Artists at Risk

Artists at Risk Artists at Risk (AR) is an institution at the intersection of human rights and the arts. A Mondial Institution for Art Practitioners at Risk.

🎤 ART DÜSSELDORF Talks“Art versus politics: a renewed old power struggle?”withIvor Stodolsky - Artists at Risk (AR) Co-F...
20/04/2026

🎤 ART DÜSSELDORF Talks

“Art versus politics: a renewed old power struggle?”

with

Ivor Stodolsky - Artists at Risk (AR) Co-Founder and Co-Director
Lars Hendrik Beger - Editor magazine Corso at Deutschlandfunk.
Georg Schöllhammer - Head of tranzit.at, author, curator and editor-in-chief of the magazine Springerin
Moderated by
Sebastian Frenzel - Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Monopol.
Thanks to Kathrin Luz for the excellent conversation with great friends and colleagues!

We’re proud that Artists at Risk (AR) / Ecologists at Risk (ER) has been selected for the Creative Europe programme, one...
16/04/2026

We’re proud that Artists at Risk (AR) / Ecologists at Risk (ER) has been selected for the Creative Europe programme, one of two Finland-based projects, bringing a total of €1.6 million in funding to Finland.

This support will strengthen the resilience of artists and creative professionals, fostering preparedness in times of heightened threats of war and terror, and building resilience in the face of growing authoritarian tendencies and escalating ecological emergencies.

Congratulations to all the selected projects and partners!

BOGOTÁ: Inaugurating the Ecologists at Risk (ER) Latin America Residency Network (ER-RRAL) 🌿Led by Perpetuum Mobile (PM)...
04/04/2026

BOGOTÁ: Inaugurating the Ecologists at Risk (ER) Latin America Residency Network (ER-RRAL) 🌿

Led by Perpetuum Mobile (PM), Ecologistas en Riesgo (ER) - Red de Residencias en América Latina (ER-RRAL), in Spanish, brings together representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean, founding a continental support network for eco-cultural practitioners at risk.

👥 The Finnish Ambasaddor Eija Rotinen opened the event by highlighting the importance of cooperation among civil society, cultural institutions and diplomatic actors. Co-Directors Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky introduced the work of Perpetuum Mobile (PM), including Artists at Risk (AR) and the new Ecologists at Risk (ER) network, a long-term initiative supported by grants from the Nordic Culture Fund’s Globus and Globus Forward Programmes.

💬 Hosting organisations from across the region participated, including the

▪ Wuasikamas project, with the Inga indigenous leader Hernando Chindoy, which transformed illicit poppy cultivation into sustainable agriculture in Colombia;
▪ Kibii Foundation, with researcher Nicholaas Pinas, which works to preserve Maroon cultural heritage in Suriname;
▪ Pukañawi association, with by Humberto Mancilla, which uses film to defend human rights in Bolivia;
▪ Plataforma Caníbal, with Jaider Orsini, a community-based platform in Barranquilla, on Colombia's Caribbean coast;
▪ ER-RRAL’s first ER-Resident at Plataforma Caníbal, Ulises Matamoros, presented his work on the preservation of the Ngiba language through community digital repositories in Mexico;
▪ R.A.R.O. shared its cross-border residency model through a visit to its studios in Bogotá, a site once marked by privatization and now reclaimed by artists;
▪ Casa Sanacion Montana Mujeres with Bertha Neris, a safe haven for women in La Calera Mountains;
▪ ArteSumapaz Foundation with Peppa Herrera and Ric Dragon, shared their vision of an intentional community and sculpture park in Cundinamarca.

Stay tuned as ER-RRAL continues to grow!

Lives of Artists at Risk: Fatima Khaliqi & Masiha Khaliqi After nearly three years of fear, hiding and uncertainty, the ...
03/04/2026

Lives of Artists at Risk: Fatima Khaliqi & Masiha Khaliqi

After nearly three years of fear, hiding and uncertainty, the Afghan actress Fatima Khaliqi and her daughter, actress Masiha Khaliqi, have safely arrived in Germany with their family through the longstanding efforts of the Artists at Risk (AR) Afghanistan Team.

Their arrival is a moment of relief, after the excruciatingly long wait for the results of the German Federal Admission Program (BAP). Their story is a reminder that for artists, especially women artists in Afghanistan, the dangers are horrific, ongoing and life-threatening.

Both Fatima and Masiha Khaliqi were active in Afghan television before August 2021. Following the Taliban’s return to power, their public visibility as women artists made them targets of persecution, forcing the family into years of invisibility and living under constant threat.

While we welcome this family’s safe arrival, hundreds of Afghan artists remain trapped. Many were registered under BAP for years. This programme has now been closed for all new cases under the current conservative German government.

We welcome Fatima and Masiha Khaliqi and their family to Germany and wish them safety, rest and recovery after years of fear.

AR-Resident Olga Karpenko’s “Helsinki–Kyiv” exhibition opening soon in Helsinki!Join us at Myymälä2 for “Helsinki–Kyiv”,...
30/03/2026

AR-Resident Olga Karpenko’s “Helsinki–Kyiv” exhibition opening soon in Helsinki!
Join us at Myymälä2 for “Helsinki–Kyiv”, the first solo exhibition in Finland by Ukrainian artist and AR-Safe Haven resident Olga Karpenko.

📍 Myymälä2,Uudenmaankatu 23 F, HELSINKI 00120
🗓 9–19 April 2026, Wed-Sat 12-18, Sun 12-17, Mon-Tue Closed
✨ Opening: 8 April, 17:00–19:00

Through watercolors, Karpenko presents a visual chronicle of her life across two cities, one where vital everyday infrastructure is protected, and another where it remains under constant threat, reflecting on the value of normal life itself. Her practice is rooted in attentive observation of urban spaces, natural elements and infrastructure as essential frameworks enabling human existence. Since 2022, her work has responded to life in Ukraine during war.
Learn more about the exhibition here: https://www.myymala2.com/?p=10606

Olga Karpenko is a Ukrainian graphic artist, a psychologist-consultant, who holds a Master of Mathematics and a PhD in the field of socionics. She also is the author of the monograph “Statics-Dynamics in Graphics and Picture Tests” (2018), which explores the concepts of statics and dynamics in graphics, painting and socionics.
Learn more about AR-Safe Haven resident Olga Karpenko: https://artistsatrisk.org/2026/03/24/ar-resident-olga-karpenko/

Thanks to The City of Helsinki, The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency, and the Ministry of Education and Culture for their support! We also warmly thank Myymälä2 and curators Ramiro Carmelo and Krista Mikkola for making this possible!

BERLIN this FRIDAY: Join us for dialogue and dance at the Humboldt Forum! Curator and artist Barış Seyitvan engages in c...
25/03/2026

BERLIN this FRIDAY: Join us for dialogue and dance at the Humboldt Forum! Curator and artist Barış Seyitvan engages in conversation with AR’s Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen followed by a DJ set by Alissa Zaddi.

Come along for a chat, a drink and dance at this informal format of a “Späti” - a Berlin street-side kiosk with beer and benches.

🎤 Späti: Art, Freedom and Protection - Conversation with Artists at Risk (AR) and Barış Seyitvan
🗓 Friday, 27 March 2026
⏰ 16:30 – 19:00
📍 Mechanical Arena (Foyer), Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte.
🎟 Free admission

Barış Seyitvan is a former AR-Resident at AR-Safe Haven Helsinki and AR-ZKM Karlsruhe whose practice explores history, ecology, politics, migration and the transnational realities of the Kurdish experience. He was also an artist in the Artists at Risk Pavilion - UNESCO, Venice (watch the performance here: https://virtual.artistsatrisk.org)

Alissa Zaddi is a Berlin-based underground DJ known for her experimental and genre-blending approach to dance music.

Together with Solvej Helweg Ovesen, Program Curator of the Humboldt Forum, Bariş Seyitvan and AR’s directors will reflect on the Kurdish experience and the current realities of ethnic cleansing, exile and artistic freedom. Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky will also describe Perpetuum Mobile (PM)’s ongoing quest to support artists at risk worldwide — including expanding AR’s work to new sister-programes such as Ecologists at Risk (ER).

A big thank you to the Humboldt Forum for its ongoing engagement.

Read about the event on Humboldt Forum’s website: https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/termin/talk/art-freedom-and-protection-conversation-with-artists-at-risk-and-baris-seyitvan-161191/

✨ Artists at Risk (AR) Opening IrídiaFest 2026Artists at Risk (AR) is honored to open the fourth edition of IrídiaFest 2...
12/03/2026

✨ Artists at Risk (AR) Opening IrídiaFest 2026

Artists at Risk (AR) is honored to open the fourth edition of IrídiaFest 2026 in Barcelona with a conversation on art, protection and human rights.

