Enduring Post Communism: Networks of Patronage
In Central and (South-) Eastern Europe the cultural landscape has entered the Post-Soros Era, while still awaiting the arrival of the widely expected EU patronage for the arts and the civil sector. After the collapse of the communist state the Soros network paradigmatically took over the role of the patron of the arts and civil society, necessarily for a limited amount of time. When Soros started to withdraw from the region, surprise or no surprise, local governments by and large neglected it’s legacy. In this new interbellum, a strange vacuum between Post-Communism / Soros, and the impending arrival of the EU, a new generation of cultural actors, organisations and artist initiatives has established itself, finding it’s way in the context of enduring post-communism.
A dialogue (leading to a wider discussion) between representatives of grass root cultural initiatives. These projects and organisations are seeking practical and often novel ways and means today to begin or to continue diverse cultural activities. By opening a discussion to others similarly involved, useful tactical strategies (including fundraising) could be articulated and hopefully utilized. This discussion is an attempt to compare and question these different forms of stimulating the democratisation of the media space, and also the wider cultural space, through international networking as a tool to set up local situations. What works, and what doesn't? What kind of conflicts does this situation give rise to?