In late November 2025, a Hungarian court acquitted the man who, three years earlier, had raped a fellow student in his own room at the dormitory of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Although the perpetrator made a confession, the university did not investigate the case and did not strip him of either his student status or his dorm room. Instead of facing repercussions, his career continued uninterrupted; he was able to participate in foreign exchange programs and exhibitions, and was even provided with an external studio.
News of the defendant’s acquittal sparked student protests and demonstrations beginning on November 24, 2025, demanding immediate structural changes at the university.
In the Bura Gallery’s exhibition titled “Silence Is Not” we commend the university’s approach and communication regarding the case. In the wake of the scandal—which has now sparked nationwide outrage—other instances of power and sexual abuse permeating university life have come to light. The protesting crowd stands in solidarity with both the victim of sexual violence and those affected by the harassment and abuse cases that have come to light during these events, and creates a community of values with those who advocate for the urgency of change.
“Silence Is Not” provides a space, within the context of works by Hungarian artists, for pieces that reflect on tragedy and address the themes of violence against women, oppression, abuse of power, and, in a broader sense, abuse. The project aims to provide a platform for community resistance and the convergence of voices during the exhibition’s run by creating a discursive space that, stepping outside institutional frameworks and leaving entrenched power structures behind, can use art to effect change within the horizontal sphere of a broader social public.
