Artistic Freedom Under Pressure  Art Doesn't Fade Away That Easily

Freedom of the arts and culture is no longer as taken for granted in Germany as we once believed. An appeal to artists: do not bury your heads in the sand in the face of the shift toward the extreme right — and take inspiration from those in neighboring European countries who have experienced oppression.

The beauty of art is that it doesn't succumb to defeat. No matter how adverse the circumstances, how great the danger from censorship and repression in authoritarian regimes - there are artists everywhere who carry on, who stand up to silencing, bans and intimidation, who create counter-narratives and free spaces, even though it seems hopeless and dangerous: Films criticizing the Iranian regime that are shot in secret, punk concerts and political theater that take place in Uzbekistan despite the authoritarian government, drag shows and queer art in Georgia, where the distribution of queer content has just been banned, or books against the war against Ukraine that are printed in Russia in the hope that they will not fall into the hands of the authorities - art that is created under such circumstances and has to fight for its space against resistance requires courage and means a great risk for those involved. In Germany, such circumstances for art seem a long way off; after all, culture in this country receives more than ten billion euros in funding every year, artistic freedom is guaranteed in the constitution and controversial content is at worst met with some excitement in the media instead of censorship and punishment. We have become accustomed to thinking that repression, infringements and censorship, which are part of everyday life for artists in many countries, are a thing of the past in this country. But this is not to be taken for granted, which has become increasingly evident in recent years considering the shift to the right in Europe. As the political situation changes, so does the leeway for the arts - the degree of freedom they have.

When the distribution of queer content was completely banned in Russia at the end of 2022, it was easy to dismiss it as just another of the many absurd acts of the terror state, as something that happens far away from us. Even with the attacks on drag shows for children in the US and the bans on books for young people that conservatives consider too queer or too revealing, one tends to react with the same helpless, concerned head-shaking as with the election of Donald Trump: frightening, terrible, but fortunately on the other side of the Atlantic.

Strikes on Culture are coming closer

But you don't need to look far: In the middle of the EU, similar attacks on the freedom of art and culture can be observed, not just since yesterday. In Hungary, it has been illegal to make queer content accessible to people under the age of 18 since 2021, Slovakia is currently experiencing an unprecedented attack on culture: The secretary responsible, Martina Šimkovičová, believes that LGBTQ people are “to blame for the extinction of the white race” and is shaping her nationalist cultural policies accordingly. Directors of cultural institutions have been replaced and funding for certain institutions whose programs do not correspond to the ideas of the populist government has been suspended.

Such a scenario - people like to reassure themselves - seems far away for Germany. Although the AfD is a party that makes no secret of the fact that it wants to actively intervene in cultural funding and does not seek to support “ideological issues such as ‘gender’, ‘climate protection’ or ‘diversity’” (according to the party manifesto for the Bundestag elections with regard to film funding) - AfD cultural politician Hans-Thomas Tillschneider calls for the allocation of funds to be tied to a “self-confident commitment to German identity” - an involvement of the party in government in the near future is not yet on the cards. In some regions, however, the party is already strong enough to influence decisions on municipal level. And even without a majority in parliament, the danger coming from the far right is very real: in shitstorms, right-wing extremists incite against events, build up pressure and intimidate. Often, they target queer issues or projects with refugees. In his book Volkstheater: Der rechte Angriff auf die Kunstfreiheit, theater critic Peter Laudenbach reports on numerous right-wing attacks on cultural institutions and artists in recent years. In addition, culture is not a priority for politicians in times of crisis. Tobias Rapp summed up a popular attitude to the massive cuts in cultural funding in federal and state budgets in Der Spiegel: “Culture may fire up social debates, but firefighters are still the ones who extinguish fires.” But while the economic situation may make cuts understandable, the problem also lies in the distribution of funds: There will be less support for the independent cultural scene in the future, while more money has been budgeted for the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation), for example. Instead of strengthening emerging voices and marginalized perspectives, the emphasis already lies on tradition and cultural conservation.

Yet it is culture beyond the big museums, theaters and concert halls that plays an important role for marginalized people. Small projects, non-commercial places where exhibitions, performances and concerts can be staged, offer queer people or people affected by racism safe spaces and opportunities to express themselves that they don't have on the big stages. If public funding is withdrawn and dependence on entrance fees or private donors grows, there is a greater risk that certain things will simply no longer exist, that certain perspectives will become less visible.

Learning from those who Defy Repression

But if there is one thing we can learn from artists in countries where political art is not supported but punished, then it is this: to not give up and to defend the freedom and support we have. Yes, in Germany too, artists have to be prepared for more headwind. But there's still a hell of a lot possible and there's no reason to lose hope. It's in our hands to prevent things from getting as bad in Germany as they already are in many other countries. We can and must defend ourselves against the rise of the far right, we should not accept attacks on artists, we have to stick together and protect them. And even if things get worse and the AfD gains more power - we can see in Austria these days just how quickly this can happen - we must not give up. We have to be prepared. The more unfree political conditions become, the more important it is to keep going, the more important independent art becomes: it may not have much influence in the public sphere, but it can provide protection and community for those who oppose mainstream society because of their opinion or identity, who are discriminated against or persecuted. And there is always a small chance of shaking people up and getting them to think or even rethink.

We should be networking and exchanging ideas with those who already have experience of making art under the most adverse circumstances. They know how to protect themselves from attacks and do their thing despite dominant right-wing narratives and which strategies can be used to create visibility without putting themselves in too much danger. There are also opportunities for this in Germany - why not visit an exhibition of exiled artists from Belarus and listen to them talk about what they have experienced and how their friends who are still in the country are doing? Why not invite queer performers from Georgia? Or ask colleagues in Hungary what the situation is like? We can learn a lot from them and, above all, support each other. Perhaps in the future, instead of the wide open spaces of the “cultural landscape” in Germany, there will only be islands where political art, queer art, is possible. But an island doesn't sink so quickly, even in stormy seas.

02/2025