knowledge transfer from Nordic countries` experts to Romania`s & Republica Moldova`s cultural practitioners
Nordic Insights: Addressing Cancel Culture in Public Spaces
Through virtual collaboration, we’ll develop innovative strategies for recontextualizing controversial public art. The project emphasizes study cases, virtual roundtables, professional interviews, a digital platform and a research to foster dialogue and intercultural understanding on cultural memory and public spaces.
The project places emphasis on cancel culture issues, at the intersection of public art, cultural memory, and contemporary artistic practices.
The project inherently promotes a cultural exchange between the Nordic countries and Romania & Republica Moldova, bringing together diverse perspectives and thus contributing to a larger conversation about cancel culture and its implications for art and society.
With the support of The Nordic Culture Fund – Globus Opstart+
Through virtual collaboration, the project will develop innovative strategies for recontextualizing controversial public art.
The Nordic Culture Fund, through its Globus Opstart+ programme, supports artistic and cultural projects that connect Nordic countries with other regions of the world. The programme focuses on establishing deep, long-term collaborations and networks that foster artistic development and experimentation. It encourages projects that explore new knowledge and strengthen cultural practices within a global framework.
project news
Monuments as Mirrors: Reflecting Democracy’s Health
Discussion format: online roundtable bringing together Nordic and Eastern European perspectives on public art in politically sensitive contexts Project: ”Nordic Insights”Participants: Niels Righolt (Director, Danish Center for Arts and Interculture, Copenhagen)...
virtual working roundtables
online sessions for knowledge exchange
knowledge transfer interviews
online interviews with Nordic experts on case studies and concepts
collaborative study of monument controversies in Nordic countries and Romania & R. Moldova
research on frameworks for balancing historical preservation with contemporary values, to be published digitally and print on demand
action plan development
collaborative creation of strategies for Romanian & Moldavian professionals based on Nordic insights
Research
The research would explore the complex relationship between public monuments and societal values, examining how art reflects and shapes cultural priorities across different time periods. Through investigation of Nordic countries’ approaches to controversial monuments, the study would analyze various artistic interventions. This multi-layered examination would aim to develop frameworks that balance historical preservation with contemporary values while providing practical guidelines for cultural practitioners and institutions engaged in monument recontextualization.
Roundtables discussions
comparative approaches
- examining cultural geography differences between Nordic and Eastern European approaches to public memory
possible artistic interventions
- contemporary artistic practices in monument recontextualization
- temporary vs. permanent interventions
community engagement
- methods for facilitating inclusive public dialogue
- balancing different stakeholder perspectives
first roundtable
Niels Righolt, cultural facilitator, provided the broader Nordic context, explaining how “cancel culture” in public spaces refers to challenging, removing, or recontextualizing public symbols that seem to conflict with contemporary values.
Hanna Granlund (heritage expert) began by explaining the historical evolution of public monuments in Sweden, emphasizing that contemporary controversies have their roots in a lengthy nationalization process that began in the 17th century.
Cezar Buiumaci (historian) offered a “journey through the history of public monuments” in Romania, demonstrating how different political regimes – from foreign occupation to communism and post-communism – shaped the country’s monumental landscape.
Host: Oana Nasui, cultural researcher
second roundtable
Niels Righolt (Director, Danish Center for Arts and Interculture, Copenhagen) facilitated a conversation between Sergiu Musteață (Historian & Professor, Pedagogical State University, Chișinău, Moldova; Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova) and Alba Baeza (Curator, Public Art Agency Sweden).
Sergiu described Moldova’s ongoing struggle with Soviet heritage, where identity debates, geopolitical pressures, and rushed political decisions complicate monument removal and preservation. The Pushkin monument case exemplified these tensions—a 19th-century poet’s statue becoming a flashpoint after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In contrast, Alba presented Sweden’s Public Art Agency model, where decade-long commissioning processes, artist-led development, and institutional trust create deliberate, quality-focused outcomes. Both experts advocated for professional documentation, community dialogue, and “memory museums” as alternatives to erasure, while acknowledging that Moldova’s crisis-driven reality and Sweden’s stable democracy require fundamentally different approaches.
The conversation revealed that monument debates aren’t problems to solve but ongoing negotiations about identity, memory, and belonging, where how societies handle contested heritage ultimately reflects their democratic vitality and capacity for institutional trust.
Host: Oana Nasui, cultural researcher
This interdisciplinary lens wants to move beyond traditional academic or political approaches, fostering creative, culturally sensitive solutions.
aim
By analyzing the aesthetic and cultural implications of cancel culture issues related to public monuments, the research can deepen understanding of how art shapes and reflects societal priorities, in different periods of time.
Adressing particular issues of cancel culture
targeting professionals working in Romania and Republica Moldova
At its core, the project examines how art can mediate complex conversations about public monuments, bringing together experts and practitioners in a series of virtual exchanges. Through structured knowledge sharing – including expert interviews, digital library, and collaborative roundtables – participants explore methods for monument reinterpretation. The project emphasizes interventions as tools for community engagement, while developing practical guidelines for cultural institutions and / or experts navigating historical preservation in contemporary contexts. This cross-cultural dialogue aims to establish lasting professional connections and create adaptable models for addressing cultural memory in public spaces.
Experts
content
Niels Righolt, artistic director, producer and curator, cultural developer, director CKI – Centre for Kunst og Interkultur Denmark – roundtable facilitator
Iwona Preis, director at Intercult and Governing Chair of Smart Coop Sweden, president of the European network River – Cities Platform Foundation Sweden – interview
Hanna Granlund, historian, heritage studies expert, project coordinator Intercult, Sweden – roundtable, research
Giulia Gotti, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) Latvia – research
Alba Baeza, Public Art Agency Sweden – roundtable
Cezar Buiumaci, historian, researcher in architectural heritage and public monuments – roundtable
Sergiu Musteata, historian from the Republic of Moldova and Dean of History and Geography Faculty, “Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University – roundtable
Burak Sayin, policy impact researcher and R&D consultant on urban innovation, culture and creativity Sweden – research
management
Oana Costinaș – communication RO
Elena Nofit – communication RM
Cristi Farcaș & Ciprian Voicu – technical
Oana Nasui – project manager & action plan coordinator
Partners
Center for Kunst o& Interkultur is a Danish organization dedicated to audience development, promoting interculturality, and supporting cultural democracy. The center’s activity focuses on creating methods and projects that strengthen intercultural competencies, placing the user at the center of all initiatives. CKI collaborates strategically with cultural institutions and decision-makers to facilitate access for existing audiences and attract new ones, with an approach anchored at local, national, and international levels. The organization’s fundamental values are based on the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, reflecting the center’s commitment to an inclusive and participatory cultural environment for all.
Intercult is an independent production and resource organization based in Stockholm, operating in Sweden and Europe since 1996 as an initiator of collaborative cultural projects and developer of intercultural competencies. The organization serves as a European Resource Centre for Culture, providing support to cultural actors in international cooperation and accessing EU funds, with a focus on developing cultural competencies for social purposes. Through international collaborations in areas such as cultural heritage, climate change, and performing arts, Intercult connects local and international artists, believing they can function as a bridge between communities and decision-makers, generating significant changes through interdisciplinary and cross-border approaches.
Resources
These resources provide valuable context for understanding our methodology and the diverse perspectives we’re bringing together from across the Nordic, Baltic, Romanian, and Moldovan cultural landscapes.
