
'Populist governments excel at constant signalling to their base'
Photo: Darren Halstead/Unsplash
Trump’s return: What Europe’s cultural sector learned from populist politics
With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Robin Cantrill-Fenwick looks at what may lie ahead for arts leaders in the USA.
The United States is readying itself for the installation of a TRUMP sign on the roof of the White House on 20 January, and some in the arts and culture sector will be apprehensive. For the past decade, cultural institutions worldwide have been grappling with an increasingly familiar phenomenon: the rise of populism in politics and its impact on the arts.
The European experience offers a preview of what may lie ahead for American cultural institutions. Across Europe, from Hungary to Poland, from Italy to here in the UK, cultural organisations have weathered various waves of populist governance, each bringing its own challenges to artistic freedom and institutional autonomy.
Politicisation is inevitable
An early battleground typically emerges in institutional leadership. Populist forces have demonstrated a determined strategy of seeking to embed themselves in cultural institutions through strategic appointments.
In Slovakia, this was manifested in the dismissal of directors at the Slovak National Theatre and National Gallery, with accusations of “progressive-liberal political activism” serving as justification. Similar patterns have played out across Europe, and voluntary departures from cultural leadership positions can have long-lasting ripple effects.
The UK under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss illustrated that no democracy is immune to such political intervention. While the current Labour government has pledged to end the politicisation of public appointments, even for them recent actions suggest old habits die hard. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservatives, talks of “progressive authoritarianism” – when small ‘l’ liberals are painted as an oppressive force, any vacancy created is seen a chance to tip the balance in the opposite direction.
The mechanisms of control deployed by populist governments often follow a predictable pattern. Hungary’s decade-long centralisation of cultural institutions serves as a cautionary tale, while Poland’s former Law and Justice government actively intervened in museum exhibitions and cultural programming deemed contrary to “traditional values”. Meanwhile Sweden’s far-right Democrats are attempting to establish a ‘Cultural Canon’, effectively a state-approved reading list (particularly for use by migrants) which reinforces the country’s traditions.
Places where all are welcome?
Cultural institutions are among the last bastions of inclusivity under populist regimes. In Germany, where the Alternative for Germany has gained some regional control, theatres face funding threats. That did not stop Reinhard Drogla, director of Piccolo Theater, creating a programme for minorities called simply “don’t be afraid”.
Similarly, when Slovakia’s culture minister moved to cut funding for sexual minority tolerance projects, cultural buildings and spaces became even more crucial as safe havens.
Financial warfare represents another common tactic. In Denmark, the far-right Danish People’s Party argued for greater privatisation of cultural funding, attempting to reshape the cultural landscape through economic pressure. The UK knows how that feels.
The best-told story wins
When it comes to public opinion, it’s often not the facts but the best-told stories that win the day. Communication becomes a critical battlefield in these struggles. Populist governments excel at constant signalling to their base, using art and culture as cannon fodder, or convenient platforms.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the occasion of a Tolkien exhibition to promote what she sees as traditional ideals. In Britain, institutions attempting to contextualise colonialism have found themselves accused of undermining national values.
The challenge of self-censorship looms large for cultural institutions under populist governance. A visual artist in Poland described the reality of self-censorship when government is hostile to your work: “I don’t know how many ideas I reconsidered because I was tired and fed up and didn’t want to worry about someone showing up to my house to drag me to the prosecutor’s office.”
Yet historical precedent suggests that maintaining artistic integrity is crucial for long-term cultural resilience. It’s important for organisations to think very clearly about what story they want to tell beyond what’s on their stages or in their galleries.
Calculation in the interests of self-preservation – choosing your battles, if you like – need not mean being cowed in the face of hostile players. For our own sakes, but more importantly for the communities we serve, arts and culture must continue to stand up for hope, human rights, inclusion and conversation across dividing lines.
In it together
For American cultural institutions facing uncertain times, the European experience offers several insights. Maintaining leadership positions where possible, creating welcoming spaces for marginalised groups, cultivating advocates, and confident, empathetic communications are all important strategies.
There will be some – many, in fact – in the USA and around the world for whom 20 January will be a great day. They will expect to see their world view represented on our stages, in our galleries, on the billing at concerts and more. While navigating this, cultural institutions must resist the impulse for self-doubt which populist critics attempt to instil. Solidarity, international solidarity included, is crucial.
As cultural institutions continue to serve as fields of both conversation and conflict in larger political debate, their role as defenders of artistic freedom becomes ever more vital. For American institutions facing uncertain times, the European experience offers some illumination – the path ahead may be difficult, but it is not uncharted.
Meanwhile in the UK and Europe, we must watch and learn from what happens in the USA in the coming years. When it comes to the relationship between culture and populism, given time it will once again, inevitably, be something we too must grapple with.
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