The unthinkable has happened: War in Europe. This war polarizes. In particular
with regard to the question of how to deal with Russian and Belarusian artists who
publicly position themselves against the war.
Despite this neuralgic point, the European Alliance of Academies has agreed by a
large majority on the following statement:

The European Alliance of Academies condemns
the war against Ukraine

The transnational alliance invites Ukrainian art academies to join and calls
for dialogue with artists in Russia and Belarus.

The European Alliance of Academies condemns Putin’s war and declares its
solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The European Alliance of Academies invites
Ukrainian art academies and cultural institutions to join the pan-European alliance.
Russian and Belarusian artists and academics who are raising their voices against
the war at great personal risk are also invited to join the European Alliance of
Academies. They have our solidarity. Freedom of the press and freedom of
expression are more important than ever, which is why the alliance is expressing
its gratitude to and solidarity with all critical journalists. Political and economic
sanctions which extend to the realm of civil society and to the artistic and
academic sphere, should instead be solved through critical dialogue. This has
always been the right course of action and must be maintained. The worlds’ war
power ability easily can destroy all of our civilizations at once.

The European Alliance of Academies is committed to cultural unity and
transnational solidarity. On the initiative of Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the
Akademie der Künste, Berlin, this European peace project was founded in October
2020. The founding manifesto states: “Art and culture are essential for a
functioning democracy and for social cohesion. We stand for the freedom of the
arts as a prerequisite for our cultural, social and political way of life. The
independence of artistic positions and institutions from political, national and
religious prescriptions is the foundation of democracy.”
The European Alliance of Academies currently has 67 members. Its structure,
which has so far concentrated on the member states of the EU, is to be extended
from now on to embrace geographical Europe.

You can download this press release in German and English here.

Conference of the European Alliance of Academies in Amsterdam, 28/29 June 2022

Akademie van Kunsten (KNAW) Amsterdam
Streamed live at www.allianceofacademies.eu

Art and cultural institutions across Europe have begun to re-examine their own
history – a process that is also instituting lasting change in cultural and artistic
practices. Be it the content of collections, the significance of monuments in public
spaces or the renaming and reconfiguration of art institutions – the debate about
levels of meaning, past and future, is becoming increasingly political and heated.
The reasons for this are manifold, as are the ways in which the debates are being
conducted. The conference “Contested Histories, Shared Futures” invites
artists, writers, curators and political leaders to discuss the contentious issues on
the basis of concrete examples.

Illuminating the cultural significance of historical events can contribute productively
to shaping new shared perspectives. The European Alliance of Academies is
convinced that artistic approaches can contribute substantially to a re-appraisal of
narratives and our own practices so that the future challenges of European
societies can be met.

With, among others, Bruno Alves de Almeida, Liesbeth Bik, Vasyl Cherepanyn,
Charles Esche, RAAAF Rietveld Architecture Art Affordances, Andreja Kulunčić,
Jeanine Meerapfel, Amina Menia, Joanna Rajkowska, Wendelien van Oldenborgh,
Fernando Sánchez Castillo, Paul Spies and Aleš Šteger.

The public programme will be streamed live at www.allianceofacademies.eu.
An event of the European Alliance of Academies, organised by the Akademie der
Künste and the Akademie van Kunsten (KNAW). Funded by the German Federal
Agency for Civic Education (bpb)

You can download this press release here.

Madrid, 2/3 December 2021
Conference – Workshops – Projects
Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, livestream broadcast

Far-right parties throughout Europe have discovered art and culture as a political
war zone to further polarise society and assert national borders. The European
Alliance of Academies is convinced that transnational artistic cooperation is one of
the best ways of combating these tendencies.
The focus of the Second Conference of the European Alliance of Academies is to
address the potential of artistic cooperation. The key question is: How can we
better network in analogue and digital spaces and counteract political restrictions?
To this end, the participants deal with different nationalistic approaches in cultural
policy and their influence on cultural institutions and thus on the freedom of art in
Europe.

Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste and initiator of the
European Alliance of Academies: “If individual states in Europe withdraw into the
national sphere with their cultural policy, we shall react by forging artistic,
transnational alliances. We shall support each other and stand together in
solidarity to protect freedom of opinion and artistic freedom. That is our
contribution to shaping a democratic, social and just Europe. Together, we – the
65 academies of the arts and cultural institutions of Europe – are a powerful
alliance.”

Juan Miguel Hernández León, President of the Círculo de Bellas Artes: “The
current situation in Europe requires firm determination in many regards: politically,
economically, socially and culturally. The world of culture plays a fundamental role
in defending the values that define and unite us: solidarity, diversity, freedom of
expression and artistic freedom. These are under threat in some countries on our
continent. The European Alliance of Academies is an important instrument for
developing measures to combat these threats and implementing them in practice.

With Liesbeth Bik, Christos Carras, Jean-François Chougnet, Manuel Gutierréz
Aragón, Wolfgang Kaleck, Juan Miguel Hernández León, Jeanine Meerapfel,
Antonio Muñoz Molina, Dominika Kasprowicz, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Norbert Palz,
Jurko Prochasko, Aleš Šteger, Cécile Wajsbrot and Miquel Iceta, Spanish Minister
for Culture and Sport, H.E. Wolfgang Dold, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of
Germany to the Kingdom of Spain and Marta Rivera de la Cruz, Minister for
Culture and Tourism Madrid, among others. Musical contribution by Zambra
Barroca

The public programme will be broadcast as a livestream at
www.allianceofacademies.eu.

A European Alliance of Academies event initiated and organised by the Akademie
der Künste and Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid; in cooperation with the
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Madrid. Funded by the German
Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and the Madrid Region, and supported
by the German Embassy in Madrid. Media partner Radio 3

You can download this press release here.

Friday, 29 October 2021, 7 pm
FUGA – Budapest Center of Architecture + live stream

On 29 October 2021 the European Alliance of Academies is launching a series of
events on the freedom of the arts in Budapest with a public discussion involving
authors from all over Europe and with workshops for students.
Under the title “Battle with the Empty Sky: Language, nationalism and freedom of
art in early 21st-century Europe”, Akademie member and writer Robert Menasse,
Hungarian author László Márton and Hungarian literary critic Anna Gács examine
the interaction between language, society and politics: How is language affected
when politics moves in a populist, nationalist or other radical direction? The British
poet Daljit Nagra will host the discussion.

The discussion at the Budapest Center of Architecture will be live-streamed at
www.allianceofacademies.eu. This will be preceded by workshops given by the
writers Luc Devoldere and Sophie Collins for students of Eötvös Loránd University
of Budapest.

The event is an expression of the solidarity of the European Alliance of Academies
with the Society of Hungarian Authors. The latter vehemently opposed anti-Semitic
remarks by Szilárd Demeter, director of Budapest’s Petöfi Literary Museum, in
December 2020. Since then, the situation has deteriorated further, as evidenced
by the tightening of state control over the Budapest University of Theatre and Film
Arts (SZFE).

Akademie President Professor Jeanine Meerapfel: “Shared language unites us.
But there is also a downside: language can also be used to divide. With language
we can exclude and hurt each other. With language we can create fake news –
and realities or also myths that cause harm… We need to recognise these
mechanisms so that we can do something about them.”

An event of the European Alliance of Academies in cooperation with the Akademie
der Künste, Society of Hungarian Authors, Royal Academy of Dutch Language and
Literature, Royal Society of Literature, and Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und
Dichtung. Sponsored by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb)

You can download this press release here.

The freedom of the arts is established in Article 13 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – and yet the Hungarian government is able to gradually and lawfully erode the autonomy of cultural institutions and art academies. An infringement case is difficult to mount. The European Alliance of Academies drew attention to this miscondition in May of this year and, in cooperation with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), submitted a petition with specific demands to the European Parliament. See press release of 9 May 2021 

In order to explore further possibilities for cooperation for the freedom of the arts in Europe, representatives of the European Alliance of Academies initiated a hearing with Sabine Verheyen, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education in the European Parliament, on 7 September 2021.

