Free artistic expression

Free artistic expression is the freedom to create and publish artistic works (such as visual art) without censorship. It is closely related to free speech, but explicitly includes nonverbal forms of expression. Typical examples are paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, animated cartoons and films.

The freedom of artistic expression can be limited by various instances such as:

• by (religious) laws that forbid the depiction of e.g.
  • god(s)
  • humans
  • living things in general
• by laws that forbid images that fall under the definitions of:
  • blasphemy
  • obscenity/pornography
  • child pornography
  • graphic violence
  • racism, discrimination, hate propaganda, etc.
• by laws that forbid the publishing of images without explicit permission (license) from:
  • the copyright or trademark holder
  • the person(s) depicted
  • the owner of an object or place depicted
  • governmental agencies, e.g. regarding national security
• by publishers, ISPs, web hosts, webmasters, art galleries, TV stations, etc. (beyond what is demanded by the above mentioned laws)

As with all things, the legal situation varies from state to state, and with time. A work that is perfectly legal and publishable in one country may be illegal and not publishable in another country.

In certain cases, a work may be permitted even if it would otherwise fall under the definitions of forbidden/censored media:

• satire
• fair use
• educational or scientific value
• high artistic value

See also

• free knowledge
• free software
• free culture

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