Conference March 25 – 26 2024, Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz

The conference “Das Klima, in dem wir leben. Eine Allianz gegen
Rechtsextremismus“ [The Climate We Live In. An Alliance Against the Far Right] is
marked by the run-up to the European elections, which will be held in Germany on
9 June 2024.

Two months before that, members of the European Alliance of Academies send a
clear signal against the renewed strengthening of right-wing extremism,
antisemitism and racism.

After a welcoming address by Minister of State for Culture and the Media Claudia
Roth during the opening, publicist and historian Meron Mendel will speak about the
debate on artistic freedom in Germany. Since 2020, the members of the European
Alliance of Academies, which was initiated by Academy President Jeanine
Meerapfel, have jointly advocated the freedom of art. This important element of
democracy is being curtailed by undemocratic forces. The conference will focus on
artists from various European countries and the repressive measures that affect
them. They take their art to the European public and share their experiences with
political decision-makers.

The “Café Climate” format developed by the Alliance of Academies identifies the
links between climate crisis, art and democracy. Academy members of the
literature section, Ulrike Draesner, A. L. Kennedy, Esther Kinsky,
Dagmara Kraus, Ursula Krechel and Cécile Wajsbrot will read specially written
texts dealing with the impacts of climate change on their lives and then discuss
them with climate experts and the public.
At the suggestion of the Hungarian writers‘ association Szépírók Társaságá – a
founding member of the European Alliance of Academies – nine artists from all
over Europe have discussed a selection of Hungarian poems. The results are
artistic works which respond to the social and political reality of today’s life in
Hungary.

With Mirosław Bałka, Ulrike Draesner, Wolfgang Kaleck, A. L. Kennedy, Esther
Kinsky, Dagmara Kraus, Ursula Krechel, Jákob Ladányi, Jeanine Meerapfel,
Meron Mendel, Maria Anna Potocka, Aleš Šteger, István Szabó, Manos Tsangaris,
Cécile Wajsbrot and others as well as digital statements made by Claudia Roth,
Minister of State for Culture and the Media, and Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special
Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights.

Music: Floros Floridis and AoA Impro Group

Event dates
European Alliance of Academies
Das Klima, in dem wir leben. Eine Allianz gegen Rechtsextremismus
[The Climate We Live In. An Alliance Against the Far Right]
Monday, 25 March 2024, 7 pm
Tuesday, 26 March 2024, 3 pm & 6 pm
In English and German
www.allianceofacademies.eu
Free admission

You can download this press release here.

In the run-up to the elections in Poland, Villa Decius – the Alliance’s partner in Poland – invited the European Alliance of Academies for a study trip to Krakow, which took place from 21-22 September (cf. press release of 18 Sep). Talks with prominent representatives of independent museums, theatres and cultural institutions highlighted how the Polish government is advancing its agenda of re-nationalising art and culture, and in the process exerting increasing influence on artistic decision-making.

Participants from the world of arts and culture in Poland portrayed a situation characterised by political and financial pressure. Those who work in the cultural sector are forced to deal with such obstacles as the deliberate spreading of disinformation about artworks, personal animosity and allegations, even physical attacks.

In her keynote speech at the public roundtable “Rights and Freedom of Culture in Times of Political Change”, Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, pointed out how these methods can lead to artistic self-censorship, and explained that the right to artistic freedom is a government obligation, which must also be asserted through law if necessary.

The most recent example can be seen in the personal attacks levelled by the Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro against Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland and her film Zielona Granica (The Green Border), which was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste and initiator of the European Alliance of Academies, stated the following: “Comparing Agnieszka Holland to the propagandists of the Third Reich represents an attack on the dignity of a highly acclaimed filmmaker and colleague, and a violation of the right to artistic freedom.” In an official statement (cf. press release of 21 Sep), the members of the European Alliance of Academies expressed their solidarity with Agnieszka Holland.

You can download this press release here.

During its conference in Krakow the European Alliance of Academies, a network of over 60 academies from around Europe, has expressed today its support of Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland who is facing personal hostility from the Polish Minister of Justice, Mr Zbigniew Ziobro, for her film Zielona Granica (The Green Border). The film was awarded with the Special Jury Prize at the 80th Venice International Film Festival this year.

Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin and initiator of the Alliance, commented that “comparing Agnieszka Holland to the propagandists of the Third Reich is an attack to the dignity of a highly acclaimed filmmaker and colleague and a violation of the right of artistic expression.”

The European Alliance of Academies is joining the European Film Academy in its support for and solidarity with Agnieszka Holland, expressed some days ago (the text in full here).

The members of the European Alliance of Academies are campaigning for the freedom of artistic expression and for cultural rights in Poland. Within the framework of a study trip from 21-22 September 2023, Villa Decius – the Alliance’s partner in Poland – is organising talks with artists and people involved in the cultural sector whose artistic work is compromised by political and financial pressure.

See press release 18 September 2023 here.
Livestream of the Round Table at Villa Decius, 22 September 2023, 11:30 am, here

You can download this press release here.

21–22 September 2023, Villa Decius, Kraków

In the run-up to the Polish elections for the Sejm (the lower house of the national legislature) in October, the members of the European Alliance of Academies are campaigning for the freedom of artistic expression and for cultural rights in Poland.

Within the framework of a study trip, Villa Decius – the Alliance’s partner in Poland – is organising talks with artists and people involved in the cultural sector whose In the run-up to the Polish elections for the Sejm (the lower house of the national legislature) in October, the members of the European Alliance of Academies are campaigning for the freedom of artistic expression and for cultural rights in Poland. Within the framework of a study trip, Villa Decius – the Alliance’s partner in Poland – is organising talks with artists and people involved in the cultural sector whose artistic work is compromised by political and financial pressure.

The talks will centre on the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art, Utopia Home – International Empathy Centre and the Centre for the Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor CRICOTEKA. The directors of these Kraków institutions will demonstrate the ways in which political decision-makers are exerting increasing influence over artistic choices.

The findings will be reviewed at a public round-table discussion on “Cultural Rights in Times of Political Change” involving party representatives, independent cultural institutions and artists. Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights – whose predecessor, Karima Bennoune, published a Country Report on Poland back in 2020 – will share her findings in a keynote speech. An analysis of the election manifestos of the five largest parties will shed light on the significance attached to art and culture in Poland’s political landscape and suggest ways in which access to cultural rights can be safeguarded. Alliance members will contribute reports from other European countries in which similar developments in cultural policy can be observed.  

The European Alliance of Academies has been working closely with Polish partner institutions since 2020. In 2021 the transnational network showed its solidarity with Polish sociologist Barbara Engelking and historian Jan Grabowski, who were prosecuted for the research they had conducted into the part played by Polish citizens in the Holocaust. Their employer, the Polish Academy of Sciences, is a member of the European Alliance of Academies.

With, among others, Jan Tomasz Adamus, Krzysztof Głuchowski, Nele Hertling, Wolfgang Kaleck, Valerio Rocco Lozano, Jeanine Meerapfel, Aleš Šteger, Bartosz Szydłowski, Cécile Wajsbrot, Natalia Zarzecka and Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights
An event presented by the European Alliance of Academies, organised by the Akademie der Künste and Villa Decius. Media partner Tygodnik Powszechy

Event details
European Alliance of Academies: Cultural Rights in Times of Political Change
Friday, 22 September 2023, 11 am
Villa Decius, Kraków + live stream EN/PL
Round-table discussion

Free admissionn

You can download this press release here.

26 – 27 August 2023, Homerton College, Cambridge

European Alliance authors will discuss the freedom of artistic expression in literature with UK students at Cambridge on 26 and 27 August. Censorship has many forms. Who has the power to raise their voice? And who can silence other voices? Four writing workshops and two public discussions on this year’s topic “Building a Sustainable and Healthy World” are part of the annual student conference at the Homerton College campus.

After events in Budapest, Madrid, Amsterdam and Berlin, members of the European Alliance of Academies will debate the necessity of artistic freedom for a functioning democracy for the first time in the UK. Together with the Royal Society of Literature, the transnational network which has been committed to the freedom of the arts in Europe since 2020 is organising the programme aimed at the younger generation.

