SILENCE IS NOT consent.

At the end of November 2025, a Hungarian court acquitted the man who, three years earlier, had raped a fellow student in his own dormitory room at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Although the perpetrator made a confession, the university did not investigate the case and did not revoke either his student status or his dormitory room. Instead of facing repercussions, his career was able to continue uninterrupted: he participated in international exchange programs and exhibitions, and was even provided with an external studio.

News of the defendant’s acquittal triggered student protests and demonstrations starting on November 24, 2025, demanding immediate structural changes at the university. In the exhibition “Silence Means No”, organized by Bura Gallery, we reflect on the university’s attitude and communication regarding the case. In connection with the scandal—which has by now caused nationwide outrage—other abuses of power and sexual misconduct woven into the life of the institution have also surfaced. The protesting crowd expresses solidarity both with the victim of sexual violence and with those affected by harassment and other grievances that have come to light during these events. At the same time, it seeks to create a community of shared values with those who call for urgent change.

Silence Is Not creates space for works responding to this tragedy within the context of works by artists from Hungary that address violence against women, oppression, abuse of power, and, more broadly, the theme of violence and abuse. The project aims to provide a platform for collective resistance during the exhibition’s opening period—allowing voices to intertwine through the creation of a discursive space which, stepping outside institutional frameworks and leaving entrenched power structures behind, seeks through art to intervene in the situation within the horizontal sphere of a broader public.

Exhibiting artists:
Csönge Balla, Mónika Barna, Mátyás Bizzer, Julcsi Domján, Dominika Drótos, Aliz Farkas, Mirjam Gerjeni, Franci Kas, Judit Kis, Orsi Nyíri, Írisz Papp, Andrea Pálóczi, Dorottya Poór, Melitta Flóra Puskás, R., Zsuzsi Simon, Boglárka Szarka, Magdaléna Szijjártó, Lili Thury, Anna Gizella Varga, and others.

Organizers:
Bura Gallery (Clara Farkas, Nikoletta Lakatos, Norbi Oláh), Dominika Drótos, Aliz Farkas, Lili Rebeka Tóth

Supporters / special thanks:
Enikő Eged, Eszter Lappints

Graphic design: Ildi Móric
Merch graphics: Tamara Lennert
Screen printing: Réka Vörös

Venue: Bura Gallery
1085 Budapest, Kőfaragó Street 5

Opening: December 11, 2025, 7:00 PM
Dates: December 11, 2025 – January 10, 2026