The death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny last month, after years of confinement in a Siberian jail, and subsequent quelling of protest, emphasised the flourishing of censorship across a globe riven by geopolitical crises, in a year when democracy is put to the test in more than 70 countries. With the threat of electoral misinformation being boosted by AI-generated content and social media algorithms, artists have been warning of new kinds of censorship. The effect is being felt in real life, online and in social media

Artist Dominique Simmons opted to remove her work from an exhibition at Arkansas Tech University after hundreds of students marched in protest against its presence on campus

PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, with funds from the Frankenthaler and Warhol foundations, has given more than $180,000 in grants to help affected artists with emergency needs and to keep practising

The renowned conceptual artist’s latest public art piece, a collaboration with PEN America, comes after after shocking attacks on authors and journalists in the US

The US president will travel to the oil-rich nation he once labelled a “pariah” and meet with its leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

The foundation’s grants will be distributed through partnerships with PEN America and the World Monuments Fund

The letter, signed by more than 300 well-known figures in the arts, adds pressure to calls for the Cuban government to let artists live and work freely

Non-profit organisation cites a “skyrocketing’’ number of individuals around the globe needing help with on-the-ground strategies or relocation