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Medzinárodná konferencia Otvorená Kultúra! 2026 | Open Culture! International Conference 2026
International conference Open Culture! 2026 | Open Culture! International Conference 2026
Event by: Otvorená Kultúra
Location: The Old Market Hall, Námestie Nežnej revolúcie, Bratislava
Discussions and lectures
About event
International conference Open Culture!
May 19 – 20, 2026, Stará tržnica, Bratislava
https://platformaok.sk/konferencia
International conference Open Culture! follows on from the successful first year in 2025, which represented the first professional conference on culture and cultural policies in Slovakia organized by civil society. The conference in 2025 created a precedent for an open discussion on cultural policy led from below by the cultural community itself and became a reference point for the emergence of European initiatives in the field of artistic freedom, especially through the adoption of the Bratislava Declaration and the initiation of the European Act on Artistic Freedom (EAFA). managers, policy makers, legislative experts and experts from various fields of art, culture and creative industries from all over Europe to solve common challenges in the field of artistic freedom, democratic management of culture and defining the role of culture in an increasingly fragmented public space. The main topics of the conference include bureaucratic and powerful interference in the functioning of cultural institutions, politicization of art funding, censorship and legislative restrictions.
The first day focuses on the domestic context, including working groups on the Plan for the Restoration and Resilience of Culture project and panel discussions with representatives of domestic public policy. The second day will focus on European topics and will be devoted to discussions about the Agora EU, the newly adopted Cultural Compass of the European Commission and the ideas of civil society behind the upcoming European Act on Artistic Freedom (EAFA).
Video recordings of panel discussions from the first year of the conference will be gradually uploaded to our YouTube channel - youtube.com/@otvorenakultura
The organizer is the citizen platform Otvorená Kultúra! and Antenna - a network for independent culture in cooperation with the Wiener Festwochen and other important international partners such as the United Nations, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Culture Action Europe, Resistance Now! Together, European Theater Convention, Opera Europa, PEARLE and others.
The conference was supported by the Open Society Foundation, Slovenská Sporiteľňa, VIVA EVENTS and beetle production.
PROGRAMME
19. 5. 2026
Topic: Culture Recovery and Resilience Plan (POOK)
9:00 – 12:00 / for registered users only
The morning program will be held in working groups for pre-registered participants. The topics will be based on the Cultural Recovery and Resilience Plan (CRP) document and the outputs of the working groups will be included in the comments to the document. We will start registration in the next few weeks on the page https://platformaok.sk/konferencia
13:30 – 13:40 / opening
Matej Drlička (Open Culture!)
13:40 – 14:00 / presentation
Culture renewal and resilience plan – strategic shift of the platform Open Culture!
Ivana Laučíková (Open Culture!)
Mária Beňačková Rišková (Open Culture!)
14:00 – 14:20 / presentation
współKongres Kultury 2024
Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska (Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland)
break
14:30 – 15:45 / panel discussion
Reforms and steps from POOK – views of local self-government
representatives of umbrella self-governing organizations: SK8, Association of Cities and Towns of Slovakia, Union of Slovakia
(The panel is organized in cooperation with Antén – a network for independent culture.)
