Agents for Change: The Contemporary Art Centres of the Soros Foundation and C3

摘要

The concept of the autonomous Soros Foundation and the subsequent development of the networked Soros Contemporary Art Centers had no recent historical precedent in Central and Eastern Europe. In the 1980s, George Soros, the American investor of Hungarian origin, proposed to establish an independent Foundation in Budapest based on Karl Popper's notion of the open society. Over the following decade the centres introduced new communication and educational tools and supported a wide variety of cultural events including exhibitions, forums, exchanges and publications. The support provided to individuals and organisations proved to be invaluable and contributed to an added visibility of the region. While the Soros Centers received criticism as well as acclaim the long-term results of cultural support by the Foundation are undeniable. This article provides a brief glimpse of the centres' history.