The opening discussion “How does self-censorship work for a writer?” on Saturday, 26 August, will look at the political pressure on the freedom of expression in many countries and its impact on the artistic work of writers. The event “Who has the right to speak? Whose voice is heard?” on 27 August, explores the question of which voices are underrepresented in literature, who can speak freely and to what extent, and who is silenced.

Academy member Cécile Wajsbrot will initiate “Café Klima” with the young persons present. This project explores how the climate crisis affects our daily lives, endangers democracy and has an impact on art and culture.

With: Bianca Bellová, Réka Borda, Ferenc Czinki, Bhanu Kapil, Kenan Malik, Daljit Nagra, Annelies Verbeke, Cécile Wajsbrot, Marina Warner, Mariah Whelan

The college was founded in 1768 in Homerton, Hackney, east London, and became a full Cambridge University college in 2010. Today it is the largest college in Cambridge with over 1200 students and provides a wealth of writing and poetry offers. Poets from all over the world have read and held writing workshops here.

It is the only college in Cambridge to have a poet-in-residence. Homerton also hosts the “Philippa Pearce Memorial Lecture”, held annually on a topic from children’s literature, and is involved in the UK initiative “Poetry By Heart” which organises poetry readings in schools.

Fellows and researchers include Daljit Nagra, Louise Joy, Morag Styles and David Whitley. Honorary members of the College include Sir Andrew Motion and Dame Carol Ann Duffy. Former Principal Geoff Ward is a poet and literary critic.

An event of the European Alliance of Academies organised by Akademie der Künste and the Royal Society of Literature. In cooperation with the University of Cambridge, Czech Literary Center, Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature, Society of Hungarian Authors

Event information
European Alliance of Academies
On Freedom of Artistic Expression in Literature in the 21st Century
26 – 27 August 2023
Saturday, 26 Aug, 5 pm and Sunday, 27 Aug, 4 pm
In English
Homerton College, University of Cambridge, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 8PH, UK
Free admission

You can download this press release here.

On 30‒31 May 2023, the European Alliance of Academies held a conference of solidarity with the Society of Hungarian Authors Szépírók Társasága in Budapest (see the press release from 20 April 2023).

Eleven European countries were represented. Both internal and public podium discussions focused on the increasingly restricted freedom of art and artistic platforms in Hungary and other European countries. In internal discussions, representatives from non-government-run cultural organisations drew attention to a lack of funding, production and distribution for alternative artistic work. During a public discussion with the writer György Dalos, filmmaker Béla Tarr, poet and novelist Katharina Schultens, director Bartosz Szydłowski and others, it became apparent that, unlike individual freedoms, institutional independence is mainly endangered.

Jeanine Meerapfel ‒ filmmaker, president of the Akademie der Künste and initiator of the European Alliance of Academies ‒ stated: “We have come to Budapest to learn more about the situation facing artists in Hungary. The European Alliance of Academies will continue to pressure the European Parliament to insist the Hungarian government support independent artist associations.”

During the upcoming Spanish EU Council Presidency, the European Alliance of Academies is planning artistic actions and conversations with members of the European Parliament before the 2024 European elections to raise awareness about increasingly restricted freedoms in the arts.

An event of the European Alliance of Academies in cooperation with the Akademie der Künste and Szépírók Társasága. With the kind support of the Central European University and the Freeszfe Initiative.

You can download this press release here.

30 – 31 May 2023, Central European University, Budapest and as livestream

Invitation to the press conference
Wednesday, 31 May 2023, 12 pm

Central European University, Auditorium A, Nador utca 15, 1051 Budapest

With

Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste and initiator of the European Alliance of Academies
Ferenc Czinki, author and President of the Society of Hungarian Authors Szépírók Társasága
Valerio Rocco Lozano, Director of Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid
Jákob Ladányi Jancsó, representative of the Freeszfe initiative

Please register for the press talk with Vágvölgyi András: szepiroktarsasaga@gmail.com

The European Alliance of Academies invites you to a conference on 30 and 31 May 2023 in Budapest, organised in solidarity with the Society of Hungarian Authors Szépírók Társasága. The Society’s continued existence is currently under threat by impending drastic cuts in the annual budget. The members of the Alliance have organised a series of events to bring attention to the cultural-political policy mechanisms that lay the groundwork for numerous restrictions of artistic freedoms, whether in Hungary or in other European countries. “As a European Alliance of Academies, we act in solidarity when one of our founding members comes under pressure through political and financial repression. Currently the Society of Hungarian Authors Szépírók Társasága is under threat. By holding the event in Budapest, we are sending a clear message.

