The Fritt Ord Foundation, Oslo, and Freemuse – The World Forum on Music & Censorship, Copenhagen, will organize the first world conference on artistic freedom of expression at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, Stage 2, on 25 and 26 October 2012. Artists from all genres: music, literature, film, performance, theatre, painting, photography, etc., will perform, examine and discuss where, how and to what extent constraints are placed on artistic freedom of expression, not to mention examples of the potential of art to challenge established truths and framework conditions.

Many artists are condemned, persecuted, censored or rejected. During «ALL THAT IS BANNED IS DESIRED – World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression», we will draw attention to attacks on freedom of artistic expression in non-democratic or religion-dominated societies, as well as in democratic and more secular countries. Artists from all over the world will be sharing their experiences and discussing different forms of censorship with curators, academics, cultural producers and journalists.

For more information, visit the conference website: www.artsfreedom.org

PROGRAMME

THURSDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2012

09:00: Registration – 09:40: Doors open 10:00: Doors close

10:00: BEAUTY UNDER PRESSURE

ZARGANAR, Comedian, Actor, and Film Director (Burma)
MIN HTIN KO KO GYI, Poet and Filmmaker (Burma)
WIN MAW, Musician and Composer (Burma)
Moderator: FRANCES HARRISON, Writer, Journalist and Broadcaster (UK)

10:40: RELIGION AND ARTISTIC FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

SVETLANA MINTCHEVA, Director of Programmes, National Coalition Against Censorship (USA)
GURPREET KAUR BHATTI, Playwright and Screenwriter (UK)
AZHAR USMAN, Comedian, Activist and Lawyer (USA)
Moderator: KENAN MALIK, Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster (UK)

11:40: MORAL PANICS: SEXUALITY AND ART

ZANELE MUHOLI, Visual Artist (South Africa)
PANG KHEE TEIK, Arts Consultant and Human Rights Activist (Malaysia)
ROBERT SEMBER, Artist and Researcher (South Africa/USA), Moderator

12:30: LUNCH

13:45: CORPORATE CENSORSHIP

LARISSA SANSOUR, Visual Artist (Palestine/UK)
NADIA PLESNER, Visual Artist (Denmark)
FREDRIK GERTTEN, Film Director (Sweden)

14:30: PUBLIC SPACE AND ART CLASHES

MUSTAPHA BENFODIL, Writer and Visual Artist (Algeria)
LARS Ø. RAMBERG, Artist (Norway)
ALESSANDRO PETTI, Architect and Researcher (Italy/Palestine), Moderator

15:15: HUNGARY: ARTISTIC FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE AGE OF XENOPHOBIA

ADAM FISCHER, Chief Conductor (Hungary)
YNGVE ANDRÉ SØBERG, Soloist at The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet (Norway)

15:30: COFFEE BREAK

16:00: TIBET: ARTISTS IN EXILE

TENZING RIGDOL, Visual Artist (Tibet/USA)
TENZIN GÖNPO, Musician (Tibet/France)
Moderator: FRANCES HARRISON, Writer, Journalist and Broadcaster (UK)

16:30: THE INVISIBLE RED LINE: MANOEUVRING CHINESE ARTS CENSORSHIP

SI HAN, Curator (China/Sweden)
Moderator: FRANCES HARRISON, Writer, Journalist and Broadcaster (UK)

17:00: THE DAY THE MUSIC STOPPED: MALI

MANNY ANSAR, Festival director (Mali)
TERAKAFT, Desert Blues Band (Mali)

FRIDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2012

08:45: Doors open – 09:00: Doors close

09:00: OVERCOMING: WOMEN, ART AND EGYPT

SHERINE AMR, Singer (Egypt)
SONDOS SHABAYEK, Writer, Theatre Director and Actress (Egypt)
PETR LOM, Filmmaker (Czech Republic/Canada), Moderator

09:45: STOP THIS FILTH: ARTISTS UNDER THREAT

DEEYAH, Music Producer (Norway/UK)
ARSHAD HUSSAIN, Actor and Culture Activist (Pakistan)
Moderator: OLE REITOV, Program Manager, Freemuse (Denmark)

10:05: THE ART OF LOVE: CULTURAL TABOOS AND ARTISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF ROMANCE IN TRIBAL PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN

GEORGE GITTOES, Painter, Photographer and Filmmaker (Australia)
Moderator: FRANCES HARRISON, Writer, Journalist and Broadcaster (UK)

10:30: ORGANIZING FOR FREEDOM: CULTURAL WORKERS IN RUSSIA

NIKOLAY OLEYNIKOV, Visual Artist (Russia)

10:50: COFFEE BREAK

11:20: ARTS IN RESISTANCE | RESISTANCE IN ART: SYRIA & TUNISIA

RACHIDA TRIKI, Film Director and Researcher (Tunisia)
ORWA AL MOKDAD, Actor (Syria)
DONATELLA DELLA RATTA, PhD Fellow (Italy), Moderator

12:00: FREEDOM THEATRE: WHAT KIND OF FREEDOM?

JONATAN STANCZAK, Co-Founder and Administrative Manager, The Freedom Theatre (Sweden/Palestine)

12:15: ARTISTS IN AN INESCAPABLE POLITICAL CONTEXT: CUBA

TANIA BRUGUERA, Interdisciplinary Artist (Cuba)

12:30: OUTSPOKEN

Artist and Community Activist (Zimbabwe)

13:00: LUNCH

14:00: NOTHING TO ENVY IN THIS WORLD

Moderator: SIGRUN SLAPGARD, Writer, Foreign Correspondent and Board Member of Fritt Ord

14:20: THE LASTING IMPACT OF THE RUSHDIE CASE

WILLIAM NYGAARD, Publisher and Defender of Freedom of Expression (Norway)
Moderator: KENAN MALIK, Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster (UK)

14:30: TURNING OUT THE LIGHT: TURKEY

ASLI ERDOĞAN, Writer (Turkey/Austria)
PELIN BAŞARAN, Researcher (Turkey)
Moderator: KENAN MALIK, Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster (UK)

15:00: THE ARTIST VS. THE STATE: THE CASES OF LAPIRO DE MBANGA AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR PUSSY RIOT

MARAN TURNER, Executive Director, Freedom Now (USA)
ALEXANDER CHEPARUKHIN, Music Producer, Promoter and Founder and Director of GreenWave Music (Russia)

15:30: MANTA, a dance performance (extract)

HÉLA FATTOUMI, Dancer and Choreographer (France)

MEDIA CONTACTS

BENTE ROALSVIG, project director, Fritt Ord Foundation:
mobile: +47 9161 3340, office: +47 2301 4643, e-mail: bente.roalsvig@fritt-ord.no

MARIE KORPE, executive director, Freemuse:
mobile: +45 2944 4280, office: +45 3332 1017, e-mail: marie.korpe@freemuse.org