A project impulsed by CoE to promote the importance of Freedom of artistic expression

Manifesto on Freedom of Expression of Arts and Culture in Digital Era

“Artistic and creative expression is a part of the freedom of expression and artists must be protected against censorship and any form of pressure or intimidation”

Digital Exhibition

“A digital #exhibition organised by the Council of Europe featuring works of art from participating States to promote the importance of freedom of artistic expression”

Jaroslav Andel, 2019
Current submissions 10 member and observer states 15 artworks

How to submit my contribution?

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United Arab EmiratesAfghanistanAntigua and BarbudaAnguillaAlbania Armenia AustriaArubaAland Islands AzerbaijanBosnia and HerzegovinaBelgiumBurkina FasoBulgariaBahrainBurundiBeninSaint BarthelemyBouvet IslandBotswanaBelarusBelizeCocos (Keeling) IslandsDemocratic Republic of CongoCentral African RepublicRepublic of CongoSwitzerlandCôte d'IvoireCook IslandsCameroonCape VerdeCyprusCzechia GermanyDjiboutiDenmarkDominicaAlgeriaEstoniaEgyptWestern SaharaEritreaSpainEthiopiaFinlandFaroe IslandsFranceGabonUnited KingdomGrenada GeorgiaFrench GuianaGuernseyGhanaGibraltarGreenlandGambiaGuineaGlorioso IslandsGuadeloupeEquatorial GuineaGreeceSouth Georgia and South Sandwich IslandsGuatemalaGuamGuinea-BissauGuyanaHong KongHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasCroatiaHaitiHungaryIrelandIsraelIsle of ManIndiaBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryIraqIranIcelandItalyJerseyJamaicaJordanJapanJuan De Nova IslandKenyaKyrgyzstanCambodiaKiribatiComorosSaint Kitts and NevisNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKosovoKuwaitCayman IslandsKazakhstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLebanonSaint LuciaLiechtensteinSri LankaLiberiaLesotho Lithuania LuxembourgLatviaLibyaMoroccoMonacoMoldovaMontenegroSaint MartinMadagascarMarshall IslandsNorth MacedoniaMaliMongoliaMacauNorthern Mariana IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMontserratMaltaMauritiusMaldivesMalawiNew CaledoniaNigerNorfolk IslandNigeriaNetherlandsNorwayOmanPakistan PolandSaint Pierre and MiquelonPitcairn IslandsPalestinian TerritoriesPortugalQatarReunionRomania SerbiaRussiaRwandaSaudi ArabiaSolomon IslandsSeychellesSudanSwedenSaint Helena SloveniaSvalbard and Jan MayenSlovakiaSierra LeoneSan MarinoSenegalSomaliaSurinameSouth SudanSao Tome and PrincipeEl SalvadorSint MaartenSyriaChadFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsTogoTajikistanTokelauTurkmenistanTunisiaTongaTurkeyUkraineUgandaUzbekistanVatican CitySaint Vincent and the GrenadinesBritish Virgin IslandsUS Virgin IslandsYemenMayotteZambiaZimbabwe

Report on The Freedom of Artistic Expression

Prepared for the Council of Europe (and its Steering Committee for culture, heritage and landscape (CDCPP)) by Sara Whyatt, on the challenges that European artists and cultural workers face in the practice of their right to freedom of artistic expression. These range from laws that curtail creative freedom, attacks from non-governmental groups and online threats to the “under-the-radar” pressures that contribute to self-censorship. Artistic freedom is a core human right requiring protection and it has worsened recently under multiple challenges – political extremism, economic collapse, a global pandemic, threats from digitisation, an emerging environmental catastrophe, and the return of war within Europe – all crises with major impacts on human rights across society. This comprehensive overview reflects the work carried out by the Council of Europe, other international intergovernmental organisations promoting freedom of expression and human rights, and non-governmental, civil society and cultural organisations concerned with artists’ and cultural rights, as well as the experiences and perspectives of artists. It concludes with recommendations on what can be done to protect artistic freedom, by international institutions and by the cultural sector and artists themselves.