break
16:00 – 17:30 / panel discussion
Reforms and steps from POOK – views of state policy
representatives of political parties
17:30 – 18:00 / presentation
Formation of cultural policies in the EU: Ironic position and power of the sector
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
20. 5. 2026
Topic: European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA)
13:30 – 13:40 / opening
Resistance Now! Together: from the Bratislava Declaration to the European Act on Artistic Freedom
Milo Rau (artistic director of Wiener Festwochen)
13:40 – 14:00 / presentation
Trends and directions of artistic freedom in Europe
Sanjay Sethi (co-director of the Artistic Freedom Initiative)
14:00 – 15:00 / panel discussion
Why we need a European law on artistic freedom
Karen Stone (Executive Director of Opera Europa)
Amy Pradell (Chief Strategist for Communication and Advocacy, European Theater Convention)
László Upor (Freeszfe Egyesület)
break
15:20 – 16:20 / panel discussion
The creation of the European Law on Artistic Freedom
Alexandra Xanthaki (UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights)
Kersty McCourt (Artistic Freedom Initiative)
Katarína Batková (executive director of VIA IURIS)
Sanjay Sethi (co-director of Artistic Freedom Initiative)
break
16:30 – 16:50 / presentation
Protecting artistic freedom in Europe: A new cultural contract between civil society and legislators
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
16:50 – 18:00 / panel discussion
Cooperation between international professional organizations, the European Commission and the European Parliament
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
Peter Stano (Head of the Representation of the European Commission on Slovakia)
TBD
___
ENGLISH
Open Culture! International Conference 2026
May 19 – 20, Stará Tržnica, Bratislava
https://platformaok.sk/conference
Building on the outcomes of the inaugural 2025 edition, the Open Culture! The International Conference has evolved from a national milestone into a growing platform for European exchange. Last year's edition was the first civil society-led gathering on cultural policy in Slovakia. It catalyzed a bottom-up dialogue within the cultural sector and contributed to shaping European momentum around artistic freedom. Notably, it led to the adoption of the Bratislava Declaration and helped initiate discussions towards the European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA).
The 2026 edition, taking place on 19–20 May, seeks to expand this dialogue beyond Slovakia, engaging cultural actors, policymakers, and advocates across Europe to address shared challenges to artistic freedom, democratic cultural governance, and the role of culture in an increasingly contested public space. Challenges include bureaucratic encroachment on cultural institutions, politicization of arts funding, censorship, and legislative restrictions.
The program reflects a dual domestic and European perspective. The first day focuses on the domestic context, including breakout groups on the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture and panel discussions with national and regional politicians. The second day shifts to a European focus, featuring discussions on the AgoraEU program, the European Commission's recently adopted Culture Compass, and the role of civil society in shaping the European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA), which is currently under development.
Recordings of panel discussions from the first year of the conference are being uploaded to our YouTube channel – youtube.com/@otvorenakultura
The conference is organized by the Open Culture! platform and Anténa – Network for Independent Culture, in cooperation with Wiener Festwochen and other significant international partners, including United Nations, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Culture Action Europe, Resistance Now! Together, European Theater Convention, Opera Europa, PEARLE, and others. The conference is supported by Open Society Foundation, Slovenská Sporiteľňa, VIVA EVENTS and beetle production. Culture!)
13:40 – 14:00 / Presentation
Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — a strategic shift for the Open Culture! platform
Ivana Laučíková (Open Culture!)
Mária Beňačková Rišková (Open Culture!)
14:00 – 14:20 / Keynote presentation
współKongres Kultury 2024
Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska (Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland)
break
14:30 – 15:45 / Panel discussion
Reforms and proposals from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — local government perspectives
Representatives of umbrella organizations of local government: SK8, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia, Union of Cities of Slovakia (TBA)
The panel is co-organized with Antena — Network for Independent Culture
break
16:00 – 17:30 / Panel discussion
Reforms and proposals from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — national government perspectives
Representatives of opposition political parties (TBA)
17:30 – 18:00 / Keynote presentation
Shaping Cultural Policies in the EU: The ironic position and the power of the sector
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
May 20
Theme: European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA)
13:30 – 13:40 / Opening remarks
Resistance Now! Together: From the Bratislava Declaration to the European Artistic Freedom Act. Freedom Act
Amy Pradell (Senior Strategist for Communications and Advocacy, European Theater Convention)
Karen Stone (Executive Director, Opera Europa)
László Upor (Freeszfe Association)
break
15:20 – 16:20 / Panel discussion
Towards a Future European Act on Artistic Freedom
Alexandra Xanthaki (UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights)
Kersty McCourt (EU Advisor & Artistic Freedom Initiative)
Katarína Batková (Executive Director, VIA IURIS)
Sanjay Sethi (Co-Executive Director, Artistic Freedom Initiative)
break
16:30 – 16:50 / Keynote presentation
Safeguarding Artistic Freedom in Europe: A new cultural contract between civil society and lawmakers
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
16:50 – 18:00 / Panel discussion
Cooperation between International Professional Organizations, the European Commission, and the European Parliament
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
Peter Stano (Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia)
TBD
May 19 – 20, 2026, Stará tržnica, Bratislava
https://platformaok.sk/konferencia
International conference Open Culture! follows on from the successful first year in 2025, which represented the first professional conference on culture and cultural policies in Slovakia organized by civil society. The conference in 2025 created a precedent for an open discussion on cultural policy led from below by the cultural community itself and became a reference point for the emergence of European initiatives in the field of artistic freedom, especially through the adoption of the Bratislava Declaration and the initiation of the European Act on Artistic Freedom (EAFA). managers, policy makers, legislative experts and experts from various fields of art, culture and creative industries from all over Europe to solve common challenges in the field of artistic freedom, democratic management of culture and defining the role of culture in an increasingly fragmented public space. The main topics of the conference include bureaucratic and powerful interference in the functioning of cultural institutions, politicization of art funding, censorship and legislative restrictions.
