Join us at the Oratory Room, Abbotsford Convent for the Artistic Freedom and Human Rights Symposium.

When: Friday, 24 October, 9:30am – 5:30pm AEDT

Where: Oratory Room, Abbotsford Convent

If you would like to join, please sign up here. 

The right to freedom of artistic expression is a fundamental aspect of cultural rights protected under international human rights law. It includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds ‘in the form of art’, the right ‘to enjoy the arts’ and the creativity of others, as well as obligations from States to ‘respect the freedom indispensable for…creative activity’. But is this right being protected in practice? How do we differentiate the expression of political views through art, and the right of artists to express a political opinion outside of that (e.g., on social media, at a curtain call etc).

This gathering of artist and human rights scholars aims to bring together people to discuss significant recent developments in artistic freedom in Australia. These include the cancellation of art or exhibitions/events due to the political expression of views by artists, the defunding/withdrawal of support of festivals or artists and the absence of marginalised voices at certain prominent events. It also hopes to examine other important areas of artistic freedom, such as the intersections between patriarchy, protest, and art and artists as human rights defenders.

We wish to start a dialogue between artists and human rights lawyers/academics in order to ensure that the law adequately meets the needs of artists and our cultural life.

The day will be comprised of three key Q&A/discussion panels: an artist panel, human rights panel and a government/cultural organisations panel, followed by a whole-room discussion of the issues and the way forward for artistic freedom in Australia.

Topics for discussion will include:

  • Artistic freedom in a settler colony/art and colonialism
  • Artists and activism: Art and the right to protest; Artistic freedom and freedom of expression
  • Artists as human rights defenders (Artists as exposers of human rights violations e.g. in armed conflict)
  • The role of cultural institutions (arts bodies, museums etc) in protecting the right to artistic freedom
  • Patriarchy, protest, and art

This conference is organised by Associate Professor Maria O’Sullivan and Dr Megan Beatrice from the Deakin Law School and is being run through Deakin’s Centre for Law as Protection.

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