Blood Mountain Foundation

Mission: Blood Mountain is an independent non-profit organisation working at the intersection of contemporary art, architecture and design. Our mission is to generate fresh discourse and to encourage the production of new work. Central to our objective is the belief that culture is an agent for change and its open discourse and unrestricted practice are fundamental to the life of a participatory democracy. Through an ambitious programme of exhibitions, educational activities, public events, workshops, residencies, publications and new research and production-based projects, our mission is to attract world-class thinkers and to create new opportunities for local talent on the widest possible international platform.

Organisation: Blood Mountain is a registered charity organisation overseen by a creative director and a board of trustees. It was founded in Budapest in 2010 by Jade Niklai, Hungarian-born art historian/curator and Tom Sloan, Australian industrial designer.

Blood Mountain facilitates a public cause and at all stages makes its curatorial and managerial activities transparent. Where possible, it also seeks the opinions and contributions of the industry and the public. Central to the organisation’s mission is a commitment to securing funding outside the framework of government sponsorship. This is particularly important in the context of Hungary, where arms-length funding bodies do not exist and constitutional support for all forms of culture is overseen by the government. As a result, support for the visual arts is directly affected by political life and is often regarded as one of the first casualties of Hungary’s changing political climate.

Blood Mountain’s unique position as an independent arts organisation aims to provide the broader community with unrivalled access to fresh ideas and new talent, and to ensure Blood Mountain’s long-term future, financial stability and curatorial verve. Based in Budapest with an international board, its ambition is to present new content relevant to the local and international arts communities.

Blood Mountain is an equal opportunities organisation: matters of age, race and disability do not affect the selection of candidates for its programme, staff and board of trustees.

Venue and Name 

Blood Mountain was established in a neo-baroque villa in the Buda district of Rosehill in Budapest. The location – a Habsburg era family estate located on Vérhalom utca (Blood Mountain street), which was the site of one of the bloodiest battles during the 150-year Ottoman occupation – aptly reflects Hungary’s complex history and diverse cultural influences. The purpose of this setting was to encourage a continual dialogue between participants and the city’s broader socio-historical context. This namesake location was the headquarters of all activities between 2010 and 2012. In 2013, prompted by a growing interest in Blood Mountain’s activities, the organisation began to programme internationally and since 2014 continues to operate as a satellite organisation based in Vienna. The name is a reminder to the organisation’s continued commitment to site specificity.