Academy of the Arts: Art Freedom: “Relying on Personal Responsibility”

Mr. Ngo, a new series of events on artistic freedom is starting at the Berlin Academy of Arts. Why now?

Manos Tsangaris, the President of the AdK, and I took up our positions this year at a time when freedom of art is under great pressure. Freedom of art and freedom of expression are guaranteed by the German constitution as the highest legal interests of democracy. They were laboriously achieved in a long civilizing process, which also includes historical experiences such as the persecution of artists under National Socialism and the state control of art in the GDR. According to the law and statutes, the Academy is obliged to defend the freedom and demands of art in the state and society.

At the opening event on September 27th, pro and con voices regarding the need for state regulation of art and culture will be heard on a panel. At the same time, however, the AdK as an institution is critical of the Bundestag’s planned “Resolution on the Protection of Jewish Life in Germany” and has published an appeal that at least urges its renewed discussion. Was there a debate about this within the AdK?

The fight against anti-Semitism and discrimination is part of the academy’s constitution; many of its members are Jewish. The AdK was therefore one of the first cultural institutions in Germany to clearly condemn Hamas’ attack on Israel and emphasize Germany’s current and historical responsibility. She has also taken a clear position against hatred, anti-Semitism and cancel culture as a result of the Gaza war. At the same time, she sees the suffering on both sides of the conflict and advocates for a non-violent balance between Israel’s right to exist and the Palestinian claim to their own state. Of course, the events after October 7th also led to discussions within the academy. With 433 members, there are of course different opinions, and some will express themselves in the form of “interjections” at the upcoming academy discussion. In general, however, we do not question the need to protect Jewish life in Germany, but rather whether the planned Bundestag resolution or clauses are suitable instruments in this effort. The AdK and its membership in the association with a large number of artists and cultural workers, intellectuals, politicians and institutions doubt this.

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Anh-Linh Ngoborn in 1974, has been Vice President of the Academy of Arts since spring. The architectural theorist is editor-in-chief and co-publisher of the “Arch+ magazine”.

With what arguments?

The main criticism is the risk of political influence, which could create legal uncertainty. There is a risk that the conflict will be exploited for a culture war from the right. Beyond the warning, we also want to show personal responsibility as an instrument in a democratic society To preserve freedom of art. The academy should be a place of open debate and dialogue where we can come to an understanding despite different views. Although art cannot solve political conflicts, it can use its sensory influences to influence social debates and open up new ways of thinking.

What could such an instrumentalization of the conflict for a right-wing culture war actually look like?

The danger of art censorship from the right is growing with the increasing influence of the AfD. Art and cultural institutions are coming under increasing pressure, particularly in cities and districts where the AfD is the largest faction. Peter Laudenbach wrote in his book »Volkstheater. “The right-wing attack on artistic freedom” vividly describes the problem. One example is the Osten Festival in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, which is important for many people in the city and region and has been supported by the AdK since the beginning. This year, the AfD filed a criminal complaint against works of art and succeeded in having some works no longer shown – including one that contained a swastika as part of a criticism of the ubiquity of such symbols in everyday life. This was a clear infringement on artistic freedom. Due to political pressure, the festival lost the political support of the administration. The shocking report by curators Aljoscha Begrich and Christian Tschirner shows how urgently we need to address art censorship from the right.

But isn’t there also the danger of spreading authoritarianism from Hamas sympathizers, for example, if anti-Semitic imagery in art is not legally curbed?

Yes, there is also a danger of authoritarianism from the “left,” as you say. The spread of anti-Semitic imagery or slogans in art could be a reason to discuss legal measures. But instead of repression, the academy relies on education, dialogue and knowledge transfer to counteract extreme ideologies. The state has the opportunity and obligation to ban terrorist organizations or anti-constitutional organizations. But the culture of debate must be based on knowledge and arguments to counter the threat from both sides.

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The Documenta fifteen last year showed that there is a serious problem with anti-Semitism in the German and international art and culture scene. There had already been fears that the show would contain anti-Semitic content and that was the case.

The current report by the Federal Government’s Anti-Semitism Commissioner shows that there is a dramatic increase in anti-Semitism throughout society. The breaking of taboos after October 7th affected “all areas,” it says, and anti-Semitism and anti-Israel attitudes would spread into the middle of society. The report also points out that in addition to “classic German right-wing anti-Semitism,” there is also an increase in left-wing and Islamist milieus. However, this phenomenon is not new. It is precisely this adaptability and contextual diversity that makes anti-Semitism so long-lasting and dangerous. However, it is also true that political criticism of the actions of the current Israeli government and its way of waging war does not automatically make the critics anti-Semites, as long as it is not aimed at Israel’s right to exist and is part of the democratic debate. As far as Documenta is concerned, academic experts only agreed that one work of art was clearly anti-Semitic – which is of course bad enough. The debate was necessary, but its violence also showed that we are dealing with projections that serve as a relief strategy to distract from the fact that, according to representative surveys, a quarter of the German population continues to harbor anti-Semitic stereotypes.

So you don’t think the events at Documenta are a good reason for legal regulation of cultural funding?

The demand for such regulation assumes that artists and cultural workers are particularly vulnerable to anti-Semitism and discrimination – which does not correspond to reality, as the report by the anti-Semitism commissioner shows. Furthermore, it would be a mistake to think that clauses can solve the problem. The problem with legal regulations, according to legal scholar Ralf Michaels, director at the Hamburg Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Private Law, is that art is characterized by the fact that it is ambiguous and evades compelling interpretation. It cannot be limited to one statement. The limit of what art is allowed to do is defined solely by human dignity as the highest principle of the Basic Law. The conclusion of legal scholarship is: In a liberal state, we must rely on the personal responsibility of institutions and artists.

The AdK series starts this Friday with the academy discussion “Freedom of Art: Basic Rights and Promises”. On October 29th The conversation “Freedom of Art: Mechanisms of Excitement” follows. On November 12th The Palestinian-Norwegian documentary film “No Other Land,” which sparked controversy at the Berlinale, will be shown and then invited for discussion. An event with the “The Many” network on November 28th asks to what extent right-wing extremism in the form of the AfD is already putting cultural policy under pressure in many places. In addition, on October 12th, the AdK will focus on the Hungarian cultural scene in order to address the threat to artistic freedom at the European level.