Conversations with Asian artists on creating art in challenging contexts

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Dear Friend,

As political unrest and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to threaten artistic freedom across South, Southeast, and East Asia, artist-activists are increasingly vulnerable to censorship, threats, and persecution in their countries. The humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Afghanistan has also sent thousands seeking aid to countries across the world including Indonesia and India. These political upheavals across the region have led to an urgent need for solidarity and safe spaces where artists can share their stories and advocate for the social justice movements in their communities and countries.

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), is releasing Creating Artistic Resilience: Voices of Asia ([link removed]) , a limited-run podcast featuring five artists and cultural rights defenders from Myanmar, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh, who share their experiences of artistic freedom, activism, resilience, and resistance in the face of repression.
LISTEN NOW ([link removed])

Prompted by the findings from a closed virtual workshop convened in December 2020 as well as those captured in ARC's publication Arresting Art: Repression, Censorship, and Artistic Freedom in Asia ([link removed]) , Creating Artistic Resilience features conversations between ARC’s Asia Regional Representative, Manojna Yeluri, and cultural rights defenders such as a Myanmar visual artist using the pseudonym Spring, Hong Kong activist and visual artist Kacey Wong, Filipino artist rights collective DAKILA, Malaysian political graphic artist Fahmi Reza, and Bangladeshi artist Sofia Karim.
“Diaspora solidarity is essential, and frankly, there’s just not enough of it. What’s happening in India and Bangladesh is absolutely terrifying. We’re now at a precipice. If this is where we are now, and the trajectory continues, then the consequences are imponderable.”

— Sofia Karim, UK-based Bangladeshi artist and activist,
creator of the Turbine Bagh Art Movement

Shared in the spirit of solidarity, these conversations with artists and cultural rights defenders in the region provide an invaluable glimpse into the individual and collective challenges currently faced by the creative community in Asia. We hope that Creating Artistic Resilience provides insights and tools for the artistic community at large, while also serving as a powerful reminder that artists at risk are not alone.

We hope you’ll listen to the podcast, share these conversations and findings with your communities, and join us in shining a light on the resilience and courage of at-risk artists in Asia.

Sincerely,
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Julie Trebault
Director, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
PEN America

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Manojna Yeluri
ARC Asia Regional Representative
PEN America

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The Spring Revolution: Myanmar ([link removed])

Spring, a multimedia artist and activist from Myanmar, describes her daily life amidst the ongoing protests unfolding in the country. She draws attention to the ways in which the military coup of February 2021 poses severe security risks and impacts the future of citizens, human rights defenders, and the artistic community at large in Myanmar. Listen ›› ([link removed])

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Hong Kong’s Cultural Fireman: Kacey Wong on Art as Resistance ([link removed])

Kacey Wong ([link removed]) , an award-winning artist and activist, explains the significance of art in Hong Kong’s political protests and provides a glimpse into the far-reaching impact of the National Security Law on both free expression and artistic freedom. Listen ›› ([link removed])

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Visual Disobedience: Fahmi Reza on Political Art and Censorship in Malaysia ([link removed])

Fahmi Reza ([link removed]) , a Malaysian graphic artist and political activist, dives into his decades of engagement in the country’s political art movement. Sharing his experiences with social media censorship and run-ins with local authorities, Fahmi breaks down the connection between the country’s socioeconomic and political narratives, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen ›› ([link removed])

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Bridging Art and Activism: Philippine-based Collective DAKILA ([link removed])

Leni Velasco and Andrei Venal, members of the Philippine-based art collective DAKILA ([link removed]) and the Active Vista Centre ([link removed]) , share their insights on censorship, red-tagging, and digital activism in the Philippines. The duo also discusses the significance of art-based human rights interventions in the sociopolitical narrative of their country and the role of art in catalyzing change in civil society. Listen ›› ([link removed])

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Diaspora Activism: Sofia Karim on Artists and Human Rights Defenders in Bangladesh & India ([link removed])

UK-based Bangladeshi artist and activist Sofia Karim ([link removed]) shares her thoughts on how art helps articulate dissent in South Asia. Karim discusses the current challenges facing the creative community in the region, like the effect of laws such as the Digital Security Act in Bangladesh, and the impact that diaspora and international solidarity can have on social justice movements in India and Bangladesh. Listen ›› ([link removed])
This podcast would not have been possible without the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. ARC, MCH, and FORUM-ASIA also extend our gratitude to India-based producer Kunal Wadhwa for his editing and to Mai Khôi and Hamed Sinno for allowing us to use their song, "Antibodies." ([link removed])
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