General News

New Restrictions on International Artists and Academics Visiting the UK

The Home Office recently introduced new restrictions on international artists and academics visiting the UK for talks, temporary exhibitions, concerts or artists’ residencies. Visitors now have to submit to a series of arduous and expensive procedures to get their visa, and then more bureaucratic controls when they are in the UK. Already a series of concerts and residencies have been cancelled.

The Manifesto Club is coordinating a campaign against these regulations. The campaign is led by Manick Govinda, artists’ adviser at Artsadmin, and has won support from artists, musicians, gallery directors, academics and students. Together we call for these parochial and suspicious regulations to be reconsidered, and affirm the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to UK cultural and intellectual life.The petition was launched with a letter in the Observer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2009/feb/22/9) signed by high-profile arts figures including artist Antony Gormley, Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, and Nicholas Hytner, director of the Royal National Theatre.

To read a little more about this petition visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/22/immigration-arts-gormley You too can join the campaign and sign the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/MCvisit/petition.htmlTo read testimonials about how these new regulations have already began to affect art practice in the UK visit: http://www.manifestoclub.com/visitingartists