Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival
In Solidarity: An International Celebration of Arts and Human Rights
“In a world where human rights continue to be under attack, Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival sets out to celebrate the people who have stood up for them around the world and throughout history, and highlight the role artists can play in promoting a more just society.”
– Kevin Courtney, Irish Times
We are thrilled to announce that the programme for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival has been launched. Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders, alongside a range of partners, present the international Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival from 13 to 22 October, 2023. The festival features exciting and innovative events that promote equality, human rights, and diversity through the arts. It takes place in Dublin, Kerry, Donegal, and Cork, with artists and speakers in attendance from Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. The aim of the festival is to showcase and highlight the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world, past and present, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today.The artistic curator for the festival is Mary Moynihan, Artistic Director, Smashing Times, and the human rights curator is Laura O’Leary, International Events and Promotions Coordinator, Front Line Defenders. The festival is supported by The Arts Council of Ireland and is a hybrid programme delivered over 10 days. It hosts an exciting blend of events happening in person and online, reaching audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. The festival comprises 21 live performances, six exhibitions, nine talks or panel discussions, four installations, three workshops, three film screenings, two partner exchanges, one podcast, and one radio documentary. Events are taking place across 17 different venues, involving 29 different organisations nationwide. There is something for everyone interested in the arts for equality, human rights, and diversity. Join us to illuminate stories of courage and inspiration and to share stories of ordinary people who stand up for human rights. We bear witness to and remember the past, explore the present, and celebrate the future, linking with equality, human rights, and diversity.
Key live performances include States of Independence, a live multidisciplinary performance featuring indoor and outdoor elements inspired by the Decade of Centenaries to today, with pieces written by Mary Moynihan and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues, a monologue show featuring the stories of human rights defenders who are commemorated at the Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens, written by Mary Moynihan; and Theatre in Palm Changemaker Festival within a Festival, a series of talks, workshops and live performances featuring presentations and work by artists in the Theatre in Palm project.
Key exhibitions include Eternal Rebels, a multidisciplinary, by artists Mary Moynihan, Amna Walayat and Hina Khan featuring visual art, film, photography and poetry and is a visual and poetic reflection on the stories of change-makers in Irish history from the Decade of Centenaries to today; Remember the Defenders: A Photo Exhibition, highlighting 10 Human Rights Defenders around the world who have done courageous work protecting human rights; and The Art of Change, featuring photography and poetry artworks and portraits of Human Rights Defenders around the world.