Creative dissent is a powerful force for change. The Oslo Freedom Forum showcases courageous and imaginative art, music, and film celebrating freedom and standing against repression. Striking mainstage performances. Exhibitions showcasing bold dissident artists from around the world. Films that challenge, inspire, and invite reflection. We are proud to once again celebrate the vital role of artistic expression in advancing human rights and democracy at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
ART
Khaled Dawwa, Syrian sculptor
Khaled Dawwa is a Paris-based Syrian artist whose work is deeply influenced by the Syrian war and his personal experiences during the revolution. Dawwa made headlines last August with a bold protest outside the U.N. in Geneva, honoring the tens of thousands ‘disappeared’ in his homeland.
On the International Day of the Missing Persons, he destroyed his own artwork in the presence of relatives of the victims. Dawwa will present “The Throne” at the Oslo Freedom Forum. This interactive art installation depicts powerful men transformed into grotesque tyrants seated on a ‘throne’ — a toilet — consumed by their lust for power.
Art Exhibition: “The Guilty Will Kneel,” presented by HRF’s Art in Protest Program
The Gao Brothers, “Mao’s Guilt” (2009)
Artists from across the Asia-Pacific, including Burma, China, Hong Kong, and Tibet, confront authoritarianism directly in this exhibit. Burmese artists-activists Sai ———, K, and Ma advocate for human rights and democracy despite the military government’s suppression. Their powerful works will stand alongside those of other dissident artists from the region, including Chinese contemporary duo the Gao Brothers, Hong Kong performance artist Sanmu Chen, and Tibetan visual artist Tenzing Rigdol, presenting penetrating perspectives on resilience and the urgent struggle for freedom.
Last year, the elder brother of the Gao Brothers, Gao Zhen, was arrested and charged with “insulting the reputation of national heroes and martyrs” — a chilling reminder of the cost of dissent in authoritarian states. He remains imprisoned for his past critiques of Mao, yet his defiance endures through his art, which survives in this exhibition.
MUSIC
Michelle Gurevich, Canadian singer-songwriter
Michelle Gurevich’s song, “Kiss in Taksim Square,” is celebrated as a protest anthem dedicated to the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Turkey.
The daughter of a Kirov ballerina from Odessa and an engineer from Leningrad, Gurevich grew up listening to her parents’ collection of Soviet and 70s European records. With shows regularly selling out in cities like Istanbul, Berlin, Warsaw, and Athens, Gurevich has established a niche that includes the East European diaspora, the Berlin queer scene, and those with a taste for the melodramatic balladry of Charles Aznavour, Zeki Müren, and Nikolai Slichenko.
FaceSoul, Somali singer-songwriter
Faisal Salah, also known as FaceSoul, is a London-based Somali artist born in East Africa. From a young age, Salah showed a passion for music, combining his love for singing, poetry, and storytelling as an escape from the challenges of inner-city living. At 19, he embarked on a journey around the world, using his voice to connect with diverse communities and share his story. These travels became transformative for Salah as an artist, revealing the universal nature of human emotions and bridging apparent differences in race, language, and environment. Through his art, FaceSoul aspires to inspire others and create a sense of unity and understanding.
FILM
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Smuggled out of Iran and premiered at Cannes, this urgent political thriller is both fiction and frontline. As a regime cracks and paranoia grips a family, protest footage collides with fear and fracture. Mohammad Rasoulof’s film is a bold act of defiance — and a cinematic weapon against authoritarian control.
The film will be screened on Sunday, May 25th, at 15:00 — Cinemateket, Dronningens Gate 16, Oslo.
Free for all OFF ticket holders.
“Wisdom of Happiness”
This intimate, cinematic encounter is less biography than transmission: presence, peace, and power. The Dalai Lama speaks directly to us — offering clarity, humor, and grace in a time of global unrest. “Wisdom of Happiness” dares us to believe that compassion isn’t retreat —
it’s revolution from within.
The film will be screened on Tuesday, May 27th, at 18:00 — Cinemateket, Dronningens Gate 16, Oslo.
Free for all OFF ticket holders.
Apply today to attend the 2025 Oslo Freedom Forum from May 26-28 in Oslo, Norway. You can find additional details about the event and participating speakers at oslofreedomforum.com and on social media.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Oslo Freedom Forum, please contact [email protected]. If you are interested in attending as a member of the media, please contact [email protected].
If you are interested in bringing your family to the OFF Camp for Kids, please contact [email protected]. OFF Camp for Kids is an interdisciplinary human rights camp that includes fun activities, sports, and educational programming around the city of Oslo.
