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
Post-monuments: when art takes responsibility for history
Context This knowledge transfer conversation, within the project “Nordic Insights: addressing cancel culture in public spaces through artistic dialogue and cultural innovation”, features Rebecka Katz Thor, researcher and head of museum development at the Swedish...
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
understanding contested heritage
- how political regimes shaped monumental landscapes from 17th century to post-communism
- “cancel culture” in public spaces: challenging, removing, or recontextualizing symbols
- identity debates and geopolitical pressures in monument decisions
- crisis-driven contexts vs. stable democratic approaches
artistic methodologies
- the “pinball method” (Jonas Dahlberg): non-linear, listening-based project development
- double ontology: interventions functioning simultaneously as art, architecture, social action
- temporary vs. permanent interventions
- “memory museums” and documentation as alternatives to erasure
- decade-long commissioning processes vs. rapid political decisions
community and policy
- working with multiple “publics” rather than one homogeneous public
- “digging where you stand”: deep engagement with immediate contexts
- sustained grassroots pressure and participatory design
- trust between citizens, authorities, and cultural practitioners
- balancing artistic languages with institutional navigation
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
third roundtable
The third virtual roundtable of the Nordic Insights project brought together cultural practitioners from Romania, Republica Moldova, and the Nordic countries to explore how artistic interventions can transform contested public spaces.
Oana Nasui, cultural researcher, Formare Culturala, host
Niels Righolt, cultural developer, cultural facilitator, director CKI – The Danish Centre for Arts and Interculture
Jonas Dahlberg, artist and professor at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, director Of Public Interest (OPI)
Laura Panait, urban anthropologist and community developer
Facilitated by Niels Righolt from the Danish Centre for Arts and Interculture, the session featured two complementary perspectives: Jonas Dahlberg’s conceptual framework developed through high-profile memorial commissions in Scandinavia, and Laura Panait’s seven-year community engagement project in Cluj-Napoca.
Knowledge transfer interviews
”Artists as megaphones”: transforming contested heritage through community engagement
In this insightful knowledge transfer interview for the Nordic Insights project, Oana Nasui, cultural researcher, explores with Iwona Preis, Director at Intercult & Governing Chair of Smart Coop Sweden how Nordic approaches to contested heritage can inform strategies for Romania and Republica Moldova. Oana introduces a key concept that Iwona articulated in their earlier conversations: artists acting as “megaphones” for communities, amplifying marginalized voices in urban planning debates that would otherwise exclude them.
How cities remember: transforming public spaces through community and memory work
This conversation features Robert Nilsson Mohammadi, Associate Senior Lecturer at Malmö University and theme leader for Urban Humanities at the Institute for Urban Research, in dialogue with Oana Nasui, a cultural researcher. Their discussion explores contested heritage, public monuments, anti-racist memory work, and the complexities of community-based artistic interventions in public spaces.
Keeping difficulty visible: why contested monuments should spark dialogue, not consensus
This knowledge transfer conversation features Olga Zabalueva, Associate Professor in Museology at Umea University with studies in Moscow and a master’s degree from Lund, in dialogue with Oana Nasui, a cultural researcher. Their discussion explores how museum approaches to difficult heritage can inform strategies for contested monuments in public spaces, with particular focus on memory frameworks and museum activism.
Temporary monuments, permanent questions: curatorial strategies for contested heritage
This knowledge transfer conversation, within the project ”Nordic Insights: addressing cancel culture in public spaces through artistic dialogue and cultural innovation”, features Lisa Rosendahl, Associate Professor of Exhibition Studies at Oslo National Academy of the Arts and curator of Gothenburg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (2019 and 2021), in dialogue with Oana Nasui, a cultural researcher. Their discussion explores curatorial strategies for addressing contested monuments and colonial heritage, the role of artists as mediators, and the potential of temporary exhibitions versus permanent monuments.
Post-monuments: when art takes responsibility for history
This knowledge transfer conversation, within the project “Nordic Insights: addressing cancel culture in public spaces through artistic dialogue and cultural innovation”, features Rebecka Katz Thor, researcher and associate professor at Linköping University, head of museum development at the Swedish Holocaust Museum, and former editor at Public Art Agency Sweden, in dialogue with Oana Nasui, a cultural researcher. Their discussion explores the concept of post-monuments — a framework for understanding contemporary monuments that address difficult heritage — the difference between public art and monuments, the participatory processes behind two recent Swedish monuments, and contested monuments as starting points rather than closures.
Action plan
”Managing Contested Public Art: From Conflict to Conversation” is a practical toolkit for anyone dealing with contested monuments and public art — from cultural operators and local authorities to educators and community activists. Built on the core principle “Don’t erase, overlap”, it offers a four-phase methodology (MIRROR, MEGAPHONE, DIALOGUE, LEGACY), three specialized toolkits, and over 40 case studies from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Romania and the Republic of Moldova, proposing recontextualization over demolition as a path for transforming social tension into cultural capital.
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
Lisa Rosendahl – Professor of Exhibition Studies, Oslo National Academy of the Arts – interview
Robert Nilsson Mohammadi – Associate Senior Lecturer, Malmö University, specializing in history and cultural memory, focusing on monuments, public art, urban spaces, and participatory knowledge production – interview
Rebecka Thor, cultural policy expert and curator with extensive experience in public art and cultural rights – interview
Olga Zabalueva, Associate Professor in Museology at Umea University – interview
Hanna Granlund, historian, heritage studies expert, project coordinator Intercult, Sweden – roundtable, research
Alba Baeza, curator, Public Art Agency Sweden – roundtable. research
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
Jonas Dahlberg, artist and professor at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, founding director of the interdisciplinary studio Of Public Interest (OPI) – roundtable
Laura Panait, urban anthropologist and community developer – action plan
Burak Sayin, policy impact researcher and R&D consultant on urban innovation, culture and creativity Sweden, PHD student at Lund University – research
Giulia Gotti, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) Latvia – research
management
Oana Nasui – project manager & action plan coordinator
Diana Ioniță – management assistant
Oana Costinaș – communication RO
Elena Nofit – communication RM
Cristi Farcaș & Ciprian Voicu – technical
Laura Panait – action plan consultant
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.
