Nexus Between Artistic Freedom And Human Rights: An International Perspective

Keerthana Krishna & Gokulnath Shanmugam, Sastra Deemed To Be University, Thanjavur

ABSTRACT:

“Any act of the mind that flows pure and free, is art, for freedom is the soul of art”. Art is one of the most basic forms of emotion a human being expresses in this world. But, it becomes a form of oppression when the freedom over art an artist has, gets curtailed for various reasons.

Art is a medium of expression of culture and values. This article is based on recognition of artistic freedom as universal human right and the repercussions artists go through for channelising their thoughts, opinions and views. This article will deal with freedom of expression in an international perspective for various forms of arts. This is especially true in the field of public international law, where jurists have maybe not given enough attention to the concept of freedom of expression as a whole. It also covers and compares incidents that happened worldwide. The way in which politics and religion is seen in two different perspectives by the artists and the oppressors are also covered under this article. Real life experiences of artists in various forms are also dealt with. This article finally takes on how laws that limit the freedom of speech should be applied by an independent body, without bias or arbitrariness, with proper safeguards against misuse, as well as the opportunity for appeal and remedy. These are crucial factors to take into account in light of the ongoing obstacles to artistic freedom, since restrictions imposed on this right through the implementation of legal and administrative actions frequently do not meet the aforementioned requirements.

Keywords: Art, Freedom, Artists, Expression, Human Rights.