About ART

In 1999, poet Antjie Krog wrote that attending the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa was like being present at the birth of a new language. Today, we find ourselves at another critical moment of global transition.

As post-truth politics, populism, climate change, rising inequality, and conflict challenge traditional institutions, expert opinion is questioned, truth as a category is questioned, and audiences—including the wider public—feel disconnected from human rights. While established frameworks for human rights protection are under siege, new languages and idioms are struggling to be born.

Art Rights Truth (ART) responds to this moment by examining the role of the arts in human rights practice, exploring how creative collaborations can build these emerging idioms.

Building on earlier research led by the Centre for Applied Human Rights (CAHR)—chiefly Arctivism and Development Alternatives—the project has supported 34 artists and activists across 21 countries. These collaborations have generated diverse artistic outputs, including films (Future Collaboration, Young Voices), dance pieces (Naturaleza en armonía), regional exhibitions (Enlovini), and events such as the Bodies on the Line in October 2023.

Project Timeline (2022–2025)

Hosted by CAHR at the University of York, ART collaborated with project partners including Yorkshire Sculpture Park, CIVICUS, and Amnesty International. The research was structured in three phases: