The Silencing of Dissident Artists

Art is Under Attack

Art, in all its forms, is etched into the fabric of society. It is a testament to humanity’s unique ability to create; with a painter’s stroke, word, musical note, or dance move, an artist can evoke compassion in their viewers. These qualities make art a prime target for totalitarian regimes to silence and control.

More than ever, art is under attack by authoritarian regimes around the world. In a 2022 report, Freemuse, an organization dedicated to protecting artistic freedom, documented 1,200 violations of artistic freedom in 2021. This included 39 instances of artists who were murdered.

UNESCO’s 2022 report found that of the 152 States that signed the 2005 Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, 27% failed to provide or develop a safe space for artists, and 53% had since received complaints about violations or restrictions on artistic freedoms. These numbers increase with each passing year, and the injustices and tactics carried out against dissident artists only become more severe and extreme.

The relationship between art and authoritarianism is storied and complex. It merits being explored to express solidarity with today’s dissident artists and appreciate the valuable work they risk to create. In this article, we explore the historical threat art has posed to authoritarians, the methods used to silence dissident artists, the impact their art has in their countries and globally, and the ways dissident artists can be better protected and supported.

The Threat of Art to Authoritarianism

Authoritarians have always understood a certain truth: creativity is a threat to their power. The suppression of artists and the creation of state-approved art have historically characterized totalitarian regimes. Nowhere can this be better observed than with two infamous case studies: Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia.

When Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, his campaign against the arts began immediately. By 1937, the Nazis had confiscated more than 20,000 artworks on the grounds of “degeneracy.” This culminated in the 1937 Munich dual exhibits, with “great German art” juxtaposed with “degenerate art.” The former glorified the Aryan ideal and displayed the German countryside with national pride; the latter art, deemed “degenerate,” featured anti-war imagery and was primarily comprised of work by Jewish and Black artists. In the catalog entries, the “degenerate” artists were referred to with derogatory labels and as “sick minds.” Hitler used art to reinforce the belief of a supposed racial hierarchy, achieving his goal by manipulating and restricting the free flow of art and dehumanizing the artists who did not fit the narrative.

Similarly, Joseph Stalin’s regime was dominated by artistic censorship. Censorship dates back to the Soviet Union in 1922, when organizations such as the Glavlit (General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press) were central in controlling the published written word. But Stalin expanded these initiatives: He took control of the arts, believing the medium’s true purpose was projecting an idealized version of life in the Soviet Union. The slow death of a burgeoning avant-garde movement followed, and eventually, the Socialist Realist edict was established in 1934. Socialist Realism demanded any art focus explicitly on class themes with simple and clear narratives so the masses could understand them. In practice, this meant creating propaganda that glorified Stalin and the Soviet Union. If an artist was suspected of straying or going against the standard of Socialist Realism, they would be publicly denounced and, at worst, arrested or killed.

In both Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Russia, art was simultaneously silenced and weaponized to reinforce propaganda. Both authoritarian regimes understood the threat art posed to them; their totalitarian systems were built on specific narratives, which art could question, critique, and probe. Today, these are truths authoritarian leaders in countries around the globe still know. The fight to protect art continues, and with each passing day, it becomes more necessary.

How Dissident Artists Are Silenced

Throughout the world, dissident artists are censored by authoritarian regimes with a variety of methods. These measures range in their tactics, and it is important to understand the reasoning behind each to gain a full scope of the struggles dissident artists face.

A common tactic state authorities use is stringent legal measures preventing the free flow and creation of art. Since Miguel Díaz-Canel’s ascent to power in 2018, the Cuban government has passed a flurry of restrictive decrees. Decree 349, for example, requires all artists, musicians, and performers to gain permission from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs before any public or private performances and exhibitions. Additionally, the government has the authority to intervene and shut down any display of “banned” content. Decrees 370 and 35 were later introduced, restricting social media communication. In the context of dissident art, this decision is particularly notable; social media has become a powerful tool for artists to spread and garner support for their work. If Cuban artists want to produce art, not only is the content of their work controlled through the law, but their means of sharing it also is.

Moreover, states will bend the meanings behind anti-terror, blasphemy, and indecency laws to target artists who pose a threat. In Turkey, two filmmakers were charged with “terrorist propaganda” because they showed footage of Kurdish guerillas in a documentary. Additionally, the government has imprisoned multiple Kurdish artists on false claims of “terrorism.” Meanwhile, in Egypt, the music style mahraganat, an electro-rap genre popular with lower-income communities and known for dealing with issues such as poverty and police brutality, has been banned by the Egyptian Musicians Union for “indecency.” The Musicians Union is largely recognized not as a legitimate organization but as an extension of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s regime. Again and again, the meaning of law is twisted by authoritarian regimes to prevent the free flow and creation of art.

