Dear Friend, 

The atmosphere for artists across South, Southeast, and East Asia is increasingly hostile, with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to pose a serious threat to artistic freedom and artists' ability to work and speak out. 

That's why today, PEN America's Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), in partnership with the Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH) and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM ASIA), has released Arresting Art: Repression, Censorship, and Artistic Freedom in Asia, which compiles several key findings from a closed virtual workshop convened in December 2020 and examines the brewing censorship crisis and the current state of artistic freedom in Asia.

In addition to exploring topics such as the unique challenges facing artists at risk in Asia and the significance of art in social justice movements, Arresting Art features personal insights from numerous artists and cultural defenders in the region—including a theatre arts practitioner from Thailand, an activist from the Philippines, a curator from Singapore, and more—and includes recommendations such as the need to focus on building a sustainable protection network in the region and the importance of strengthening legal aid and emergency measures. 

Stay tuned for a limited run podcast from ARC offering an intimate view into the challenges that artists and cultural defenders are currently facing in the region, including censorship, surveillance, and digital and in-person harassment. 

We hope you’ll read Arresting Art, share our findings with your communities, and join us in calling for solidarity and a safer, more equitable environment for artists both in Asia and around the globe, free of censorship and harassment. 

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