Up in Arms: Art, Militarization and Complicity

Dutch defense spending is reaching unprecedented levels, as artistic freedom narrows. Alina Lupu asks whether artistic neutrality itself sustains violence. The lecture examines how the Dutch visual arts sector becomes entangled with military-industrial logics, from cultural diplomacy to exhibitions that normalize militarization. Drawing on historical precedents and current practices, it explores how visual culture can function as “art-washing” for state power. The talk also considers what forms of resistance remain possible when refusal is increasingly constrained.