Mere days after the conclusion of its incredible project with Marwa Arsanios, usufructuaries of earth, BAK in Utrecht was informed that the municipality is withdrawing its funding – which accounts for almost 50% of the budget. If this decision is not reversed, it will likely be the end for this vital infrastructure, at a moment when critical spaces in art and academia are increasingly rare and ever more precarious. BAK has released a statement in response to this callous death sentence, and gathered many solidarity statements. One of the most striking remarks comes from Nicoline van Harskamp: “After more than 2 decades, all ways of practice and thought lead back to BAK in some way.” At any given moment, there are at best a handful of institutions that actually matter, that produce projects that escape and counter the relentless glut of craven trendiness and clueless genericness that is the staple of art spaces and art magazines. BAK has been one of those few spaces in Europe. At this rate, with supposedly progressive city councils doing the far right’s work for them, there won’t be anything left.