Recently ‘blackfacing’ has been highlighted in many cultural manifestations that may not necessarily have been intended to demean Black or other non-white people.
CATEGORY: Artistic Freedom
#FlytheFlag: Zehra Doğan’s symbol of resistance
The white scarf is the symbol of resistance against pain.
Jodie Ginsberg: Chinese artist Badiucao is an inspiration to cartoonists and campaigners all over the world
Badiucao, one of China’s leading dissident cartoonists, has revealed his identity after years of anonymity. In November 2018 following his campaign...
Russian poet Anzhelina Polonskaya: “The world does not mean happiness for most people”
Anzhelina Polonskaya became a recognised writer and poet during the turbulent post-Soviet Union era. Inspired by the works of famous Russian writers, she became a self-taught poet
Index launches new advisory service for arts organisations
Arts Censorship Support Service will provide assistance to colleagues in the cultural sector facing issues of censorship.
Omar El-Khairy and Nadia Latif / Homegrown
Homegrown is a piece commissioned by the National Youth Theatre (NYT) investigating the motivation behind radicalisation of young Muslims in schools.
Out of Joint / Rita Sue and Bob Too by Andrea Dunbar
Andrea Dunbar’s play Rita Sue and Bob Too was commissioned by Max Stafford-Clarke, then artistic director of Royal Court, in 1982.
Music Theatre Wales / The Golden Dragon
Although MTW’s production of The Golden Dragon had received positive reviews in the press, some had expressed concerns that all five of the performers were white, despite the fact they were playing various Asian characters.
Eric Gill / The Body
The case study of the exhibition Eric Gill: The Body at Ditchling Museum of Arts & Crafts is different from the others in this section. In all the other cases, Index on Censorship got involved because artwork had been removed or cancelled, but in this case we were brought in at the early stage of the museum’s planning of an exhibition that was potentially divisive and controversial.
Brett Bailey / Exhibit B
The Barbican’s publicity material described Exhibit B as: “a human installation that charts the colonial histories of various European countries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when scientists formulated pseudo-scientific racial theories that continue to warp perceptions with horrific consequences.”