Meet Over Lunch: Survival Kit for an Illiberal Scene

Thursday, October 10, 2019
1 pm (free and open to the public)
Residency Unlimited (RU)
360 Court Street (enter the Church through the main entrance)
Brooklyn, NY 11231

Since the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party first won the parliamentary election with 2/3 majority in 2010 and then repeated it two times again, the country has seen a significant shift in its politics, economy, and society. Increasingly the environment is one in which progressive values are scorned and creative expression and autonomous positions are treated with suspicion.

On October 10th, RU curator-in-residence, Barnabás Bencsik, will talk about this process that completely changed the cultural landscape in Hungary, bringing about desertification in the institutional system of contemporary culture.  He will analyze the complex and systematic legal and financial moves that have taken place over the years, which have resulted in structural censorship in the creative processes and provided full control to parties in power over publicly funded cultural budgets. Against this regression and precarious circumstances, there are several grassroots and small-scale initiatives in Budapest. Bencsik will discuss the possible and sustainable practices and strategies available by focusing on his personal effort to keep on a forward-thinking and internationally connected position.

The Meet Over Lunch series is an ongoing invitation extended to local and visiting art practitioners to present their practice and projects over lunch to the RU community.

This program is made possible with support from Trust for Mutual Understanding.