Arresting Art: Repression, Censorship, and Artistic Freedom in Asia summarizes the findings of a closed virtual workshop convened in December 2020 by PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH), and Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM- ASIA). Welcoming participants from across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, the workshop was aimed at exploring central issues facing artistic freedom in Asia.
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), a project of PEN America, manages a coordination and information-sharing hub that supports, unites, and advances the work of organizations that assist artists at risk globally. ARC’s mission is to improve access to resources for artists at risk, enhance connections among supporters of artistic freedom, and raise awareness of challenges to artistic freedom. For more information, go to artistsatriskconnection.org
Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH) empowers diverse artists and cultural leaders to bring to life their visions for a sustainable and inclusive Mekong Region. MCH connects people who work at the intersection of arts and society in Asia, and creates opportunities for professional exchange, co-creation and collaboration. MCH has a special focus on Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. For more information, go to mekongculturalhub.org
The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is the largest membership-based human rights and development organization in Asia with a network of 81 members in 21 countries across the region. FORUM-ASIA works to promote and protect all human rights for all, including the right to development, through collaboration and cooperation among human rights organisations and defenders in Asia and beyond. For more information, go to forum-asia.org