We will also be debating what framework conditions need to be instituted across Europe in order to protect the freedom of artistic production in all European countries. We are 70 European art academies and cultural institutions, and together we form a strong alliance.” Jeanine Meerapfel

“I still don’t believe that literature should be political – I would like to reserve that luxury for myself. But suddenly politics started to interfere in literature. Politics targeted us, and it wasn’t pleasant. Literature and art are inherently resilient. At
least that’s what I think.” Ferenc Czinki

During his time as member of the Akademie der Künste (since 1991) and as its president (1997–2003), the writer György Konrád was already a tireless proponent of the idea of a Europe unified in peace. Konrád was instrumental in helping to overcome the existing social and intellectual division of Europe by promoting East-West encounters and organising talks and discussions.

Szépírók Társasága was founded in 1997 with the aim of supporting contemporary literature and contributing to the democratisation culture in Hungary. Among the nearly 400 members are some of the most internationally recognised Hungarian writers as well as renowned cultural journalists, critics, translators and literary scholars. www.szepiroktarsasaga.hu

An event held by the European Alliance of Academies, organised by the Akademie der Künste and Szépírók Társasága. With the kind support of the Central European University and the Freeszfe initiative.

Event details
European Alliance of Academies
Artistic Freedom. A Core Element of the European Project
Tuesday, 30 May 2023, 6 pm + Wednesday, 31 May 2023, 6 pm
In English and Hungarian
Central European University, Nador utca 15, 1051 Budapest and as livestream
Free admission

Livestream and further information: www.allianceofacademies.eu

With: María José Crespo, György Dalos, Péter Inkei, Simon Márton, Jeanine
Meerapfel, Katharina Schultens, Bartosz Szydłowski, Balazs Szücs, Béla Tarr
and digital contributions by Terézia Mora, Robert Wilson, George Szirtes as well
as Members of the European Alliance of Academies from Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain
and Ukraine.

See: Press release 20 April 2023

You can download this press release here.

30 – 31 May 2023, Central European University, Budapest

With an event held in Budapest in solidarity with the Society of Hungarian Authors, the European Alliance of Academies sends a signal in support of freedom of the arts. The most recent measures taken by the Hungarian government increasingly threaten the country’s independent art and cultural scene. Now, Szépírók Társasága, one of the founding members of the European Alliance of Academies, is being directly impacted by drastic cuts in the annual budget.

The members of the Alliance have organised a series of public discussions, artistic programmes and talks with political decision-makers to bring attention to the mechanisms that, while democratically legitimised, lay the groundwork for numerous restrictions of artistic freedoms, whether in Hungary or in other European countries.

The opening discussion on 30 May, “The Impact of Silence. Can Culture Flourish in an Ambiance of Ceased Dialogue between Artists and Public Authorities?”, focuses on the position of artists between public funding and independent artistic production. The event scheduled for 31 May, entitled “United in Responsibility. Border Crossing Networking for an Independent Culture”, offers local artists a space for networking and presentation: Authors from Szépírók Társasága will stage theatre performances and scenic readings together with students of the FreeSZFE Society, who since 2021 have been protesting the privatisation of the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest (SZFE).

With: María José Crespo, György Dalos, Simon Márton, Jeanine Meerapfel, Katharina Schultens, Balazs Szücs, Béla Tarr as well as digital contributions by Terézia Mora, Robert Wilson, George Szirtes

Szépírók Társasága was founded in 1997 to promote contemporary literature and contribute to the democratisation of the politics of culture in Hungary. Among the nearly 400 members are some of the most internationally recognised Hungarian writers, as well as renowned cultural journalists, critics, translators and literary scholars. www.szepiroktarsasaga.hu

An event organized by the European Alliance of Academies in cooperation with the Akademie der Künste and Szépírók Társasága.

You can download this press release here.

