Artist stories

Stories of artists at risk from around the world who have received support from ARC.
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Brazil - IllustratorYacunã TuxáYucanã Tuxá says she became an artist and activist because of a series of “small explosions” that cemented a burning desire to advocate for her indigenous Tuxá community—their rights, their stories, and their enduring presence despite centuries of colonialism, racism, and erasure. 
Uganda - MultidisciplinaryTrinah KakyoA queer multidisciplinary artist and organizer from Uganda, Trinah has spent years building spaces for queer East Africans through screenings, workshops, exhibitions, parties, and festivals.
Afghanistan - Visual ArtistZahra AbrahimiA painter and muralist from Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, Zahra is now living in Paris after 3 years of being in exile in Pakistan. In an interview with ARC, she recounts the events that led to her departure from Afghanistan, the repression that followed her, and the feeling of duty that continues to aliment her creativity in exile.
United States - WriterDashka SlaterIn 2017, American author Dashka Slater published a book about an agender teen from Oakland whose skirt was set on fire by another teenager on a bus ride. Four years later, in the midst of a national wave of book bans, Slater beganreceiving a flood of “desperate pleas” from kids, parents, and librarians as her book was quietly removed from classroom shelves and libraries around the country.
Cuba - MultidisciplinaryLuis Manuel Otero AlcántaraCuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara uses protest and dissent as central tenets to his practice as an artist.
Ukraine - Graphic DesignerTamara ShevchukUkrainian graphic artist, painter, teacher, and art therapist Tamara Shevchuk's work meditates on childhood, life before and after wartime, and diminished agency.  
Colombia - Visual ArtistColectiva Mujeres MuralistasUnder a bridge in Bogotá, on one of the most heavily transited avenues in the city, there is a place where the walls try to talk. For years, it was known far and wide, not for its centrality, but for its danger. In 2019, the collective decided to intervene: Not with the presence of police, or with institutional campaigns, but with painting.
Cuba - WriterJosé Gabriel Barrenechea ChávezJosé Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, an independent writer and journalist, was convicted of the crime of “public disorder” – a charge commonly used to criminalize protest – and sentenced to six years in prison by the Villa Clara Provincial People’s Court on January 15, 2026. 
Cuba - RapperNando OBDCNando OBDC, 35, is a rapper, graffiti artist, and activist whose work is marked by strong social critique. On January 19, 2026, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the alleged crime of “propaganda against the constitutional order,” under Article 124 of the Cuban Penal Code.
Senegal - RapperDidier AwadiSenegalese rapper Didier Awadi has mobilized and educated a generation of young people over three decades as a trailblazing figure in francophone West African hip-hop. 
Cuba - CuratorYanelys Nuñez LeyvaYanelys Núñez Leyva (b. Havana, 1989) is a Cuban art historian, communicator, and curator, living in exile in Madrid, Spain since 2019. She is a founding member of the Movimiento San Isidro (MSI) (2018), a collective of artists and activists whose use of the body, political communication, and creative collaboration has formed a shared platform for the defense of human and cultural rights on the island.
Cuba - Visual ArtistMaría Esther Lemus CorderoMaría Esther Lemus Cordero is a visual artist, illustrator, and comic artist, born in Havana in 1990. From a critical perspective, her practice addresses Cuban and international current affairs through humor and satire. She currently lives in exile.
Cuba - FilmmakerLuis Alejandro YeroLuis Alejandro Yero (b. 1989) is a Cuban filmmaker, currently based in Fortaleza, Brazil. With an observational style and a tendency to challenge the boundaries between fiction and documentary, his films have portrayed the everyday lives of people experiencing significant social and political change.
Cuba - WriterKatherine Bisquet RodríguezKatherine Bisquet (Ciudad Nuclear, Cuba, 1992). Writer and activist. Graduated in Spanish Language from the University of Havana. She has published several books of poetry and recently compiled “Cielo raso. Antología de poetas cubanos en Cuba."
Cuba - Visual ArtistJulio Llopiz-CasalJulio Llopiz-Casal (b. Havana, 1984) is a visual artist and graphic designer whose practice combines the visual legacy of conceptualism with typographic compositions and writing. Although his work is multidisciplinary, he has a particular affinity for installation and for working with found objects. He is interested in exploring ideas around Memory and Archive.
Cuba - FilmmakerIsmario Rodríguez PérezIsmario Rodríguez Pérez (b. Havana, 1992) is a journalist and documentary filmmaker with a clear focus on contemporary narratives that intersect culture, society, and human rights. His work moves between journalism, documentary, and critical analysis, with a particular interest in the impact of images, digital media, and social transformations on everyday life.