Press Release – United for Contemporary Art (UCA) – May 10, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Enough is enough!

Ludwig Museum Budapest, 10 May 2013, 1 pm

From this day on, United for Contemporary Art keeps the building of the Ludwig Museum open 24 hours a day. We are present, and we will work here, hold forums here, and sleep here, until our demands have been granted.

We have come to this decision as the State Secretariat for Culture of the Ministry of Human Resources has ceased to operate as a competent maintainer and resource manager. For months, it has not been capable of appointing a professionally competent and responsible new leadership to the museum. To this day, it has not made available the withheld part of the bursary granted to independent performing art groups in 2012, despite repeated promises.
The examples of the Ludwig and the independents are symptomatic of the system’s malfunctioning. The functioning of Hungarian public administration lacks transparency and, for this reason, does not serve the needs of its citizens.

Enough is enough!

Events leading to today’s press conference:
We awaited Mr Zoltán Balog, Minister of Human Resources, until 11 am on 10 May 2013, to negotiate our professional demands and to call for transparency in cultural decisions. Minister Balog did not attend the forum, nor did he react to our invitation in any way.
We consider the practice of cultural decision-makers overriding the professional scene and refusing dialogue to be unacceptable.

United for Contemporary Art continues to await the Minister’s appearance at the Ludwig Museum, and for his worthy reaction to our demands!
What do we demand?
– Transparency in cultural governance!
– Institutional and professional autonomy!
– Cessation of resource withdrawal, compensation for abstract resources, and consideration for public interest and public benefit with respect to the distribution of support!
– Undertaking responsibility, and consideration for professionality in cultural decisions!
– Dialogue between Hungarian culture and the decision-makers of cultural policy!
– The dissolution of concealment with respect to the tender for director of the Ludwig Museum, and a new, transparent tender, facilitating social and professional control, dialogue, and debate!

Whom do we await?
All those, who are unsatisfied with processes that are not transparent on the cultural scene, and who take a stand behind cultural autonomy with their presence, and all those, who, as citizens, are unsatisfied with state autocracy, and demand an open relationship based on dialogue with the current leaders of the state!

Those who have already joined and continue their work here during the coming days:

– This afternoon Humán Platform will hold their current plenary assembly
– Saturday morning, the Association of the Independent Performing Arts (FESZ) will hold its regular general assembly before the Ludwig
– Monday morning: Art and Activism seminar
– Tuesday morning: tranzit. hu working discussion
– Wednesday: Fotokontakt – Photography and Activism workshop

Further programmes are currently under planning stages.

When and where?
At the Ludwig Museum, from today, 24 hours a day, until our demands have been granted.

Let’s be present together!

Enough is enough!

ludwiglepcso@gmail.com