We shot the first chapter of the “New Activists of European Culture” series in Graz, Austria, during Elevate Festival in 2018. Thanks to the partnership between Canal180 and We Are Europe we focused on conversations between activists. We didn't know exactly what to expect from it. Having the idea of more than just an interview we put two people in front of each other. People who are shaping the European culture debating the role of it in our current political climate.

Each episode is like an open stage where invited artists and activists can express their ideas, thoughts and comments on role of culture and art in today's Europe. Our first journey into the intersection of art and activism pushed our guests to share their life experiences in a snowy environment.

We were lucky enough to start off with Vasilis Tsartsanis, an activist, and Ben Frost, an artist. Tsartsanis is a greek hairdresser and occasional filmmaker, who was spurred into action in the wake of the refugee flood in his hometown – he says that helping the dislocated Syrian people was him being true to his values and humanity. Ben Frost is a musician, but with such a broad range of action that he transcends the label – Australian born Frost has lived mainly in Reykjavik for the past decade, but his interests have drawn him to places like the Democratic Republic of Congo or an American aircraft carrier engaged in the fight against ISIS. This kind of field work is no publicity stunt, rather an integral part of the work, as Frost once put it, “the result of absorption via osmosis.”

“New Activists of European Culture” is a series by Canal180 that focuses on conversations between activists from Europe. Born from partnership with We are Europe, which promotes, creates and produces 8 major European events. Their goal is to develop a prospective vision of electronic culture, technology and entrepreneurship, while contributing to new social and political developments through an interdisciplinary approach.