The cultural scene has its say

Our election motto: “Thinking along instead of grumbling!”

Culture has many facets, diversity counts.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Pixabay)

"Voting means helping to shape", say prominent "cultural people" from Upper Austria and call for people to go to the polls. The "Krone" also asked around to find out how far the results of a federal election could also affect Upper Austria's cultural scene.

Although culture is a sideshow in the current election campaign, cultural professionals are united in calling for a vote. After all, they feel a shared responsibility for "a vibrant, diverse and critical democracy in this country."

And: "The freedom of art is also the freedom of all", according to the text, which has also been signed by prominent museum directors with a connection to Upper Austria, including Stella Rollig (formerly Lentos, now head of the Belvedere), Hans-Peter Wipplinger (Leopold Museum) from the Innviertel region and Hemma Schmutz (Lentos Linz).

Free elections are a young privilege
Monika Sommer from Linz is Director of the House of Austrian History in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. She emphasizes to the "Krone": "Free elections are a privilege that is only 79 years old. Anyone who is allowed to vote should use their vote to help shape Austria's future.

Because voting means having a say - in other words, not grumbling, but thinking: what substantive positions are important in the next five years? Who will champion them in the National Council?"

High voter turnout could dampen the shift to the right
The well-known Linz curator Gottfried Hattinger puts it even more succinctly: "We have to vote because otherwise we have no choice!" He wants to warn against a shift to the right, which could also have an impact on culture.

Oona Valarie Serbest, Chairwoman of the Linz City Cultural Advisory Board, is convinced: "The results of this federal election could have a profound impact in Upper Austria. We are already seeing increasing social and economic polarization, which is also reflected in the cultural sector."

Cultural policy with a view to the present
Thomas Diesenreither, Managing Director of KUPF Upper Austria, nevertheless hopes that the future government will continue to pursue a "progressive cultural policy that promotes the contemporary". The federal government's current "art and culture strategy", which sets out cultural policy guidelines on the one hand and promotes a targeted approach to ecological, social and societal challenges on the other, should "not end up in a drawer".

Thomas Diesenreiter (from left to right), Oona Valarie Serbest, Thomas Baum, Elisabeth Schweeger

(Bild: Reinhard Winkler, Markus Wenzel, Petra Moser, Harald Dostal)

Things could come to a standstill again
 As Managing Director of KUPF,Thomas Diesenreiter represents around 134 large and small cultural associations in Upper Austria. 
"Krone": Will the national elections have an impact on the cultural scene in Upper Austria?
Diesenreiter: Not directly , but via the detour of budget distribution. One third of our members receive funding from the federal government, two thirds don't, so they couldn't care less. In past black-blue periods, not much progress was made, but not much negative happened either. There was more stagnation."

Only diversity makes us strong
Elisabeth Schweeger, Director of the Capital of Culture, sees culture as an important instrument for democracy.

"Krone": Is a format like the European Capital of Culture not just about events, but also about dialog?
Schweeger: Yes, it's about discourse and, linked to this, enabling humane, practical action, which makes autocratic structures superfluous.
Populist tendencies block?
They are counterproductive because they operate with exclusion, with simple answers that cannot do justice to the complexity of our world.

There is great pressure in the cultural sector
Oona Valarie Serbest is an artist, cultural manager (FIFTITU%) and chairwoman of the Linz City Cultural Advisory Board. In her eyes, the election result will also have a major impact on culture in Upper Austria.

"Krone": You advise artists on a daily basis. What is the mood like?
Serbest: We are already seeing increasing social and economic polarization, which is also reflected in the cultural sector. Rising admission and drink prices are making it difficult for many people to attend cultural events. Running costs such as rent, electricity and production resources are almost impossible for artists and cultural institutions to afford.
What should not happen after the election?
If the new government does not take targeted measures to promote culture and safeguard working conditions, we could see an impoverishment of the cultural landscape.

Freedom of art is a high value
Thomas Baum is a successful screenwriter ("Der Winzerkönig"), author and supervisor. He addresses specific fears.
"Krone": Do you see the freedom of art, a very high value in our society, in danger?
Baum: Let's take a look at our neighboring country: the pro-government appointments to cultural leadership positions in Hungary have a direct impact on the freedom of art. Even the content of books is censored. We should have no illusions in Austria: The FPÖ will use every opportunity to push forward the anti-democratic regression in the arts and culture sector as well.