Artists take risks for all of us. Explore how ARC supports at-risk artists and defends artistic freedom.

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What we do

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) defends and advances the right to artistic freedom, providing practical resources and support to artists and cultural workers, so they can live and work safely, free from fear.

Protect

ARC provides direct assistance to at-risk artists and connects them with an international network of organizations and resources.

Advocate

ARC monitors, documents, and advocates for artists targeted for their creative expression, social justice efforts, or human rights work. ARC defends and promotes artistic freedom around the world.

Amplify

ARC raises awareness about the challenges facing artists and cultural workers, and leads global calls for safeguarding the right to artistic freedom through storytelling, campaigns, publications, podcasts, and events.

Artist
stories

Stories of at-risk artists from all over the world who are committed to protecting their right to freedom of expression and using their art to fight for justice.

Chad

Taigué Ahmed

Read full story

Hong Kong

Franki C.

Read full story

Nigeria

DJ Switch

Read full story

United States

Dread Scott

Read full story

China

Rahima Mahmut

Read full story

Turkey

Aslı Erdoğan

Read full story

Exhibitions

The Art of Resistance:
Contemporary Art from
Russia & Belarus

 

Curated by Vera Shengalia

 

Where we work

We work wherever artists face danger or repression, collaborating with local and international partners to ensure that no creative voice is silenced, regardless of geography or circumstances.

Africa

Latin America & The Caribbean

Asia & The Pacific

Middle East & North Africa

Europe

North America

INSTAGRAM FEED

⏰🔥 Only 2 DAYS LEFT to apply to ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship!

Don’t miss the chance to receive support to advance your practice, connect with fellow artists in the diaspora, and strengthen your career through professional guidance and tailored resources.

Submit your application through our website:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/

#ResilienceFellowship #CubanArt #CubanMigrantArtists #LastDays

⏰🔥 Only 2 DAYS LEFT to apply to ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship!

Don’t miss the chance to receive support to advance your practice, connect with fellow artists in the diaspora, and strengthen your career through professional guidance and tailored resources.

Submit your application through our website:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/

#ResilienceFellowship #CubanArt #CubanMigrantArtists #LastDays
...

“I didn’t plan to become an activist… The artistic products are tools to push for changing laws.” — Zeina Daccache (@zeinadaccachelebanon)

Lebanese drama therapist and filmmaker Zeina Daccache uses theater inside prisons to help incarcerated people reclaim their voices—and to advocate for legal reform. Her work has contributed to concrete changes in Lebanese law, proving that art can be a powerful force for justice.

Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/zeina-daccache/ 

Image courtesy of the artist.

#ZeinaDaccache #ArtistSpotlight #ArtForJustice #CreativeFreedom

“I didn’t plan to become an activist… The artistic products are tools to push for changing laws.” — Zeina Daccache (@zeinadaccachelebanon)

Lebanese drama therapist and filmmaker Zeina Daccache uses theater inside prisons to help incarcerated people reclaim their voices—and to advocate for legal reform. Her work has contributed to concrete changes in Lebanese law, proving that art can be a powerful force for justice.

Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/zeina-daccache/

Image courtesy of the artist.

#ZeinaDaccache #ArtistSpotlight #ArtForJustice #CreativeFreedom
...

What does it mean to be free today as an artist or cultural worker in Europe?

Earlier this month, at the Forum Europe Créative 2025, our roundtable “Être libre : garantir les libertés artistiques et culturelles en Europe” brought together public institutions, European policymakers, researchers, civil society, and media leaders to unpack one urgent question: how do we protect artistic freedom in a rapidly shifting democratic landscape? 

🎤 With contributions from:

- Paul Rechter, Ministère de la Culture (France) 

- Catherine Magnant, European Commission (europeancommission)

- Sophie Valais, European Audiovisual Observatory - Observatoire européen de l'audiovisuel (@europeanaudiovisualobservatory)

- Laurent Bigarella, Reset! / Arty Farty (@reset_network/ @arty.farty.eu)

- Thibaut Bruttin, Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders / RSF (@rsfinternational)

Moderated by Julie Trébault, ARC Executive Director, the discussion highlighted a shared conclusion: protecting artistic freedom is not a luxury, but a democratic imperative.
Thank you to Relais Culture Europe for hosting this vital conversation, and to all participants for their clarity, courage, and commitment. 

Learn more about our participation:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/.../arc-forum-europe.../

#ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #CultureAndDemocracy #EuropeCreative #CulturePolicy #ForumEuropeCréative

What does it mean to be free today as an artist or cultural worker in Europe?

