Feminist up/art Rising

Uprising / Art Rising: Feminist Artivism Fellowship

Application Period: 8-28 May 2026

 

The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) invites artists working in visual arts, theatre, film/video, digital or interdisciplinary arts to be part of the Uprising / Art Rising: Feminist Artivism Fellowship.

In 2025, APWLD collaborated with artists from the region and globally to co-create a space that highlighted the voices and lived experiences of women in the context of debt and economic inequality. This collaboration among artists, activists, and feminists resulted in On Debt Row: A Multidisciplinary Art Exhibition on Debt and Its Impact on Lives in the Global South. The exhibition centred on debt, amplifying women’s lived realities worldwide and showing how debt shapes and constrains their lives and livelihoods. Held in Sevilla, Spain, it created a space for reflection, dialogue, and collective engagement, demonstrating how creative art activism can make complex political issues more accessible and deeply felt.

This year, APWLD expands this collaboration by launching a feminist creative art activism fellowship that aims to connect and collaborate with five artists in Asia and the Pacific region to co-create art that represents the stories, voices and lived experiences of women in the context of pressing feminist issues such as labour and migration, climate justice, debt, militarism and food sovereignty. The fellowship offers selected artists an opportunity to gain political grounding, collaborate with activists and grassroots organisations, and showcase their work through regional platforms and advocacy spaces.

Interested applicants may apply for individual fellowship or team fellowship. Selected artists/team will be given a stipend of 3,000 USD to cover the expenses for their work according to the pitch they submitted and subsequently co-developed/approved by APWLD. 

The duration of the fellowship will be from June to November 2026. During this period, the fellows will be paired up with an APWLD programme  that will provide them with teach-in sessions/discussions on the issues they have selected to focus on. They will also be linked to APWLD members or partners in their respective countries for additional guidance. The fellows will produce atleast one creative output/artwork of any formats based on their co-created/co-developed plans with APWLD programmes and members, with a feminist lens that highlights experiences and voices of women and their communities. Fellows may also be invited to attend APWLD events or activities that are relevant to the topic they are pursuing, either virtually or in-person. In October, the fellows will travel to Bangkok, Thailand to bring their work and be part of the Uprising / Art Rising: A Feminist Art Space. In November, as the fellowship wraps up, the fellows will have an online reflection meeting to reflect on their engagement as artist fellows with APWLD. These outputs will be promoted/featured in APWLD’s exhibitions, communications, and broader advocacy and movement-building efforts.

While the fellowship is mainly coordinated by the Feminist Voice: Information and Communications Programme, relevant programmes will also support in guiding the artists assigned to their programmes by providing discussions/sessions or inviting the fellows to any activities that will help sharpen the fellow’s analyses. They will also support the linking/pairing of fellows with relevant APWLD members/partners in the fellows’ country/context. 

APWLD, a regional feminist, membership-driven network with over 313 members from 31 countries and territories across Asia and the Pacific, is committed to building feminist movements to advance women’s human rights and Development Justice. If you are passionate about covering feminist, progressive movements and challenging structural globalised inequalities, please consider applying to this opportunity. 

 

Objectives of this fellowship

  • To deepen artists’ feminist analyses and political grounding by equipping the fellow with PGFM analysis and other critical frameworks to connect their creative outputs with broader structural issues and advocacy goals.
  • To produce and showcase impactful feminist artworks by supporting fellows in creating works that contribute to campaigns, exhibitions, and public engagement initiatives of both APWLD and its members.
  • To foster solidarity among artists, activists and feminists by bridging them to collaborate and have shared learning experiences.

 

Suggested Themes/Topic to focus on

This year’s grant will support artists who will produce/create on the following themes: 

Feminist Economic Justice

Explore and creatively interpret the impact of public and private debt on women’s livelihoods, privatisation of public services, austerity and resistance to illegitimate debt in the Asia Pacific region

Climate Justice

Explore and creatively interpret feminist demands and grassroots women’s leadership in climate action, environmental defense and energy transitions, and how they counter corporate pushback and extractivist economies.

