ART for The World’s activities are based on the ideals of Human Rights, Dignity, Freedom, Peace and Solidarity enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as proclaimed as fundamental values by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Therefore, since its foundation, ART for The World’s major commitment has been to organize events (art exhibitions, cinema, concerts, conferences and lectures, etc.) in close collaboration with the artists' community and with the international institutions such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), the High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR), the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, as well as NGOs such as SESC Sao Paulo, or Deepalaya Foundation in New Delhi.
ART for The World is a direct outgrowth of the exhibition Dialogues of Peace conceived to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. From then onwards, many projects have been organized in collaboration with international institutions to foster the defense and knowledge of Human Rights around the world. ART for The World’s initiatives indissolubly join aesthetic as well as humanitarian purposes, with a view to raising public attention on the issues that stir up our society:
- 2008 Stories on Human Rights (60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
- 2005 Donna Donne (10th Anniversary of the Beijing Conference)
- 2001 The Overexcited Body, Art and Sport in Contemporary Society (in the context of the UN program of the Elimination for Racial Discrimination)
- 2000-01 Alfredo Jaar, The Silence -The Rwanda project (50th Anniversary of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees)
- 2000 onwards Playgrounds&Toys (50th Anniversary of the the UN High Commissioner for Refugees)
- 2000 Art and Social Realities (in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in the context of the 2000 International Summit on Social Development)
- 1998-99 The Edge of Awareness (50th Anniversary of the World Health Organization)
2008 Stories on Human Rights
Born under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – Stories on Human Rights is a film project created and produced in 2008 by ART for The World on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The long feature is composed by 22 short-movies by filmmakers and artists from all over the world (S. Bodrov, Z. Jia, P. Trapero, A. Weerasethakul, M. Abramovic, A. Sissako, etc.). Each short is based on one of the themes highlighted in the Universal Declaration: culture, development, dignity and justice, environment, gender and participation. The film has been screened in approximately 50 festivals around the world as well as in museums, in cultural institutions and in public screenings in different cities around the word.