Earlier this month, at the Forum Europe Créative 2025, our roundtable “Être libre : garantir les libertés artistiques et culturelles en Europe” brought together public institutions, European policymakers, researchers, civil society, and media leaders to unpack one urgent question: how do we protect artistic freedom in a rapidly shifting democratic landscape?

🎤 With contributions from:

- Paul Rechter, Ministère de la Culture (France)

- Catherine Magnant, European Commission (europeancommission)

- Sophie Valais, European Audiovisual Observatory - Observatoire européen de l`audiovisuel (@europeanaudiovisualobservatory)

- Laurent Bigarella, Reset! / Arty Farty (@reset_network/ @arty.farty.eu)

- Thibaut Bruttin, Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders / RSF (@rsfinternational)

Moderated by Julie Trébault, ARC Executive Director, the discussion highlighted a shared conclusion: protecting artistic freedom is not a luxury, but a democratic imperative.
Thank you to Relais Culture Europe for hosting this vital conversation, and to all participants for their clarity, courage, and commitment.

Learn more about our participation:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/.../arc-forum-europe.../

#ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #CultureAndDemocracy #EuropeCreative #CulturePolicy #ForumEuropeCréative
...

🚨 ARC condemns the violent arrest of Iranian artists and human rights defenders.

Earlier today, photographer Aliyeh Motalebzadeh, visual artist & activist Sepideh Gholian, and writer Abolfazl Abri were violently detained at a peaceful memorial in Mashhad honoring human rights lawyer Khosro Alikordi, whose death in custody has raised widespread concern.

They were arrested alongside many others, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. 

⚖️ ARC calls for their immediate and unconditional release. 

🎨✍🏽Artists in Iran continue to face intimidation, censorship, and state violence simply for creating, speaking, and resisting. 

🌍 Artistic freedom is a human right. 

📸 Image credit: @centerforhumanrights (CHRI) 

#standwithartists #iran #artisticfreedom #humanrightsviolations #freethemall #StopRepression #iranprotests #womenlifefreedom #artisresistance 

@peninternational @amnesty @article19org @hrf @penamerica @humanrightswatch @hyperallergic @guardian

🚨 ARC condemns the violent arrest of Iranian artists and human rights defenders.

Earlier today, photographer Aliyeh Motalebzadeh, visual artist & activist Sepideh Gholian, and writer Abolfazl Abri were violently detained at a peaceful memorial in Mashhad honoring human rights lawyer Khosro Alikordi, whose death in custody has raised widespread concern.

They were arrested alongside many others, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.

⚖️ ARC calls for their immediate and unconditional release.

🎨✍🏽Artists in Iran continue to face intimidation, censorship, and state violence simply for creating, speaking, and resisting.

🌍 Artistic freedom is a human right.

📸 Image credit: @centerforhumanrights (CHRI)

#standwithartists #iran #artisticfreedom #humanrightsviolations #freethemall #StopRepression #iranprotests #womenlifefreedom #artisresistance

@peninternational @amnesty @article19org @hrf @penamerica @humanrightswatch @hyperallergic @guardian
...

“For me, art cannot be separated from life. There was art in everything my people did.” — Yacunã Tuxá

Yacunã Tuxá is an Indigenous illustrator and visual artist from the Tuxá people of Bahia, Brazil. Her work blends ancestral memory, identity, land, and the strength of Indigenous women into vibrant contemporary forms.

Rooted in the stories and experiences of her community, Yacunã’s illustrations reclaim narratives long erased by displacement and colonial violence. Through color, symbolism, and attention to embodiment and territory, she creates images that honor Indigenous memory while resisting ongoing attempts to silence it.

🔗 Learn more about her work and story:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/yacuna-tuxa/

Image: “Corpo Canoa,” image courtesy of the artist.

#YacunaTuxa #IndigenousArt #ArtistSpotlight

“For me, art cannot be separated from life. There was art in everything my people did.” — Yacunã Tuxá

Yacunã Tuxá is an Indigenous illustrator and visual artist from the Tuxá people of Bahia, Brazil. Her work blends ancestral memory, identity, land, and the strength of Indigenous women into vibrant contemporary forms.

Rooted in the stories and experiences of her community, Yacunã’s illustrations reclaim narratives long erased by displacement and colonial violence. Through color, symbolism, and attention to embodiment and territory, she creates images that honor Indigenous memory while resisting ongoing attempts to silence it.

🔗 Learn more about her work and story:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/yacuna-tuxa/

Image: “Corpo Canoa,” image courtesy of the artist.

#YacunaTuxa #IndigenousArt #ArtistSpotlight
...

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