Summit Report

The 9th World Summit Report offers insight into the knowledge, experience and perspectives shared by speakers and delegates on the topic of safeguarding artistic freedom at the 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture that took place in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2023. It presents a summary of the Summit discussions around the three themes: rights to artistic freedoms: understanding barriers and threats; responsibilities in artistic freedoms: creating and maximising opportunities; and the practice of artistic freedoms: inspiring tools for a vibrant future. It is available for download in English and Spanish.

Read the 9th World Summit Report in English, Spanish and Korean.

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Discussion Paper

The 9th edition of the Discussion Paper explored the Summit theme Safeguarding Artistic Freedom with the purpose to inspire delegates, to spark initial thinking around some of the complex issues surrounding artistic freedom and the ways in which we might respond.

The publication situates conversations about artistic freedom in the wider global context; and offers diverse personal and contextual accounts of artistic freedom, with a view to identifying challenges in and opportunities for its safeguarding.

The Discussion Paper included contributions from:

• Sara Whyatt (England) Lead Author
  Ms Sara Whyatt is a campaigner and researcher on freedom of artistic expression and human rights, notably as the director of PEN International’s freedom of expression programme for over 20 years and previously as the coordinator of Amnesty International’s Asia Research Department.
• Irene Agrivina (Indonesia)
  Open systems advocate, technologist, artist and educator, Ms Irene Agrivina is one of the founding members and current directors of HONF, the Yogyakarta-based arts, science and technology laboratory. Created in 1998, HONF aka the 'House of Natural Fiber' was born out of the social and political turmoil against the nepotism and corruption of the Suharto regime.
• Basma El Husseiny (Egypt)
  Ms Basma El Husseiny is a cultural manager, an activist for social change and a defender of cultural rights. For the past 30 years, Ms El Husseiny has been involved in supporting independent cultural projects and organisations in the Arab region.
• Katalin Krasznahorkai (Germany)
  Dr Katalin Krasznahorkai, a Gerda-Henkel Senior Researcher at the University of Zurich, is a Berlin-based art historian, author and curator. In her research and curatorial work, she analyses diverse aspects of artistic freedom.
• Letila Mitchell (Fiji)
  Ms Letila Mitchell is a practising multimedia and performance artist. She is the Artistic Director for RakoPasefika, an indigenous Oceanic creative company working with artists from around Oceania.
• Roxana Miranda Rupailaf (Chile)
  Ms Roxana Miranda Rupailaf is a Mapuche-Huilliche poet. She is a lecturer of Spanish Language and Communication at the Universidad de Los Lagos, Chile. She holds a master's degree in Contemporary Hispanic-American Literature from the Universidad Austral.
• Maria Lind (Sweden)
  Ms Maria Lind is a curator, art writer and educator. In 2016, she was the Artistic Director for the eleventh Gwangju Bienniale, Gwangju, and in 2019 co-curator of The Art Encounters Biennial in Timisoara. She was Director of Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm (2011-2018); Director of the Graduate Program at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (2008-2010) and Director of Iaspis (International Artist Studio Programme in Sweden), Stockholm (2005-2007).
• Patrick Sam (Namibia)
  Mr Patrick Sam is a Namibian thought leader, born and raised in a marginalised community in the capital, Windhoek. He is the chairperson of the National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN) and has been driving the transformation of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in Namibia and southern Africa.

The Discussion Paper is available in English, Spanish and French.

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Watch the launch of the Discussion Paper in English, Spanish and French.

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• Free to Create: Artistic Freedom in Europe Council of Europe report on the freedom of artistic expression, Council of Europe

• The SH|FT (Safe Havens Freedom Talks) selection at the Arts Rights Justice Library freely accessible collection of the most relevant documents about freedom of artistic expression, University of Hildesheim, Germany

• On Barriers to Freedom of Artistic Expression – The Political Climate by Andreas Wiesand (2023) report as part of the campaign, Silencing Dissent? On Barriers to Freedom of Artistic Expressions, published by the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends

• Critical Voices report on UNESCO’s instruments in the defence of freedom of expression of artists, journalists and scientific researchers, Nordic Culture Fund and Danish National Commission for UNESCO and Permanent Delegation of Denmark to UNESCO

• Art in Turmoil: Artistic Freedom and Human Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean (2022) report on the state of artistic freedom in the region, published by Artist at Risk Connection, Amnesty International and Labo Ciudadano

• Freedom of Artistic Expression in the European Union an overview of global and European normative and jurisprudential frameworks; produced by Culture Action Europe and the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament

• Artistic Freedom Initiative’s selection of resources a collection of relevant documents on artistic freedom of expression, including country-specific papers, Artistic Freedom Initiative

• Safe Haven Conference 2022 Report the report of the Safe Havens Conference (December 2022, Mexico City), produced by the Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT)

• Arm’s length principle and artistic quality a Discussion Paper connected to a/nordi/c’s Curated Conversations from June 2022, a/nordi/c

• Freedom of artistic expression a Discussion Paper that provided context and background for a curated conversation centred around the theme Artistic Freedom that took place November 2022 in Finland, a/nordi/c

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