How do we stop the silencing of European artists?

We’re making multitasking that much more fun and easier with De Balie Podcast. This time with: Who’s afraid of art? The silencing of European artists. Listen to a selection of our programmes, wherever you want. Whether your on the train, preparing your meal in the kitchen or breaking personal records in the gym, De Balie is always within reach. With two programmes to listen to each week.

Who’s afraid of art? More and more far right politicians in Europe are trying to silence artists and institutions. The most recent example being Slovakia, where the directors of the Slovak National Theatre and the Slovak National Gallery suddenly were dismissed by the minister of culture. The director of SND, Matej Drlička will speak about the incident and the broader political culture in which this happened. Milo Rau, artistic director of the Wiener Festwochen, who started a petition in Drlička’s defense, will join him in the conversation.

On the 6th of August both Matej Drlička, director of SND, and Alexandra Kusá, director of the Slovak National Gallery were suddenly and for political reasons dismissed by the minister of culture Martina Šimkovičová. This flagrant attack on the freedom of artistic expression happened under the watch of populist prime minister Robert Fico. This is not a unique incident, but part of a broader European trend of far right politicians shutting down institutions, replacing executives in cultural and media organizations and silencing artists. During this evening, we analyze what happened in Slovakia and discuss what kind of opposition can be formed against these developments.