Numerous codes of conduct have been negotiated, passed and heavily criticized at federal, state and municipal level in recent years. Especially in the area of cultural funding, debates about the pros and cons of codes of conduct have shaken the cultural climate. Cultural institutions are unsure how to defend their own freedom - between supposed and real censorship, self-censorship and the desire to do the right thing. The discussion will feature South African-born, Berlin-based artist Candice Breitz, whose exhibition planned for 2024 at the Saarland Museum was cancelled due to allegedly controversial statements on the Gaza war, and constitutional law expert Christoph Möllers, Professor of Public Law and Philosophy of Law at Humboldt-University in Berlin, who advises the German government, among others, on fundamental rights limits and protection requirements for state cultural funding.
About the Program “The Condition of No – Talks on Boycott, Censorship and Protest in Germany“:
The boundaries of freedom of speech and artistic freedom are currently under scrutiny. Cancellations, boycotts, censorship, behavioural clauses and protests are having a massive impact on the cultural sector, but talking about them is difficult. With this series, we invite experts from various disciplines to engage in intensive and candid discussions about very specific case studies in Germany: What happened? Why did it happen? And: What can we learn? “The Condition of No“ seeks to facilitate understanding, differentiation and communication in what is currently a precarious situation. It’s about creating a fear-free space in which people can talk.
Curated by Tania Bruguera, Florian Malzacher, Roland Wenninger
VS – Villa Stuck in cooperation with INSTAR and The Art of Assembly