Freemuse’s State of Artistic Freedom 2025 report documents yet another difficult year for artists around the world. In 2024, global conflicts, political instability, and tightening restrictions on freedom of expression created increasingly hostile environments for artistic voices. Freemuse launched the report on 2 May in Kristiansand, Norway as part of Democracy Week, which is organized in connection with the European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights.
“Artistic freedom is increasingly under threat around the world. We cannot accept that artists and cultural institutions are pressured by politicians simply because they disagree with the content or form of the work,” says Sverre Pedersen, Executive Director of Freemuse.
“Free artistic expression is essential for fostering critical thinking and an informed public; it is, at its core, an investment in democracy. Culture must be free, built on personal passion and voluntary engagement.”
The report highlights artistic suppression across Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, as well as intensifying crackdowns in countries like Iran, Türkiye, and China, where political tensions and censorship continue to erode artistic freedom. Around the world, artists have faced arrest, violence, and institutional pressure, while cultural programming is increasingly influenced by political agendas. In many cases, the threat of retaliation has led to widespread self-censorship which has become a survival mechanism for artists in oppressive environments.
The report identifies key global trends that shaped the artistic landscape in 2024:
– The expanded use of “foreign agent” laws to silence dissenting voices.
– Political influence over public arts institutions, curbing independent programming.
– Religious and moral-based restrictions that disproportionately affected women, LGBTQ+ artists, and minority communities.
– Artistic expression related to Gaza has faced growing censorship, particularly in Germany and the USA.
– In areas plagued by criminal violence, especially in parts of Latin America and Africa, musicians and performers were especially vulnerable.
“The report captures a year marked by escalating global conflicts, where artists faced censorship, arrest, and violence. Even in democratic societies, self-censorship became widespread, as many feared reprisals for speaking out; particularly on sensitive topics like the war in Gaza,” says Sara Whyatt, Research Director at Freemuse.
She adds: “Yet, even in the face of destruction and repression, artists refused to be silenced. ‘Art is the opposite of war,’ says ceramicist Nathalie Khayat, capturing the spirit of resilience that threads through the year’s events. Her words, ‘I will look for beauty, poetry, and raw emotions through my absurd reality… I need to create while the world around me is being destroyed’, echo the determination of many who continued to create, resist, and speak truth to power under the harshest of conditions.”
The report also highlights the impact of national elections and protest movements. In 2024, a record number of elections took place worldwide, many marked by unrest. Artists who participated in or supported protest movements were often singled out for retaliation. From muralists in Nicaragua, to musicians in South Sudan, to a protest anthem in Hong Kong, creative voices were both central to these movements, and subject to their consequences.
Despite mounting pressures, the global artistic community remains resilient. Whether working publicly or underground, artists continue to engage audiences, document lived experiences, and challenge power through creative expression.
As this year’s report underscores, supporting artistic freedom is not a privilege; it is a necessity, particularly in times of political and social uncertainty.
Art, Rights, and Resistance: Freemuse Gathers Voices for Global Dialogue
The Freemuse report launch was followed by a two-day artistic freedom workshop on 3–4 May, organized in collaboration with Agder County Council and the University of Agder. The workshop was led by Sverre Pedersen and Sara Whyatt.The workshop brought together sixteen artists, human rights advocates, and academics from Norway and beyond, ensuring a meaningful exchange of perspectives from the ground up. Discussions focused on artists’ rights under international conventions, the threats to artistic freedom in an increasingly polarised world, and how collaboration can help strengthen global freedom of expression.