Professor Győző Ferencz from the Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts and Ferenc Czinki, President of the Society of Hungarian Authors, explained the mechanisms of state control in cultural institutions and the personal effects of self-censorship on artistic creativity.

The writer Robert Menasse, member of the Akademie der Künste, stressed the issue’s pan-European dimension: “It must be European policy to strengthen the pan-European framework for the free development of art and science and to enforce effective sanctions against member states that threaten art, science and education with national identity policies.” Art – like roads, airports and wind farms – is part of European infrastructure.
To make this possible, a long-term partnership with policy-makers is needed, argued Marion Döring (Wim Wenders Foundation).

Sabine Verheyen expressed her alarm at the manifold restrictions on artistic freedom – and especially “the scissors in the head” (self-censorship) – in other European member states as well. At the same time, she pointed out that the abuse of law would have to be legally proven in concrete cases in order to facilitate action against the restrictions in the form of fines or proceedings before the courts on the European level. This is where the European Alliance of Academies can provide support, she added. At the end of the hearing, Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste, announced that the exchange would be continued.

See the press release for the upcoming event „Battle with the Empty Sky“ here.

The European Alliance of Academies is lodging a complaint with the UN Special
Rapporteur on Culture, Karima Bennoune, and launching an online petition to the
European Parliament. The alliance of 65 art academies and cultural institutions is
calling for the violations of the freedom of the arts in Hungary to be countered with
the available legal instruments.

Jeanine Meerapfel, initiator of the Alliance of Academies and President of the
Akademie der Künste, explains the motivation for taking these steps: „If the
freedom of art and opinion is limited in one member country of the European
Union, this is also a challenge to democratic rights in the other European
countries. And we can only succeed if we defend them together“.

The documents produced in cooperation with the European Center for
Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) are available at:
www.allianceofacademies.eu

In an accompanying online meeting of the Alliance of Academies, the procedure
will be discussed with cultural and political leaders in Europe.
Taking part are Liesbeth Bik (Akademie van Kunsten), Ferenc Czinki (Society of
Hungarian Authors), Marion Döring (European Film Academy), Gyözö Ferencz
(Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts), Wolfgang Kaleck (European Center for
Constitutional and Human Rights), Dominika Kasprowicz (Villa Decius in Krakow),
Christoph Markschies (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities),
Jeanine Meerapfel (Akademie der Künste), Norbert Palz (Berlin University of the
Arts), Aleš Šteger (writer), Sabine Verheyen (European Parliament), Marina
Warner (Royal Society of Literature) and others.

Music: Floros Floridis (Clarinets), Elena Kakaliagou (French Horn), AoA Impro
Group

Chair: Annette Riedel, Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Supported by the Federal Foreign Office and the Society of Friends of the
Akademie der Künste

You can download this press release here.

At the invitation from the Akademie der Künste, over the last three days (8 – 10 October), around 70 representatives of European art academies and cultural institutions gathered for a hybrid conference to initiate a „European Alliance of Academies“. The institutions involved come from almost every country in the European Union as well as Norway and Great Britain – a strong signal that demonstrates the need for a transnational alliance based on solidarity, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and its political consequences, national delineations and right-wing populist isolationist fantasies.

Today, the „European Alliance of Academies“ presented a joint manifesto in Berlin, setting out the mission of securing the European Union as a cultural project for the future. New forms of cooperation are to be established that guarantee mutual support whenever there is a threat of political restrictions or the freedom of art is at risk.

Academy President Jeanine Meerapfel opened the conference on Thursday. This was followed by presentations by writers Robert Menasse and A. L. Kennedy and publicist Basil Kerski. The internal panels on Friday began with a greeting by Minister of State Prof. Monika Grütters, followed by perspective views of Europe by art historian Bénédicte Savoy and contemporary historian Philipp Ther.

Numerous well-known personalities – Wim Wenders, Ken Loach and Andres Veiel, among others – lent their support to the „European Alliance of Academies“ and used their statements to highlight the need for offensive alliances.

