European Conference: The State of Artistic Freedom

Artistic freedom, a cornerstone of democratic societies, faces increasing challenges across Europe. Against this backdrop, an evening program at the European Conference promises to delve into the pressing issues surrounding artistic freedom.

As part of the 75th-anniversary celebration of the Council of Europe, this dedicated event will gather speakers from both the arts and political spheres, with participation from the Norwegian Parliament.

A workshop chaired by Sara Whyatt expert on artistic freedom will take place earlier the same day.

Sverre Pedersen, Head of Freemuse, and Paul Dujardin, president of Europa Nostra and Commissioner General for Heritage & the Art Nouveau Year in Brussels, will provide a deep dive into the topic: What threatens artistic freedom of expression? The workshop outcomes will be artistically presented during the evening program, curated and performed in cooperation with CreaTeME, Center for Excellent Education focused on creative use of technology in higher music education at the University of Agder.

In addition to addressing artistic freedom, the evening's agenda will also tackle pressing issues such as media freedom post-Ukraine invasion, censorship, and self-censorship.

Read more about the programme in its entirety below: