The advocacy report, entitled ’Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture’, includes insights from 19 Slovak cultural professionals, illustrating the real-world consequences of recent policy shifts and institutional changes.
According to the publishers Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) and Open Culture!, Slovakia's cultural institutions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to political interference, with ‘the cultural sector emerging as a key battleground for ideological control’.
The report aims to underscore the urgent need for intervention to protect democratic values and cultural pluralism. It highlights seven developments that the publishers find illustrate the systematic erosion of artistic freedom and cultural autonomy in Slovakia:
- Takeover of cultural funding institutions
- Erosion of transparency in cultural leadership
- Mass purge of ministry staff
- Politicization of cultural institutions
- Targeting of LGBTQ+ initiatives
- Escalating (self)-censorship and suppression
- Violations of international law
Presentation at international conference
The report will be presented during the Open Culture! international conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 29–30 May 2025. NEMO will participate in the conference through Alenka Černelič Krošelj, President of the Slovenian Museums Association, who will speak on behalf of NEMO. The conference aims to address political interference in the cultural sector, funding challenges, and threats to institutional independence across Europe.
Findings from the recent NEMO Barometer indicate that increased political interference and pressure on museums is happening everywhere in Europe. In line with its statement shared after the NEMO European Museum Conference 'Can we talk? Museums facing polarisation', NEMO reaffirms its support for the independence and integrity of museums. NEMO shall continue to advocate for open exchange, transparency, and the autonomy of cultural institutions.
Recent developments in the Slovak culture sector
Since the formation of Robert Fico’s populist coalition government in October 2023, a series of controversial developments have affected Slovakia's cultural sector. Notably, Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová dismissed the directors of several major cultural institutions, prompting public protests and calls for her resignation for spreading ‘Neo-Fascist Opinions’. The ARTnews article also shared that ‘Šimkovičová, a former TV presenter, has mocked refugees on social media and publicly criticized homosexuals.’
In November 2024, 177 staff members at the Slovak National Gallery threatened to quit in protest at the ministry of culture’s handling of the country’s leading art institution. At the beginning of 2025 and after three different acting directors in six months, 100 employees at the Slovak National Gallery announced that they will leave their posts in a mass resignation act, stating that ‘they cannot continue to work under the new leadership appointed by far-right Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová.’ The article also informs that ‘In January, three foreign museums ended their cooperation with the National Gallery, citing concerns about the safety of works on loan. Tatra Banka, the gallery’s largest private sponsor and part of the Raiffeisen Banking Group, ended its seven-year partnership earlier this month.’
