19 September 2024

Academy Discussion

Freedom of Art: A Basic Right and Promise
Manos Tsangaris and Anh-Linh Ngo in discussion with Amelie Deuflhard, Lars Henrik Gass, Helge Lindh, Tabaré Perlas and others

Friday, 27 September 2024, 7 pm, Pariser Platz

Defending the freedom of art is one of the core missions of the Akademie der Künste. Especially at a time when social discourse seems to be losing its capacity for differentiation and empathy, the arts should maintain an openness of perspective and allow for different, even contradictory points of view to coexist. In a series of events taking place in autumn 2024, the Akademie der Künste will explore the discursive and legal framework of artistic freedom.

For the opening event on 27 September, Akademie President Manos Tsangaris and Vice-President Anh-Linh Ngo have invited Amelie Deuflhard, Artistic Director of Kampnagel, Lars Henrik Gass, Director of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Helge Lindh, Member of the German Parliament and others. . To kick off the event, General Manager Tabaré Perlas will report on how political conflicts are disrupting artistic cooperation in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, but also on how they can be overcome through sensitive processes of negotiation and dialogue.

The panel will, in various constellations, discuss current political plans to introduce restrictive clauses and codes of conduct, which testify to a mistrust by political stakeholders towards the role and responsibility of cultural institutions in combating antisemitic and discriminatory forces. Opposing and supporting positions will be formulated, analysed and discussed on the podium.

Against the backdrop of current developments such as the instrumentalization of cultural funding being undertaken by the far-right party AfD, panellists will ask which elements are essential for artistic freedom and how it can be effectively protected as the foundation of a free and democratic society.

Welcome: Manos Tsangaris, President of the Akademieder Künste and composer

In discussion:

Amelie Deuflhard, Artistic Director of Kampnagel

Lars Henrik Gass, Director of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, as of February Founding Director of the House for Film and Media, Stuttgart

Helge Lindh, Member of German Parliament, SPD

Tabaré Perlas, General Manager des West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and CEO of the Daniel Barenboim Stiftung

Moderation: Anh-Linh Ngo, Vice-President of the Akademie der Künste and architectural publicist

Interventions: Akademie President Manos Tsangaris and Johanna M. Keller, Programme Officer of the Akademie der Künste, media artist Bjørn Melhus and other Akademie members    

For previous press releases on artistic freedom, please see 15.12.202327.3.2024 and 29.8.2024

Event information
Academy Discussion
Freedom of Art: A Basic Right and Promise
Friday, 27 September 2024, 7 pm
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Admission: €7.50/5, free admission for under 18 year-olds
Tickets: ticket@adk.de, Tel. 030 20057-1000

Press tickets available at presse@adk.de, tel. 030 200 57-1514