The first day focuses on the domestic context, including working groups on the Plan for the Restoration and Resilience of Culture project and panel discussions with representatives of domestic public policy. The second day will focus on European topics and will be devoted to discussions about the Agora EU, the newly adopted Cultural Compass of the European Commission and the ideas of civil society behind the upcoming European Act on Artistic Freedom (EAFA).
Video recordings of panel discussions from the first year of the conference will be gradually uploaded to our YouTube channel - youtube.com/@otvorenakultura
The organizer is the citizen platform Otvorená Kultúra! and Antenna - a network for independent culture in cooperation with the Wiener Festwochen and other important international partners such as the United Nations, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Culture Action Europe, Resistance Now! Together, European Theater Convention, Opera Europa, PEARLE and others.
The conference was supported by the Open Society Foundation, Slovenská Sporiteľňa, VIVA EVENTS and beetle production.
PROGRAMME
19. 5. 2026
Topic: Culture Recovery and Resilience Plan (POOK)
9:00 – 12:00 / for registered users only
The morning program will be held in working groups for pre-registered participants. The topics will be based on the Cultural Recovery and Resilience Plan (CRP) document and the outputs of the working groups will be included in the comments to the document. We will start registration in the next few weeks on the page https://platformaok.sk/konferencia
13:30 – 13:40 / opening
Matej Drlička (Open Culture!)
13:40 – 14:00 / presentation
Culture renewal and resilience plan – strategic shift of the platform Open Culture!
Ivana Laučíková (Open Culture!)
Mária Beňačková Rišková (Open Culture!)
14:00 – 14:20 / presentation
współKongres Kultury 2024
Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska (Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland)
break
14:30 – 15:45 / panel discussion
Reforms and steps from POOK – views of local self-government
representatives of umbrella self-governing organizations: SK8, Association of Cities and Towns of Slovakia, Union of Slovakia
(The panel is organized in cooperation with Antén – a network for independent culture.)
break
16:00 – 17:30 / panel discussion
Reforms and steps from POOK – views of state policy
representatives of political parties
17:30 – 18:00 / presentation
Formation of cultural policies in the EU: Ironic position and power of the sector
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
20. 5. 2026
Topic: European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA)
13:30 – 13:40 / opening
Resistance Now! Together: from the Bratislava Declaration to the European Act on Artistic Freedom
Milo Rau (artistic director of Wiener Festwochen)
13:40 – 14:00 / presentation
Trends and directions of artistic freedom in Europe
Sanjay Sethi (co-director of the Artistic Freedom Initiative)
14:00 – 15:00 / panel discussion
Why we need a European law on artistic freedom
Karen Stone (Executive Director of Opera Europa)
Amy Pradell (Chief Strategist for Communication and Advocacy, European Theater Convention)
László Upor (Freeszfe Egyesület)
break
15:20 – 16:20 / panel discussion
The creation of the European Law on Artistic Freedom
Alexandra Xanthaki (UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights)
Kersty McCourt (Artistic Freedom Initiative)
Katarína Batková (executive director of VIA IURIS)
Sanjay Sethi (co-director of Artistic Freedom Initiative)
break
16:30 – 16:50 / presentation
Protecting artistic freedom in Europe: A new cultural contract between civil society and legislators
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
16:50 – 18:00 / panel discussion
Cooperation between international professional organizations, the European Commission and the European Parliament
Lars Ebert (General Secretary of Culture Action Europe)
Peter Stano (Head of the Representation of the European Commission on Slovakia)
TBD
___
ENGLISH
Open Culture! International Conference 2026
May 19 – 20, Stará Tržnica, Bratislava
https://platformaok.sk/conference
Building on the outcomes of the inaugural 2025 edition, the Open Culture! The International Conference has evolved from a national milestone into a growing platform for European exchange. Last year's edition was the first civil society-led gathering on cultural policy in Slovakia. It catalyzed a bottom-up dialogue within the cultural sector and contributed to shaping European momentum around artistic freedom. Notably, it led to the adoption of the Bratislava Declaration and helped initiate discussions towards the European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA).