The following are involved in the Alliance: The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the Royal Academy of Arts, Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts, L‘Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Real Academia Española and Académie Goncourt as well as the Centre Pompidou, the Onassis Foundation and many more.

Sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media within the framework of the German EU Presidency

You can download this press release here.

Europe needs cultural cohesion and transnational solidarity more than ever. The Akademie der Künste has therefore initiated an alliance of European academies that advocates the freedom of art and can respond in solidarity to political restrictions. Jeanine Meerapfel, President of the Akademie der Künste, explains the associated imperatives and perspectives:

“What can an institution like the Akademie der Künste, a community of artists, do to counteract undemocratic and nationalistic forces in Europe? This question has moved me since I took office as President of the Akademie. Latest events in Germany, most recently the attempted attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin, demonstrate the urgent need for action. Another current example is how the autonomy of the Budapest University of Theatre and Film Arts has been restricted by the right-wing nationalist government of Viktor Orbán. Shaping a cultural Europe characterised by diversity can only succeed with transnational alliances. This conference is an important step toward this. I am very pleased that so many representatives of various art and cultural institutions have accepted my invitation. With our different visions, dreams and convictions, we can explore common opportunities for action and establish the basis to co-exist in solidarity.”

To launch the Alliance of Academies, the Akademie der Künste is holding a conference within the context of Germany’s presidency of the Council of the EU. Around 70 participants have registered. They and their academies represent the cultural wealth of Europe and will discuss joint strategies for the Alliance to safeguard the freedom of art and culture over the course of three days.

Jeanine Meerapfel will open the gathering on Thursday, 8 October. Author Robert Menasse will talk about the problems and future of Europe. This will be followed by lectures by author A. L. Kennedy (UK) and publicist Basil Kerski (Poland) as well as a music performance by AoA ImproGroup with Floros Floridis and other European improvisational musicians. The internal panels on Friday, 9 October, will begin with a greeting by Minister of State Prof. Monika Grütters, followed by an in-depth discussion with perspective views of Europe, among others, from art historian Bénédicte Savoy and contemporary historian Philipp Ther. A joint manifesto setting out the mission of protecting the European Union as a cultural project for the future will be presented to the public on Saturday, 10 October.

Supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media within the framework of the German EU Presidency

You can download this press release here.

At the initiative invitation of the Akademie der Künste around 70 representatives of European art academies and cultural institutions are meeting for a hybrid conference to establish a „European Alliance of Academies“.

Considering the current (cultural) political developments in Europe, which have been exacerbated by the Corona pandemic in some countries, the pressing question arises: What can we as European cultural institutions do together against nationalistic and racist appropriation? We are currently experiencing a cultural policy in Europe that only understands art and culture nationally. The autonomy and internationality of the
academies, museums and cultural institutions are thus under threat.

The Akademie der Künste and its members feel a responsibility to stand up for a
transnational alliance – a European alliance of academies – which advocates the
freedom of art and can react in solidarity to political restrictions. In the alliance want to
participate: The Royal Academy of Arts, Széchenyi Academy of Letters and Arts,
L’Accademia dei Lincei, Real Academia Española, Académie Goncourt, but also
Centre Pompidou, Onassis Cultural Center, Villa Decius and many others.
A joint manifesto to be published on 10 October defines options for action and the task
of securing the European Union as a cultural project for the future. In this way, the
Akademie der Künste contributes to commit for an open, solidary and democratic
Europe.

The opening event on Thursday evening, 8 October 2020 with Academy President
Jeanine Meerapfel, authors A. L. Kennedy and Robert Menasse and political scientist
Basil Kerski, as well as the presentation of the manifesto on Saturday, 10 October, are
open to the public. During the internal sessions, the speeches by Minister of State for
Culture and the Media Prof. Monika Grütters, Prof. Bénédicte Savoy and Prof. Philipp
Ther can be followed via livestream on Friday, 9 October.

Supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media under
the German EU Council Presidency

You can download this press release here.