Vorsicht Demokratie!
Demokratie? Es wäre eine Illusion, wenn wir annähmen, wir hätten sie bereits, um dann entweder mit ihr zufrieden zu sein oder sie als mangelhaft zu kritisieren. Sie ist jenes Spiel der Möglichkeiten, das in noch naher Vergangenheit entstand und das wir in seiner Gänze erst noch zu entdecken haben.
Claude Lefort
Campaign
Freedom of art and science cannot be taken for granted – it requires open societies, the rule of law, and strong, transformative institutions. This is what the campaign “VORSICHT DEMOKRATIE!” (CAUTION: DEMOCRACY!) stands for, which will launch at Berlin Art Week 2025 with its first posters, institutional partners, and a kick-off event in Berlin.
In the coming months and years, the campaign will grow nationwide. It will be accompanied by events at participating institutions and public facilities, as well as discussion panels with politicians and civil society initiatives.
The campaign spans a network throughout Germany – promoting democratic institutions, connecting engaged artists, initiatives , and strengthening democracy.
The “VORSICHT DEMOKRATIE!” collaboration format was initiated by Werkstatt Der Bevölkerung and launched together with Berlin Art Week and Kulturprojekte Berlin.
News
Caution Art! Caution Democracy!
How much institutional support does freedom need? And how much constant defense does democracy need?
Sunday, September 14
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. / outdoor
Location: Berlin Art Week Garden I Hamburger Bahnhof
Invalidenstraße 50, 10557 Berlin
With Wolfgang Kaleck (lawyer, founder of ECCHR European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights e.V.), Johanna Keller (program officer at the Academy of Arts), Marina Naprushkina (artist and activist, founder of Neue Nachbarschaft/Moabit) and Klaus Staeck (publisher, graphic designer, lawyer)
Moderated by Marius Hasenheit
(Discussion in German)
How much institutional support does freedom require? And how much constant defense does democracy need? The panel discussion as part of Vorsicht Demokratie! (Caution Democracy!) focuses on the role of democratic institutions in times of global upheaval and local attacks. Between financial pressure and institutional dismantling, the question arises as to the responsibility of art, cultural institutions, and civil society.
The cooperative campaign Vorsicht Demokratie! is an art and cultural initiative within the framework of Berlin Art Week 2025 that sends a visible signal for freedom, plurality, and fundamental values of the constitutional state. Vorsicht Demokratie!
The panel is part of the launch of the nationwide campaign “Vorsicht Demokratie!” during Berlin Art Week 2025 — a collaborative initiative of Werkstatt Der Bevölkerung in collaboration with Berlin Art Week | Kulturprojekte Berlin.
Artists & Institutions
Art and cultural institutions, along with the artists they invite, present themselves together as part of this cooperative campaign. All created contributions are available to partners within the growing cooperative network. The goal is to promote thematically relevant and continuing project initiatives within the network and to communicate them effectively beyond that.
