Connecting the Dots: Fair Arts Practice in Contexts
by Phoo Myat Thwe, Kai Brennert & Tanlume Enyatseng
This new publication, commissioned by IETM and written by Kai Brennert and Phoo Myat Thwe from edgeandstory, explores what ‘fair practice’ really looks like in the lived realities of artists and cultural workers across diverse global contexts. Moving beyond policies and checklists, the research investigates how fairness is negotiated day to day within collectives, grassroots spaces, festivals and independent arts organisations in Cambodia, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea.
Through case studies, interviews and participatory reflection, we ask: How do cultural actors define and practise fairness in their own contexts? What challenges do they overcome to sustain it? And what impact do these practices have on their communities? Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all model, the findings reveal fairness as a fluid, relational and often fragile process - rooted in trust, care, resilience and constant adaptation.
As IETM looks ahead to its upcoming Fair Arts School, this publication serves as a learning tool and an invitation: to rethink success, to centre relationships and to continue practising fairness together.
Below you can download 'the Kgotla Method', a zine by Tanlume Enyatseng, Journalist and Cultural Strategist and co-author of the publication: