In a world increasingly shaped by despotic power politics, Europe – proud old lady that she is – presents itself as the last guardian of an open society. Sandwiched between Putin’s violent imperial ambitions, a United States beginning to evoke the darkest pages of European history, and an authoritarian China, we like to see ourselves as a bastion of freedom, pluralism, and respect for difference. But what about our own monsters, both new and old?

In Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, far-right parties are or have been in power. Seizing control of culture and the arts is always an early chapter in their playbook. But is this authoritarian turn confined to those countries alone? The most dangerous monsters, history teaches us, never come with their faces showing. Should we not also worry about subtler dynamics at work across Europe – bureaucratic pressure, budget cuts in the name of austerity?

What should we expect from artists and arts institutions in a political climate shifting ever further to the right? Do artists have a special responsibility to speak out? Can art actually change the political tide, or should we stop expecting art to save the world?

The conversation will be moderated by Floris Baeke, co-editor-in-chief of Etcetera and will include:

• Milo Rau, director of the Wiener Festwochen, has turned the festival itself into a political project and is currently pushing for a European Artistic Freedom Act to legally protect artists and institutions from political interference.
• Matej Drlička, former director of the Slovak National Theatre, was dismissed by the Fico government in one of the most visible acts of political interference in European cultural institutions in recent years.
• Christiane Jatahy, Brazilian theatre director and filmmaker based in Europe, has seen from the inside how Brazil slid into authoritarianism under Bolsonaro. Is Europe heading in the same direction?

Sunday 17th of May, 1 PM, House of the Republic – Badeschiff. You can find all practical information here.