The aim of this workshop is to discuss the connection between human rights, cultural rights, and freedom of artistic expression. It addresses the issue of the protection of artistic expression under existing international human rights instruments. The focus is put on mechanisms through which governments suppress artists’ voices by abusing legitimate grounds for restricting freedom of expression, including the protection of public morality, safety, or order. Authorities in many countries tent to routinely interfere in the sphere of arts and culture by scrutinising artistic and creative expressions and misusing different notions - such as insult of religious sentiments, public officials, or state symbols – to censor, prosecute and in other ways silence artists. The workshop includes the analysis of cases of violation of artistic freedom which exemplify repercussions against artists who challenge political elites in their country or question deeply rooted social constructs on gender, sexuality, nudity, blasphemy, etc.
Required reading
State of Artistic Freedom Report 2021, Freemuse, February 2021, Copenhagen, pp. 29-87.
https://freemuse.org/news/the-state-of-artistic-freedom-2021/
Optional
Painting the Rainbow: How LGBTI freedom of artistic expression is dined, Freemuse, December 2020, Copenhagen, pp. 41-62.
https://freemuse.org/news/lgbti-freedom-of-artistic-expression/
Creativity Wronged: How women’s right to artistic freedom is denied and marginalised, Freemuse, November 2018, Copenhagen, pp. 26-35.
https://freemuse.org/resources/creativity-wronged-how-womens-right-to-artistic-freedom-is-denied-and-marginalised/
Suppressing artistic expression through blasphemy laws, Freemuse, May 2021, Copenhagen.
https://freemuse.org/def_art_freedom/un-human-rights-office-ohchr-and-freemuses-webinar-speaking-truth-to-power-religious-or-belief-minority-artists-voice-and-protest-26-may-2021
