Eighteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

In the Hungarian contemporary cultural field dominated by nationalistic ideology and close control of the governing Hungarian Civic Alliance party, repression of artistic freedom has been present since the party’s election in 2010. Tackling a hostile and exclusionary ideology, a persistent dissent towards the state among art workers has formulated in the last thirteen years. Parallel to the “official”, socially engaged and critical art practices arose in order to give voice to ostracised communities and reintegrate critical thinking into the discipline. As labour migration in European countries have increased significantly since 2004, this research has a special focus on Hungarian art professionals living in the European diaspora. Being a not yet debated subject, the paper scrutinises the “infrastructure of dissent”: the loose network of socially engaged and critical art practices initiated by Hungarians after 2010. The paper has two main methodological aspects. Whilst it aims to raise awareness on socially engaged and critical art practices through case studies, it is equally vital to create a solid theoretical background to its topic. A precursor of a dissertation research, the paper focuses on results of the latter. On one hand, it engages with the ideas of political theorists in a wider context of neoliberalism. On the other hand, leaving behind the East-West dichotomy, the research applies theories taken from the academic disciplines of decolonialism and horizontal art history. The research on the notions behind contemporary civil art practices add to a global understanding of a more democratic cultural future.