This opening in-conversation session will navigate the current contexts of artistic freedom from the perspectives of two leaders with lived experiences: one is an artist, photojournalist, educator and social activist; the other a human and cultural rights advocate. They will explore how we can develop and share a common understanding of artistic freedom, while offering insights on how threats to artistic freedom evolve and the interdependencies we must consider in our response to such threats.

While the concept of artistic freedom is generally widely accepted, there continue to be deep contestations about the practical applications and how freedom is understood, exercised and protected. While threats to artistic freedom are influenced by dominant narratives and social systems that often favour those with power, whether in government, law and order, the market or society.

How do we navigate artistic freedoms when challenges remain around notions of who is an artist and what constitutes art? How do we balance the creative freedoms offered by digital tools in places where political environments threaten the right to freedom of expression? And how do we navigate the complexities, algorithms, and security of our information in cyberspace? What lessons can we learn from Indigenous Peoples who present alternate pathways to assert their identity through arts and culture and knowledge? We will hear four very different provocations on the meaning and complex dimensions of artistic freedom.

This World Café is a creative, intimate way for smaller groups within a large gathering to confront issues and consider different perspectives and understandings on the future of artistic freedom. Each group will be presented with an issue in need of future solutions and will discuss how it relates to artistic freedom, emergent trends, and challenges and opportunities. Groups will be asked to create a roadmap to artistic freedom that charts the journey from the current reality to their aspirational future, including a solutions-focused synopsis of the process. The World Café will pose eight themes, each with a presenter who will set the scene:

1. Towards Robust Legislative and Regulatory Frameworks
Katarina Renman Claesson (Sweden)
Legal researcher and lawyer, Swedish Artists’ Association

2. Ensuring Fairness and Equity Through Effective Public Investment
Paula Tuovinen (Finland)
Director, Arts Promotion Finland (Taike)

3. Preparing for the Digital Future
Ouafa Belgacem (Tunisia)
Founder and CEO, Culture Funding Watch

4. Unpacking Censorship, Cancel Culture and Erasure
Svetlana Mintcheva (USA)
Independent strategy consultant

5. Prioritising Women’s Rights
Rupa Subramaniam (Malaysia)
Creative Director, Storyteller Studio

6. Placing First Nations’ Knowledge and Systems at the Centre
Åsa Simma (Sweden)
Actor, director, dramaturgist and CEO, Sami Theatre

7. Protecting Cultural Rights for All
Basma El Husseiny (Egypt)
Founder, Action for Hope

8. Safeguarding Environmental Sustainability Amid a Climate Crisis
Alison Tickell (UK)
Founder and CEO, Julie’s Bicycle

Facilitated by two experts, this discussion workshop will explore how policy can be better used as a tool for the protection and promotion of artistic freedom. It will introduce a wide range of factors that can impact on artists’ and cultural workers’ ability to create, produce and distribute work freely, including what constitutes artistic freedom, how it is suppressed, capacity to gather data on violations, and how to monitor, advocate for and protect this right. Workshop participants will explore ideas for potential arts, cultural and creative sector policies and strategies that could meet these challenges, as well as the role state actors can and should have.

The creative processes and products created by artistic collaborations across borders promote creativity as well as intercultural understanding and cultural diplomacy. Nevertheless, there are institutionalised pressure-points within infrastructures ostensibly set up to support transnational collaborations which can undermine and compromise artists’ visions and their ability to achieve meaningful outcomes. From power dynamics created by economic inequality to different political, socio-cultural, and technological contexts and codes, transnational collaborations require sensitivity, understanding and self-awareness for purposeful and reciprocal collaborations to succeed. This panel will explore the characteristics of successful transnational collaborations, and other critical issues including the role of cultural institutions in diplomacy, agency for voices from the developing world, and processes for moving away from dominant or imposed modes to foster, fairer and more equitable exchange.

Different legal mechanisms exist at various levels – such as through international law, regional courts and national legislation – to protect artistic freedom, both in terms of civil and political rights (the freedom of expression approach) and cultural rights (the right to enjoy the arts). However, the effective implementation of these mechanisms is often in question and States frequently fail in their obligations or responsibilities to promote and protect these freedoms. What legislative and regulatory frameworks exist to enable and safeguard freedom of expression? Are they fit for purpose? Do they need to be changed and, if so, how? What role for the role of civil society in promoting the legal protection of artistic freedom?

The Nordic region is known for its democratic values. However, it now faces significant geopolitical and economic challenges that affect cultural policies, including issues related to freedom of speech and artistic expression, the arm's length principle, and the instrumentalisation of the arts. Cultural policy objectives in Nordic countries prioritise artistic freedom and freedom of expression as integral to the development of a vibrant cultural life and sustainable democracy.

They also promote cultural rights to ensure everyone can participate in cultural life with creativity, diversity, and artistic expression at the core. However, there are various challenges associated with maintaining artistic freedom in the region. People flee authoritarian countries because they cannot express themselves, while others living in democracies take the opportunity to use artistic freedom for their own undemocratic purposes, as such artistic freedom can be hijacked for purposes entirely different than intended. Is there a baseline for what a democratic society can accept being questioned under the premise of artistic freedom?

The arts often challenge the status quo in politics and can therefore be under threat from the establishment. Artists and artist-led initiatives have often embarked on very sensitive direct action to raise awareness and challenge established narratives. The Swedish artists’ movement KVADRENNALEN (a platform for contemporary art to respond to political threats) will facilitate a collaborative workshop with delegates to discuss the lessons learned from their public sensitisation work in the run-up to 2022 election in Sweden. Starting from KVADRENNALEN’s own experience, the workshop will move to an interactive space to share learnings from different global contexts on how artists have actively responded to political threats to their freedom of artistic expression. Workshop delegates are invited to bring their own experiences and collectively explore how artists and cultural workers can find creative ways of working together to challenge dominant narratives, mobilise support and mutually strengthen each other as dynamic instigators of social change.

Writers and creatives are often disproportionately impacted by the during times of repression and this impact lacks sufficient understanding or recognition. The nature of their creative expression, which is often solitary can be controversial and compounds their inability to access networks, professional organisations, and critical humanitarian assistance, particularly when needing to flee for their safety. The workshop will explore the negative aspects as well as the positive aspects of their right to mobility and how to ensure a consistent and coherent approach to artistic expression. Romana Cacchioli will open the workshop highlighting PEN’s experience of providing direct humanitarian relief assistance in Afghanistan; Samay Hamed will share personal reflections on leaving Afghanistan; and Paminder Parbha will talk about the global challenges writers face when fleeing persecution.

The various thoughts, viewpoints and reactions stimulated by Day One sessions may not have been fully heard or shared. This Open Space is a responsive space for delegates to continue the conversation, seek clarity or share learnings on the different contextual understandings of artistic freedom and how they manifest. The space will be facilitated by an experienced moderator to help identify and capture key ideas. Interested delegates can bring their topics to the session. These will also feed into the World Summit reporting.

This is a reflective space to have quiet conversations as topics emerge. It is a space for delegates to reflect on the day’s proceedings either by themselves or in small groups. Normal library etiquette will apply: no loud conversations, no use of any device that may be overheard by or distract others in the space, and no eating or drinking.