacy of public support is one thing, and the question about the optimal level of support is quite another. According to the government’s survey, the level of Korean citizens’ cultural consumption is rather low. From the view point of cultural sovereignty, this implies that arts in Korea are being oversupplied far beyond the optimal level. Under this circumstance, increasing the governmental subsidy for arts leads to nothing more than social waste and inefficient allocation of public resources. There is a potential danger of vicious circle. The increase of arts subsidy will attract more artists into the art market thereby producing oversupply of artists. This in turn will lower their income and consequently there will be a stronger demand for more subsidies. It is time that a cool-headed assessment of the optimal level of public subsidy for the arts.