The 2026 edition, taking place on 19–20 May, seeks to expand this dialogue beyond Slovakia, engaging cultural actors, policymakers, and advocates across Europe to address shared challenges to artistic freedom, democratic cultural governance, and the role of culture in an increasingly contested public space. Challenges include bureaucratic encroachment on cultural institutions, politicization of arts funding, censorship, and legislative restrictions.
The program reflects a dual domestic and European perspective. The first day focuses on the domestic context, including breakout groups on the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture and panel discussions with national and regional politicians. The second day shifts to a European focus, featuring discussions on the AgoraEU program, the European Commission's recently adopted Culture Compass, and the role of civil society in shaping the European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA), which is currently under development.
Recordings of panel discussions from the first year of the conference are being uploaded to our YouTube channel – youtube.com/@otvorenakultura
The conference is organized by the Open Culture! platform and Anténa – Network for Independent Culture, in cooperation with Wiener Festwochen and other significant international partners, including United Nations, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Culture Action Europe, Resistance Now! Together, European Theater Convention, Opera Europa, PEARLE, and others. The conference is supported by Open Society Foundation, Slovenská Sporiteľňa, VIVA EVENTS and beetle production. Culture!)
13:40 – 14:00 / Presentation
Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — a strategic shift for the Open Culture! platform
Ivana Laučíková (Open Culture!)
Mária Beňačková Rišková (Open Culture!)
14:00 – 14:20 / Keynote presentation
współKongres Kultury 2024
Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska (Advisor to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland)
break
14:30 – 15:45 / Panel discussion
Reforms and proposals from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — local government perspectives
Representatives of umbrella organizations of local government: SK8, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia, Union of Cities of Slovakia (TBA)
The panel is co-organized with Antena — Network for Independent Culture
break
16:00 – 17:30 / Panel discussion
Reforms and proposals from the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Culture — national government perspectives
Representatives of opposition political parties (TBA)
17:30 – 18:00 / Keynote presentation
Shaping Cultural Policies in the EU: The ironic position and the power of the sector
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
May 20
Theme: European Artistic Freedom Act (EAFA)
13:30 – 13:40 / Opening remarks
Resistance Now! Together: From the Bratislava Declaration to the European Artistic Freedom Act. Freedom Act
Amy Pradell (Senior Strategist for Communications and Advocacy, European Theater Convention)
Karen Stone (Executive Director, Opera Europa)
László Upor (Freeszfe Association)
break
15:20 – 16:20 / Panel discussion
Towards a Future European Act on Artistic Freedom
Alexandra Xanthaki (UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights)
Kersty McCourt (EU Advisor & Artistic Freedom Initiative)
Katarína Batková (Executive Director, VIA IURIS)
Sanjay Sethi (Co-Executive Director, Artistic Freedom Initiative)
break
16:30 – 16:50 / Keynote presentation
Safeguarding Artistic Freedom in Europe: A new cultural contract between civil society and lawmakers
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
16:50 – 18:00 / Panel discussion
Cooperation between International Professional Organizations, the European Commission, and the European Parliament
Lars Ebert (Secretary General, Culture Action Europe)
Peter Stano (Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia)
TBD