What we do
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection 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.
Featured news from ARC
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.
Colombia
Colectiva Mujeres Muralistas
Senegal
Didier Awadi
Afghanistan
Zahra Abrahimi
Vietnam
Mai Khoi
Chad
Taigué Ahmed
Hong Kong
Franki C.
Where we work
We support artists wherever they face danger or repression, working with more than 400 local and international partner organizations 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
Museums are not neutral spaces. They shape how societies remember, question, and imagine.
On #InternationalMuseumDay, ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault shares why cultural institutions have a responsibility to defend freedom of expression and historical memory in moments of growing censorship and political pressure.
“Protecting culture also means protecting the freedom to learn, to remember, and to imagine otherwise.”
@aamersofficial @icomofficiel
#Museums #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CultureMatters #MuseumCommunity #HumanRights #ArtAndActivism #FreedomAndMemory #HistoryMatters #MuseumsMatter #PreserveHistory
Museums are not neutral spaces. They shape how societies remember, question, and imagine.
On #InternationalMuseumDay, ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault shares why cultural institutions have a responsibility to defend freedom of expression and historical memory in moments of growing censorship and political pressure.
“Protecting culture also means protecting the freedom to learn, to remember, and to imagine otherwise.”
@aamersofficial @icomofficiel
#Museums #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CultureMatters #MuseumCommunity #HumanRights #ArtAndActivism #FreedomAndMemory #HistoryMatters #MuseumsMatter #PreserveHistory
Scenes from Frieze New York 2026. 🗽(@friezeofficial)
From emerging artists to works engaging questions of identity, displacement, resistance, and cultural memory, this year’s fair reflects many of the urgent conversations shaping contemporary art today.
At a moment of growing political and social uncertainty globally, spaces like Frieze continue to highlight how artists are helping communities process history, challenge dominant narratives, and imagine new possibilities.
Frieze New York is on view May 13–17 at The Shed.
#FriezeNewYork #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ArtisticFreedom #ContemporaryArt #CreativeFreedom
Scenes from Frieze New York 2026. 🗽(@friezeofficial)
From emerging artists to works engaging questions of identity, displacement, resistance, and cultural memory, this year’s fair reflects many of the urgent conversations shaping contemporary art today.
At a moment of growing political and social uncertainty globally, spaces like Frieze continue to highlight how artists are helping communities process history, challenge dominant narratives, and imagine new possibilities.
Frieze New York is on view May 13–17 at The Shed.
#FriezeNewYork #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ArtisticFreedom #ContemporaryArt #CreativeFreedom
79% of cultural professionals see AI as a threat to their livelihoods.
At the same time, access, infrastructure, and regulatory power remain deeply unequal. While countries in the Global North shape policies and platforms, many in the Global South are left navigating systems they did not design.
As artificial intelligence reshapes how culture is created, distributed, and monetized, the question is not only technological. It is about power, participation, and protection.
Who gets to define the future of culture?
And who is left out of that conversation?
At ARC, we see this as a cultural rights issue. International advocacy is essential to ensure artists are not only visible, but protected.
Read the full article by Viviana Rangel from La Silla Vacia (@lasillavaciaoficial) in the link in bio.
What does fair cultural governance look like to you?
***********
El 79% de los profesionales de la cultura percibe la inteligencia artificial como una amenaza para sus medios de vida.
Al mismo tiempo, el acceso, la infraestructura y el poder regulatorio siguen siendo profundamente desiguales. Mientras algunos países definen políticas y plataformas, muchos otros enfrentan sistemas que no diseñaron.
A medida que la inteligencia artificial transforma cómo se crea, distribuye y monetiza la cultura, la pregunta no es solo tecnológica. Es una cuestión de poder, participación y protección.
¿Quién define el futuro de la cultura
y quién queda fuera de esa conversación?
En ARC, entendemos esto como una cuestión de derechos culturales. La incidencia internacional es clave para que los artistas no solo sean visibles, sino protegidos.
Lee el artículo completo de Viviana Rangel en el enlace de la bio.
¿Qué significa para ti una gobernanza cultural justa?