From 15 to 16 December 2022, 42 members of the European Alliance of
Academies from 19 different countries came together at the Akademie der Künste
at Pariser Platz in Berlin to discuss the restrictions that war and crisis have placed
on artistic freedom. Numerous actors from the realms of art and culture
commented on their experiences. In his online message of greeting, Victor
Sydorenko, President of the Ukrainian National Academy of the Arts, appealed for
solidarity between arts and cultural institutions in Europe and invoked the
possibilities of cooperation. The Ukrainian Academy was recently admitted to the
European Alliance of Academies, with a large majority voting in favour.

Following his expulsion from the Ukrainian Film Academy, filmmaker Sergei
Loznitsa, a member of the Akademie der Künste, warned against “replacing one
form of propaganda with another”. Hanna Bilobrova, co-director of the
documentary Mariupolis 2 and fiancée of the murdered documentary filmmaker
Mantas Kvedaravičius, showed film clips illustrating the absurdity of the war, the
destruction and anguish it brings and the lives lived behind the headlines.
Bilobrova took the film footage from Mariupol to Lithuania so she could finish the
film after the death of her partner.

The internal working sessions included reports from artists and cultural workers
from Poland and Hungary who have to contend with financial constraints and
restrictions imposed by the government on the content of their work.

Jeanine Meerapfel, president of the Akademie der Künste: “Art will not bring
the war to an end or change the political situation. Yet we have a responsibility to
read the books, present the music and show the films that bear witness to it. That
is what we are attempting to do with the European Alliance of Academies, which
rises above national borders: we have soft boundaries, but clear goals.”

The conference came to a unanimous decision to support the institutions
concerned, be it through projects involving transnational cooperation or through
local actions that generate positive publicity.
Responding to the question of what politically engaged art means, filmmaker
Andres Veiel made the case in the closing discussion that doubts, contradictions
and ambiguities should be tolerated in the process of artistic creation. Composer
Iris ter Schiphorst called on the art academies represented at the conference to
create space for debate between artists and members of civil society as a means to address inequalities and set in motion the much-needed transformation of
society.

The writers Cécile Wajsbrot and A. L. Kennedy used the power of their art to
describe the global situation: their words had a profound effect on the audience.
The video messages from Minister of State for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth
and UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki
highlighted the importance of the European alliance and pledged their continued
support for it.

The newly developed digital platform LOOM – Interweaving the Arts in Europe will
allow artistic interventions to take a stance on socio-political issues and facilitate
artistic cooperation between members of the European Alliance of Academies.
The first call for artistic projects has already gone out under the title Ignorance Is
Strength? Artistic Expression and Biopower in the (Post)Pandemic Age: artists
reflected on their own practice in the wake of the pandemic and addressed current
social and political changes.

Further information:
www.allianceofacademies.eu
www.loom.allianceofacademies.eu

You can download this press release here.

On 15 and 16 December 2022, the 4th Conference of the European Alliance of Academies will be held in the Akademie der Künste on Pariser Platz. In light of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing political, economic and social crises, Alliance members will discuss the impact of this war on artistic freedom in Europe. How are the working conditions of artists changing? What
contributions can artists make to peace? What possibilities for cooperation exist in the digital realm?

Hanna Bilobrova, Agnieszka Holland (tbc), Wolfgang Kaleck, A. L. Kennedy, Leszek Koczanowicz, Sergei Loznitsa, Jeanine Meerapfel, Robert Menasse, Iris ter Schiphorst, Andres Veiel and others discuss the role of artists and cultural actors within the current political situation. Musical accompaniment by the AoA Impro Group with Floros Floridis and others.

Since its founding in October 2020 in Berlin on the initiative of Akademie President Jeanine Meerapfel, the European Alliance of Academies has been committed to freedom of the arts in Europe. With declarations, petitions, events and in discussion with political stakeholders, the European Alliance raises awareness about cultural policy shortcomings in a shared commitment to strengthening an
open, solidary-based and democratic Europe.

As a means of furthering the artistic collaboration in the network, the European Alliance of Academies has developed the digital platform “LOOM – Interweaving the Arts in Europe”.

An event by the European Alliance of Academies, organised by the Akademie der
Künste. Sponsored by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Agency for Civic
Education and the Society of Friends of the Akademie der Künste.

You can download this press release here.