Another often overlooked angle is self-censorship. Even if it does not manifest explicitly as a law, totalitarian regimes create environments not conducive to the free creation of art. As anthropologist Banu Karaca, co-founder of Siyah Bant, a Turkish organization that tracks art censorship, notes, Kurdish communities face “surveillance, police raids, archive confiscations, and requirements for ‘pre-clearance’ by authorities.” Such conditions not only discourage the creation of art but they ensure that any art cannot be a meaningful form of cultural expression.

Decisions that, in a free environment, would be autonomous instead become the result of external pressures. Take, for instance, the 2022 disbandment of Lebanese indie band Mashrou Leila, which, throughout its career, openly supported LGBTQ+ causes. Their decision to disband is recontextualized when considering the harassment they faced over the years; the band was barred from performing at festivals and outright banned from Jordan and Egypt. Their concertgoers were also arrested for raising the rainbow flag and were barraged with death threats online.

In extreme cases, authoritarian regimes will execute or force exile upon artists. This past June, Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi — winner of the 2024 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent— had his death sentence overturned but is currently facing retrial. Salehi was initially arrested in 2022 for supporting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement through his music and platform. Salehi revealed last year that during his time in custody, he was physically and mentally tortured. Concurrently, Iranian director Mohammed Rasoulof received an eight-year sentence because of his film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which won the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes ceremony. His film gained the ire of the Islamic Republic due to its defiance of mandatory hijab restrictions and its focus on the recent protests. Rasoulof went into self-imposed exile, escaping the country by foot after an arduous 28-day journey. Through these examples, one can observe the physical and mental scars artists undergo for expressing themselves; the case for protecting dissident art is more urgent than ever.

The Impact of Dissident Art

When defending the values of freedom and democracy, we mustn’t forget art as well. Dissident art has a local and global impact: it gives artists space to explore personal and community issues and spreads awareness on a massive scale of ongoing protest movements.

It must be noted that many dissident artists, including many mentioned above, belong to marginalized communities. Their art is targeted because it disrupts narratives and systems that authoritarians build to maintain power. Kurdish artists, for example, are threatened for their cultural expression and the simple acknowledgment of their existence. It is an attempt by the Turkish government to erase a group that has been historically oppressed and denied autonomy.

In conservative Middle Eastern countries, LGBTQ+ artists are a reminder of the humanity of a group commonly denied it. Mahraganat performers in Egypt broke down social barriers of class and freely discussed issues affecting lower-income communities instead of glorifying the military regime. The identities of all these artists play a key part in shaping their art, but it also makes them targets.

Art is also a universal phenomenon. For every spectator and audience member, art can conjure up deep emotions everyone has felt: emotions that are a gateway to destabilizing totalitarian regimes. Satirists use laughter to disempower authorities who want to curate an image of absolute power and control. Painters and poets capture the abstract and unspeakable pain and sadness of living under oppressive conditions. Music has empowering melodies that reflect the desire to protest. Look no further than “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical “Les Misèrables,” which has recently become a themefor protesters worldwide and is often censored by authorities in return.

Art allows one to express their opinions, beliefs, identity, and humanity. That is why its ability to exist and be created freely must be safeguarded as the cornerstone of a truly democratic society.

How Do We Protect Dissident Art?

The struggle to protect dissident artists may seem like an uphill battle, but it is a cause many are working toward. The Human Rights Foundation’s Art in Protest program is one of many dedicated to protecting and platforming dissident work.

Art in Protest achieves these goals through a variety of strategies, such as online galleries with dissident art and in-person exhibitions, with examples being the Transmuting Borders and Memory Gates installations at the 2022 Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) and Forging Your Own Path at the 2023 OFF, an art exhibition that featured 12 Cuban dissident artists, including TIME “Icon,” founder of Movimiento San Isidro, and current political prisoner of the Cuban dictatorship, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara. The Art in Protest Residency program allows dissident artists to develop their portfolios and receive mentorship, hosting up to three artists each year. At the 2024 OFF, Venezuelan resident artist Nadia Hernándezrevealed “En todo tiempo,” a collection of diasporic voices singing from an archive of local protest songs juxtaposed with protest lyrics embroidered on fabric. This year’s OFF also featured the work of Song Byeok, a former state propagandist for the North Korean regime. Since his escape in 2002, Song has created acrylic works that use his previous style and symbols to satirize and critique the regime.

Additionally, the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent is awarded each year at the Forum. Beginning in 2012, the Havel Prize recognizes the importance of dissident art and the risk undertaken by those who bring it to life.

On a personal level, one can support dissident artists in many ways, such as donating or buying an art piece or following an artist on social media. It can also be as simple as stopping to look at a painting, reading a poem, or listening to a piece of music. Each of these acts of creative defiance has a deep story to tell. When these voices are heard, it is a reminder that even if one tries, art can never be silenced for good.

Aida Kasparova is an intern with the Human Rights Foundation’s Art in Protest program.