#CreativeFreedom #CulturalRights #AIandCulture #GlobalSouth #ArtAndPower #FreedomOfExpression #InternationalAdvocacy
79% of cultural professionals see AI as a threat to their livelihoods.
At the same time, access, infrastructure, and regulatory power remain deeply unequal. While countries in the Global North shape policies and platforms, many in the Global South are left navigating systems they did not design.
As artificial intelligence reshapes how culture is created, distributed, and monetized, the question is not only technological. It is about power, participation, and protection.
Who gets to define the future of culture?
And who is left out of that conversation?
At ARC, we see this as a cultural rights issue. International advocacy is essential to ensure artists are not only visible, but protected.
Read the full article by Viviana Rangel from La Silla Vacia (@lasillavaciaoficial) in the link in bio.
What does fair cultural governance look like to you?
***********
El 79% de los profesionales de la cultura percibe la inteligencia artificial como una amenaza para sus medios de vida.
Al mismo tiempo, el acceso, la infraestructura y el poder regulatorio siguen siendo profundamente desiguales. Mientras algunos países definen políticas y plataformas, muchos otros enfrentan sistemas que no diseñaron.
A medida que la inteligencia artificial transforma cómo se crea, distribuye y monetiza la cultura, la pregunta no es solo tecnológica. Es una cuestión de poder, participación y protección.
¿Quién define el futuro de la cultura
y quién queda fuera de esa conversación?
En ARC, entendemos esto como una cuestión de derechos culturales. La incidencia internacional es clave para que los artistas no solo sean visibles, sino protegidos.
Lee el artículo completo de Viviana Rangel en el enlace de la bio.
¿Qué significa para ti una gobernanza cultural justa?
#CreativeFreedom #CulturalRights #AIandCulture #GlobalSouth #ArtAndPower #FreedomOfExpression #InternationalAdvocacy
🧵 Join us on May 15 for “Artists at Risk,” a special session of Solidarity Loom: Weaving a Global Network of Engaged Creatives in a World of Rising Authoritarianism. (@impactartorg)
As threats to artistic freedom continue to grow worldwide, this conversation brings together artists, advocates, cultural workers, and philanthropy leaders to discuss what protection, solidarity, and collective action can look like in practice.
🎤 Featuring:
• Julie Trébault - ARC - Artists at Risk Connection
• alvin starks - Borealis Philanthropy (@thealvinstarks)
• Tania Bruguera - internationally renowned artist& activist (@taniabruguera)
• Majed Sawalha - The Palestinian House of Friendship
Facilitated by William Chalmus.
💬 The session will include an exclusive audience Q&A and shared discussion with leaders working directly in the fields of artistic freedom, social justice, and cultural resistance.
Whether you are an artist, organizer, educator, activist, or supporter of creative freedom, we invite you to register in advance and join the conversation.
🔗 Register through the link in bio.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #SolidarityLoom #CreativeFreedom #ArtAgainstOppression #SocialJustice #HumanRights #ArtistProtection
🧵 Join us on May 15 for “Artists at Risk,” a special session of Solidarity Loom: Weaving a Global Network of Engaged Creatives in a World of Rising Authoritarianism. (@impactartorg)
As threats to artistic freedom continue to grow worldwide, this conversation brings together artists, advocates, cultural workers, and philanthropy leaders to discuss what protection, solidarity, and collective action can look like in practice.
🎤 Featuring:
• Julie Trébault - ARC - Artists at Risk Connection
• alvin starks - Borealis Philanthropy (@thealvinstarks)
• Tania Bruguera - internationally renowned artist& activist (@taniabruguera)
• Majed Sawalha - The Palestinian House of Friendship
Facilitated by William Chalmus.
💬 The session will include an exclusive audience Q&A and shared discussion with leaders working directly in the fields of artistic freedom, social justice, and cultural resistance.
Whether you are an artist, organizer, educator, activist, or supporter of creative freedom, we invite you to register in advance and join the conversation.
🔗 Register through the link in bio.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #SolidarityLoom #CreativeFreedom #ArtAgainstOppression #SocialJustice #HumanRights #ArtistProtection
🎨 ARC está lanzando una breve encuesta para escuchar directamente a artistas cubanos viviendo en el exilio, la migración o el desplazamiento.