In the opening session of the festival, Artists at Risk (AR) Co-Directors Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky will join Anaïs Franquesa, director of Irídia, for a conversation about how art can sustain lives in situations of repression and violence, and why protecting artistic voices is essential in times of crisis. Together, they will reflect on culture not only as a refuge, but as a space for protest, responsibility and collective resistance.

The session continues with the Iranian writer Mahsa Mohebali and journalist, theatre director and actor Hossein Zoghi, both currently exiled in Catalonia and hosted by AR/ER-No Callarem – Barcelona. In conversation with Agus Morales (Revista 5W), they will discuss the current situation in Iran, culture as a form of resistance in the fight against censorship and the urgent need to bear witness despite the risks this may bring.

📍 Friday, March 13 at 18:30 — CCCB, Barcelona

✊💬 Come for the conversation — and stay for the music.

🎧 The festival continues Saturday, March 14 at Paral·lel 62, with a lineup bridging electronic music and Mediterranean traditions featuring Aïta Mon Amour, Faixa, DJ Hajar, and Baiuca.

👉🔗 More at this link:

https://www.cccb.org/en/w/activities/art-under-threat
A warm thanks to Anaïs Franquesa and the whole crew at Iridia, our partners NoCallarem and the CCCB, as well as Agus Morales and everyone who made this event possible!

Issa Touma’s return to AR-Helsinki!Touma is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker whose work is held in major interna...
11/03/2026

Issa Touma’s return to AR-Helsinki!

Touma is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker whose work is held in major international collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and FOMU (Antwerp). His films have received wide international recognition, with 9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo (2016) and Greetings from Aleppo (2017) earning major international awards and screenings at leading festivals worldwide.

Touma was an AR-Resident in Helsinki in 2014–2015. Following his residency, he returned to Aleppo and reopened the LePont Gallery for Contemporary Photography, continuing his commitment to artistic freedom and cultural life in Syria. He has since participated in the Artists at Risk (AR) Pavilion during the 2022 Biennale in Venice. His works are currently showcased in the AR Virtual Pavilion (link in bio!). Recently, the project “Losing Freedom of Choice,” on Syrian youth focusing on war-generation women has concluded after three years.

During this residency in Finland, Touma engaged actively with the AR community and partners: visiting AR–Porvoo; joining fellow AR–Helsinki residents Olga Karpenko and Tatiana Christova at the Ateneum; celebrating the opening festivities of the DocPoint Documentary Film Festival with Soila Valkama from YLE among others and meeting with key cultural and institutional actors such as the Finnish Film Foundation and AVEK Audiovisual Centre. Together with AR Co-Director Marita Muukkonen, he visited the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Parliament of Finland, where they met with MP Eva Biaudet.

We are especially happy to reunite with Tuoma in Helsinki this year as an AR-Resident at Saastamoinen Foundation. It has been a true pleasure to see him again, and to continue our collaboration while witnessing the new work and perspectives that emerged during his stay.

We thank Saastamoinen Foundation, The City of Helsinki, The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency (Kuvi), and the Ministry of Education and Culture for their continued support of AR-Safe Haven Helsinki residents.

Artists at Risk (AR) warmly invites you to an artist talk and film screening with a documentary film director, Tatiana C...
04/03/2026

Artists at Risk (AR) warmly invites you to an artist talk and film screening with a documentary film director, Tatiana Chistova on Tuesday, 10 March, at 5 pm at Rosebud Bookshop Postitalo Mannerheimintie 2, between Kiasma and the main Railway Station.
Join us for a discussion on the current situation in Russia, moderated by Iida Simes, Voima magazine, featuring film excerpts and works in progress by Tatiana Chistova, AR-Safe Haven Helsinki resident.
Drinks and snacks will be provided.
We warmly welcome you and look forward to seeing you at Rosebud Postitalo!
***
Screenings include excerpts from
Convictions Portraying young men refusing Russian conscription (2016) https://www.bezrindas.lv/ru/rpff-parliecibas/4623/
Bless You Exploring life during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) https://dafilms.com/film/13123-bless-you
Frau, Frau, Where is the Road to Pillau? Reflecting on experiences under occupation, past and present. (2012) https://artdoc.media/en/movie/frau__frau__gde_doro_2012_53
Khamidu. Here and There (work in progress) Revealing geopolitical and historical insights by spending a few days seeing the world through the eyes of a plumber during wartime.

The programme includes screeningsand a discussion with the audience.
Tatiana Chistova, from St. Petersburg, is a Russian director, editor, and scriptwriter currently based in Helsinki through the AR-Safe Haven programme with the support of World Organization against Torture (OMCT.) Her work explores memory, conscience, resistance, and human experience in times of conflict. You can read more about Tatiana’s work here: https://artistsatrisk.org/2026/03/02/introducing-ar-resident-tatiana-chistova/

Warm thanks to Rosebud and Voima for hosting the event. Tatiana’s residency is funded by the City of Helsinki, the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency, the Ministry of Education and Culture and OMCT.

❄️ Even at -20°C, our AR-Helsinki network came together for a cozy and creative get-together at the Saastamoinen Foundat...
22/02/2026

❄️ Even at -20°C, our AR-Helsinki network came together for a cozy and creative get-together at the Saastamoinen Foundation!

We made pizza, shared stories, and enjoyed lots of laughs together. 🍕💛

A heartfelt thank you to the Saastamoinen Foundation, our partners, friends, and all the artists who joined – your support and presence made this gathering truly special!

✨ WE ARE AT WORK ✨Residencies in the Performing Arts between Mobility, Practice & CommunityWe are excited to share that ...
19/02/2026

✨ WE ARE AT WORK ✨
Residencies in the Performing Arts between Mobility, Practice & Community

We are excited to share that Artists at Risk (AR) participated in WE ARE AT WORK in Düsseldorf: a two-day gathering dedicated to reflecting on artistic residencies as spaces for experimentation, solidarity, and working on the unexpected.

Supported by the in cooperation with Bündnis Internationaler Produktionshäuser, 21 artists and collectives were enabled to explore new concepts in practice. The event brought everyone together for workshops, talks, performances, and feedback sessions, creating a shared space rooted in curiosity rather than competition.

From the opening panel “Working on the Unexpected. Artistic Work between Rehearsal and Artistic Research” to lightning talks, presentations, and the performance “Expect a Tiger” by Tigers’ Kitchen — the program fostered meaningful exchange on mobility, artistic research, and community-building in the performing arts.

We thank the organizers Fonds Darstellende Künste in cooperation with Bündnis Internationaler Produktionshäuser, hosts FFT Düsseldorf & Tanzhaus NRW and funders Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien and all artists and participants for two inspiring days of dialogue and reflection.

Photos by ​​Robin Junicke.

Introducing @, visual artist, educator, and independent curator from Mexico, and the first ER-Resident in Colombia at !B...
09/02/2026

Introducing @, visual artist, educator, and independent curator from Mexico, and the first ER-Resident in Colombia at !

Born in Puebla, Mexico (1984), Ulises is a community-based, multidisciplinary artist whose practice conceives art as the creation of spaces of resistance, protection, and enunciative autonomy. Rooted in his Ngiba Indigenous origin and worldview, his work spans community arts, research, and collective forms of writing and testimony, challenging hegemonic and imperial narratives.

Due to his cultural and political work, Ulises has faced threats linked to local political violence. Through his practice, he continues to affirm art as a tool for resilience, Indigenous sovereignty, and collective self-determination.

In 2019, together with members of his community, he co-founded Chasen Thajni, a collective space dedicated to the preservation and activation of Indigenous language, memory, and shared histories.

Ulises has received numerous recognitions and grants, including the Gwaertler Stiftung Prize 2025, fellowships and production grants from UNAM–MUAC–SOMA, Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo, FONCA, and PECDA.

Plataforma Caníbal is a Barranquilla-based residency and laboratory that uses community-based practices to critically engage with the landscape and historical memory of the Colombian Caribbean, offering a creative sanctuary for regional artists. We warmly welcome Plataforma Caníbal as they join the AR-Network! Here, Ulises is developing a project within the Laboratory of Imaginative Translation, working with local artists and community members in Barrio Abajo, Barranquilla, with a focus on collective archiving and situated knowledge.

We warmly wish Ulises a safe, meaningful, and productive stay and thank Plataforma Canibal and the Nordic Culture Fund Globus programme for making this possible!

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