Culture and Art
The Open Society Foundations are dedicated to advancing diverse artistic practices and strengthening locally-led cultural spaces around the world.
In Depth Art for Healing
Land, Memory, and the Power of Art
How can communities use art to imagine a better tomorrow that protects and celebrates nature—and the people that live within it? The 2023 Soros Arts Fellows will pursue projects that reckon with the role of socially engaged art in a time of crisis.
![Two figures stand on a bridge dressed in hand-made Indigenous regalia.](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/159b6b06-17fa-4b0f-9528-715a3f62f17d/20231102-cannupa-hanska-luger-futureancestraltechnologies-welive-still1-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&q=80&rect=0%2C125%2C3000%2C1875 "This still from Cannupa Hanska Luger's "Future Ancestral Technologies - We Live" (2021) illustrates the artist’s blending of Indigenous futurism, place, storytelling and documentation of living practice as two figures pledge accountability to the land and waters through their physical presence. Like many projects from this year’s art fellows, the work incorporates knowledge and practice from native communities that live in harmony with nature to imagine how the whole world can improve our relationship with the Earth. Photo credit: © Cannupa Hanska Luger")
Art and Activism
Reimagining January 6th
The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol left him in a cold sweat. Creating a comic book seemed like one way to reach people not obsessively following the news and spark activism to help defend a multicultural democracy.
Art During Wartime
“Warriors of Light”
The world knew all too little about the art and culture of Ukraine prior to Russia’s all-out invasion. The war has changed that—and demonstrated the power of art as a tool of resistance.
Documentary Films
Q&A: Harnessing the Power of Documentary Storytelling
Orwa Nyrabia, artistic director of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, talks to Open Society about his experiences in Syria as a child and during the war, and its impact on his worldview and creative path
Culture and Arts
Using Crafts to Find Common Ground
David Keefe brings veterans and migrants together to find common ground through the creative art of making paper from uniforms and clothing.
Arts, Culture in Lebanon
Art in a Time of Turmoil: The View from Lebanon
A year ago this August, Beirut was rocked by a deadly explosion, compounding political strife and the toll of COVID-19. How local culture and arts groups’ show of solidarity helped to nourish a devastated nation.
Bring Them Home
Q&A: Racial Justice and Restitution
During a moment of reckoning with the legacies of racism, the African Foundation for Development is working to return objects to Africa that were looted during the eras of colonialism and imperialism.
Inclusion
Q&A: Kazakhstan’s Theater for All
Literal Action, a groundbreaking inclusive theater project in Kazakhstan, is trying to redefine how both audiences and performers understand theater—and unlock its radically inclusive potential.