The Invasion of Ukraine

Update from Arts Council England on working with companies and artists from Russia and Belarus.

Creativity and Culture are a public good which have benefited from centuries of international cooperation and exchange, and which we should continue to foster and promote. 

This update is intended for cultural organisations and individual practitioners who are currently planning, preparing or presenting work in England which involves companies or individuals from Russia or Belarus. It is also intended for those cultural organisations and individual practitioners who are planning projects in Russia or Belarus.

This update has no formal status. We strongly recommend that you seek your own legal advice before taking action, particularly where this might involve cancelling public performances, exhibitions, loans or individual contracts. Please note that unfortunately the Arts Council is not able to provide any financial support to organisations or individuals for costs that organisations may incur relating to decisions to cancel performances or similar activity.

The Arts Council has issued a statement expressing solidarity with our colleagues at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and deploring the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. As underlined by Nadine Dorries MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, we believe that the cultural sector in this country can play an important role in putting pressure on the Putin regime to end the invasion of Ukraine. We have already seen so many cultural organisations and practitioners showing their solidarity and support for Ukraine in a variety of different ways.

We do not believe that this invasion is in the name of the Russian people and, as such, we welcome any actions you choose to take which are focussed on Russian and Belarusian state-sponsored and/or state-funded organisations and activities in the UK. 

We suggest that: 

• Venues and promoters consider immediately cancelling any planned events in this country which involve Russian or Belarus state-sponsored and/or state-funded organisations.
• Producers and promoters consider immediately cancelling any planned tours, performances or co-productions in Russia or Belarus with state-sponsored and/or state-funded venues or companies. 
• Museums consider immediately cancelling any forthcoming loans of artworks or artefacts from state-sponsored and/or state-funded collections in Russia or Belarus, and, where necessary, cancelling or revising exhibitions to exclude such input.
• Museums consider immediately withdrawing permission for any objects from their own collections to be exhibited in state-sponsored and/or state-funded exhibitions in Russia or Belarus.
• Organisations assess any recent or pledged donations from individuals on the government’s sanction list  (see list here) and/or who have clear links to the Russian or Belarusian states or current Russian actions.
• Organisations and venues in England continue to engage with artists of Russian/Belarusian heritage or dual Russian/Belarusian and UK (or other) citizenship where those artists do not have a known/declared link to the Putin regime - this includes a duty of care to their own Russian/ Belarusian employees who are valued members of the UK cultural sector. 
• Organisations do not require Russian/Belarussian artists to issue a statement condemning the war in Ukraine as a condition of contract. The issuing of such statements may endanger the lives, livelihoods and liberty of those artists and their families.

This note will be updated as necessary.