Sus respuestas ayudarán a dar forma a futuras oportunidades, iniciativas profesionales y programas de apoyo a largo plazo para la comunidad artística cubana. ✨
🕐 10–15 minutos
🔒 Encuesta confidencial y anónima
📅La encuesta permanecerá abierta después del 15 de mayo
💵 Las personas que respondan antes del 15 de mayo participarán en un sorteo donde una (1) persona será seleccionada para recibir un estipendio de $100 USD.
📩 Escríbenos ‘ENCUESTA’ por DM o comenta abajo para recibir el enlace de la encuesta.
🤍 Ayúdanos a llegar a más artistas cubanos compartiendo esta publicación.
Gracias por ser parte de esta comunidad. Sus voces y experiencias realmente importan.
#SOSCuba #CubanArtists #ComunidadCubano #CubanMigrants #CMARF
🎨 ARC está lanzando una breve encuesta para escuchar directamente a artistas cubanos viviendo en el exilio, la migración o el desplazamiento.
Sus respuestas ayudarán a dar forma a futuras oportunidades, iniciativas profesionales y programas de apoyo a largo plazo para la comunidad artística cubana. ✨
🕐 10–15 minutos
🔒 Encuesta confidencial y anónima
📅La encuesta permanecerá abierta después del 15 de mayo
💵 Las personas que respondan antes del 15 de mayo participarán en un sorteo donde una (1) persona será seleccionada para recibir un estipendio de $100 USD.
📩 Escríbenos ‘ENCUESTA’ por DM o comenta abajo para recibir el enlace de la encuesta.
🤍 Ayúdanos a llegar a más artistas cubanos compartiendo esta publicación.
Gracias por ser parte de esta comunidad. Sus voces y experiencias realmente importan.
#SOSCuba #CubanArtists #ComunidadCubano #CubanMigrants #CMARF
Today, May 10, is the 70th birthday of multidisciplinary artist Gao Zhen. He is spending it in detention in China.
Nearly two years after his arrest, he remains imprisoned following a one-day trial, prosecuted under a law enacted long after the artworks in question were created.
Gao Zhen, of the Gao Brothers, is being punished for his artistic expression. His works, which critically examine history and power, have been seized, and his health is now deteriorating in detention without adequate medical care.
His family continues to face severe restrictions, including being barred from leaving the country.
ARC joins a global coalition of 51 organizations calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Read the full joint letter in the link in our bio.
Art is not a crime. #FreeGaoZhen
#ArtIsNotACrime #FreedomOfExpression #ArtisticFreedom #StandWithArtists #HumanRights #GaoZhen #GaoBrothers #ArtistsAgainstCensorship #CreativeFreedom #SupportArtists
Today, May 10, is the 70th birthday of multidisciplinary artist Gao Zhen. He is spending it in detention in China.
Nearly two years after his arrest, he remains imprisoned following a one-day trial, prosecuted under a law enacted long after the artworks in question were created.
Gao Zhen, of the Gao Brothers, is being punished for his artistic expression. His works, which critically examine history and power, have been seized, and his health is now deteriorating in detention without adequate medical care.
His family continues to face severe restrictions, including being barred from leaving the country.
ARC joins a global coalition of 51 organizations calling for his immediate and unconditional release.
Read the full joint letter in the link in our bio.
Art is not a crime. #FreeGaoZhen
#ArtIsNotACrime #FreedomOfExpression #ArtisticFreedom #StandWithArtists #HumanRights #GaoZhen #GaoBrothers #ArtistsAgainstCensorship #CreativeFreedom #SupportArtists
We’re deeply grateful to Frame Contemporary Art Finland (@frame_finland) and the Pavilion of Finland at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (@labiennale) for their generous support of ARC – Artists at Risk Connection.
At a moment when the Venice Biennale brings global attention to artists, it also reflects the tensions shaping the cultural field today—questions of voice, representation, and the conditions under which art can be created and shared.
Around the world, many artists continue to face censorship, displacement, and risk simply for creating.
