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Cathy Haynes can tell you what a marigold does at noon. She can tell you which stage of twilight makes it too dark to read but not yet dark enough to light a candle, and she can tell you, because her father told her,… more ›
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The censorship of a play does not always begin with a ban. “Sometimes the script changes before rehearsal”, one performing arts respondent says in Understanding the Impact of Self-Censorship among Artists and Cultural Workers in Malaysia, “not because we want to, but because we… more ›
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The world is better, and more complex, when artists can speak in their own terms. But in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2025, expression about Palestine increasingly became a pressure point for artistic freedom. Under scrutiny, the space for artistic expression depends less… more ›
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In Tbilisi, exhibitions are closing. The organisations that funded them are shutting down. Artists are leaving. The dismantling of Georgia’s cultural life has come gradually, and it is not finished. Lali Pertenava watches it from the inside. A curator, researcher, founder of the… more ›
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In Chengdu, in southwest China, in late 2022, people gathered on a street by a river. Most wearing masks and dark clothing. Candles were lit. Blank sheets of A4 paper were out. Held at chest height. Raised overhead… The kind you might tear… more ›
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Billboard ads, socks, plates, even kickboxing: are these really matters of artistic freedom? The boundary is more blurred than it seems. What is clear is that threats to creative expression rarely arrive in clean, visible lines. They move quietly. Under-reported incidents. Weak reporting systems. People… more ›
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Imagine a smart, cheeky report with a playful visual language. Nothing like the typical output of human-rights groups. But, its harmless-looking cover, belies its contents. Koalisi Seni, an Indonesian advocacy group for artistic freedom, has just released Cerita Lama Berulang Kembali (Same Old, Same Old). Inside:… more ›
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Slovenian artist Maja Smrekar is suing the right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), for misusing her work – a performance in which she breastfed her puppy – during a referendum campaign on pension reforms. In a video interview from her studio in Ljubljana, she speaks with… more ›
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“In 1955, a secret unit, the Information Research Department (IRD) of the UK Foreign Office (FO) began delivery of Bellman Books around the world. However, there is no detailed research on this book series. This chapter examines Bellman Books as a form of cultural diplomacy… more ›
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In Türkiye today, there is deep anxiety. The media is widely distrusted by many, while the political environment grows more oppressive for those who question the government. All of this has been unfolding against the backdrop of a troubled economy – after peaking… more ›