Cultural Battlefield

André Wilkens is the director of the European Cultural Foundation, an organisation created after the Second World War to help heal the continent’s wounds. Under Wilkens the Foundation has stepped up grantmaking to arts and media aiming to strengthen democracy at another pivotal moment in Europe's history. Marta Keil is a serious figure in the Polish arts scene. She co-runs a performing arts institute, curates festivals, and written extensively on dance and choreography. She knows first hand the pressure on culture from the ruling Law and Justice party. Her overview begins at the Polski theatre in the city of Wrocław. She describes an epic clash between director Oliver Frljić and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński, and the steady hollowing out of the Polish museum sector.