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Survey looks at the state of censorship in the arts
Research aims to document trends in recent years around freedom of expression
A survey launched this week aims to explore censorship in the arts across the UK.
Created by the anti-censorship campaign organisation Freedom in the Arts, the anonymous survey aims to replicate Arts Professional’s Freedom of Expression pulse survey conducted in 2019-2020.
The 2019 research highlighted several areas that Freedom in the Arts says it is keen track today, including: what topics are controversial in the arts; where pressure to censor, or self-censor, is coming from; how widespread is the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements; and whether or not censorship is affecting artists’ ability to make the work they want to make.
The survey replicates Art Professional’s 2019, with the addition of a new free text question: “What would you change in the arts regarding freedom of expression?”
Freedom in the Arts was launched in 2023 by arts administrator Denise Fahmy and choreographer Rosie Kay, both of whom have described being censored and harassed in the culture sector for their views on sex and gender.
Kay said a “culture of fear” has grown in the arts at a time of increasing ideological division. She said: “I’ve worked with over 50 artists who have come to FITA for help since we launched a year ago, and some of the experiences they have had have horrified me. It seems like a culture of fear has grown in the arts, and this atmosphere is the antithesis of creativity. Understanding the issues those who work in the arts face will help us advise arts institutions and policy makers to unlearn the fear habit.”
Fahmy said: “We’re looking forward to hearing from as many individual artists and arts workers as possible. The arts is an industry like no other - people can have rewarding careers, making work with exciting colleagues. But making a living in the ‘public realm’ also means people are uniquely vulnerable to reputational pressure. We need to understand that environment better.”
The survey closes on 30 November and its findings will be published in early 2025.