This support is more than a gesture. It contributes to ensuring that artists at risk can continue their work, remain visible, and stay connected to their communities. At this time, we remember the curatorial vision and leadership of the late Koyo Kouoh, whose work consistently challenged institutions to think more expansively, ethically, and transnationally about power, culture, and belonging.
If you’d like to stand with artists at risk, you can support this work & also check of the pavilion details through the link in our bio.
Every contribution makes a difference—helping artists at risk stay safe, continue creating, and remain connected to their communities.
Visit the Pavilion of Finland at the Venice Biennale
9 May – 22 November 2026
Jenna Sutela, Aeolian Suite, 2026
Installation view, Pavilion of Finland
Photo: Ugo Carmeni. Courtesy of Frame Contemporary Art Finland
#ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ArtisticFreedom #VeniceBiennale #SupportArtists #CulturalResilience
We’re deeply grateful to Frame Contemporary Art Finland (@frame_finland) and the Pavilion of Finland at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (@labiennale) for their generous support of ARC – Artists at Risk Connection.
At a moment when the Venice Biennale brings global attention to artists, it also reflects the tensions shaping the cultural field today—questions of voice, representation, and the conditions under which art can be created and shared.
Around the world, many artists continue to face censorship, displacement, and risk simply for creating.
This support is more than a gesture. It contributes to ensuring that artists at risk can continue their work, remain visible, and stay connected to their communities. At this time, we remember the curatorial vision and leadership of the late Koyo Kouoh, whose work consistently challenged institutions to think more expansively, ethically, and transnationally about power, culture, and belonging.
If you’d like to stand with artists at risk, you can support this work & also check of the pavilion details through the link in our bio.
Every contribution makes a difference—helping artists at risk stay safe, continue creating, and remain connected to their communities.
Visit the Pavilion of Finland at the Venice Biennale
9 May – 22 November 2026
Jenna Sutela, Aeolian Suite, 2026
Installation view, Pavilion of Finland
Photo: Ugo Carmeni. Courtesy of Frame Contemporary Art Finland
#ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ArtisticFreedom #VeniceBiennale #SupportArtists #CulturalResilience
🚨TIP OF THE MONTH: Shift your mindset
“Simply surviving as an artist is already a success.”
From mindset to strategy, artist sustainability isn’t separate from creativity, it’s part of it. Defining your mission, understanding your value, and finding balance are essential to building a lasting practice.
Key insights from David Guerra’s (@marcaribenet) session with the Cuba Cohort as part of ARC’s Artist Resilience Toolkit.
*****************
Cambia tu mentalidad
“Sobrevivir como artista ya es un éxito.”
Desde la mentalidad hasta la estrategia, la sostenibilidad artística no está separada de la creación, es parte de ella. Definir tu misión, entender tu valor y encontrar equilibrio son claves para construir una práctica duradera.
Reflexiones clave de la sesión de David Guerra con la cohorte de Cuba como parte del Artist Resilience Toolkit de ARC.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #CreativeSustainability #ArtAndStrategy #ArtistSupport #CulturalWork #CreativeCareers #ArtCommunity #CubaCohort #Artists #ContemporaryArt #ArtPractice #CMARF
🚨TIP OF THE MONTH: Shift your mindset
“Simply surviving as an artist is already a success.”
From mindset to strategy, artist sustainability isn’t separate from creativity, it’s part of it. Defining your mission, understanding your value, and finding balance are essential to building a lasting practice.
Key insights from David Guerra’s (@marcaribenet) session with the Cuba Cohort as part of ARC’s Artist Resilience Toolkit.
*****************
Cambia tu mentalidad
“Sobrevivir como artista ya es un éxito.”
Desde la mentalidad hasta la estrategia, la sostenibilidad artística no está separada de la creación, es parte de ella. Definir tu misión, entender tu valor y encontrar equilibrio son claves para construir una práctica duradera.
Reflexiones clave de la sesión de David Guerra con la cohorte de Cuba como parte del Artist Resilience Toolkit de ARC.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #CreativeSustainability #ArtAndStrategy #ArtistSupport #CulturalWork #CreativeCareers #ArtCommunity #CubaCohort #Artists #ContemporaryArt #ArtPractice #CMARF
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