Peace and Justice

Explore and creatively interpret the links between militarism, surveillance, occupation and extractive economies with the repression of women human rights defenders and feminist movements

Food Sovereignty

Explore and creatively interpret on the intersections of agroecology, land rights, indigenous food systems, community food autonomy and feminist resistance against industrial agriculture, neoliberal trade regimes and corporate capture of food systems.

Feminist Trade Justice

Explore and creatively interpret the intersections of women’s human rights, women’s livelihoods and trade and corporate capture

Labour and Migration

Explore and creatively interpret the intersections of women’s human rights, labour and migration.

 

How does the fellowship work?

Selected fellows will be invited to join an online welcome and briefing session in June. During this virtual session, fellows will be introduced to APWLD, its work and analysis using the Patriarchy, Globalisation, Fundamentalisms and Militarism (PGFM) framework, Theory of Change, and Feminist Development Justice. Fellows will also present their pitches and finalise them based on APWLD’s collective feedback. 

During the fellowship, fellows may have the opportunity to be invited to online or in-person APWLD events and activities that may be relevant to the theme they are working on. Fellows are also expected to be part of and bring their completed work to the Uprising / Art Rising: A Feminist Art Space in Bangkok, Thailand in October. The Uprising / Art Rising: A Feminist Art Space is a physical space that is collectively created by feminists and activists, led by APWLD, to showcase the work of artists and stories of women and their communities in the region and provide a site for collaboration, experimentation and healing, strengthening a vibrant ecosystem where art continues to inspire, challenge, and sustain feminist struggles within the region. 

Each fellow/team  will be paired up with an APWLD programme  that will provide them with teach-in sessions/discussions on the issues they have selected to focus on. They will also be linked to APWLD members or partners in their respective countries for additional guidance. The fellows will produce at least one creative output/artwork of any formats based on their co-created/co-developed plans with APWLD programmes and members, with a feminist lens that highlights experiences and voices of women and their communities. 

At the end of the fellowship, fellows will be required to submit a documentation report that details the process of their work, experience and reflect on their learning. They will also be invited to join an online reflection meeting to reflect on their engagement as artist fellows with APWLD. 

 

Expectations from the Fellows

Fellows are expected to produce/create any form of art, based on their pitch and agreement with APWLD during the fellowship period. Fellows will retain creative ownership of their work while collaborating with APWLD to ensure alignment with feminist principles and movement objectives.

  • Attend the virtual welcome and briefing session in June 2026
  • Attend and engage in APWLD/civil society activities or meetings when necessary, as guided by APWLD
  • Ensure completion of their creative process /work by October, in time for the Uprising / Art Rising: A Feminist Art Space
  • Travel to Bangkok, Thailand for the  Uprising / Art Rising: A Feminist Art Space
  • Attend the virtual reflection meeting in November
  • Be in close, regular communications with APWLD programmes and members
  • Submit the full documentation and financial report after completing all the requirements
  • Submit photos and a one-minute reel of their creative process and completed work for social media posting

 

APWLD Roles and Responsibilities

  • During the fellowship, APWLD will provide a stipend of 3,000 USD fellows (individual and team) to cover expenses for production, according to plans co-developed with and approved by APWLD. 
  • APWLD will provide continuous support to the fellows in shaping their work and analysis and providing feedback on their work before completion.
  • APWLD will feature and promote the fellows’ work and process on its social media, website and other APWLD publications where fit. 
  • APWLD has the right to use creative work and documentation on our digital platforms (website and social media), our publications and other printed materials, exhibitions and other advocacy spaces where we see fit, either in excerpt or in complete form.

 

Selection

Selection Criteria

  • The fellowship is open to artists in visual arts, theatre, film/video, digital or interdisciplinary arts from Asia and the Pacific region.
  • Experience in producing creative work on women’s human rights, grassroots movements and development issues 
  • Five (5) applicants will be selected for this feminist creative art activism fellowship. Both individual and team applications are accepted, however the grant remains the same at 3,000 USD. In case of a team, application should be made in the name of both co-applicants. 
  • Strength and feasibility of the proposed concept, including its relevance to the selected theme and potential contribution to feminist movements and advocacy.
  • Commitment to feminist movement building.
  • Must be able to travel overseas as required.
  • Proficient in English and a language from the Asia or the Pacific region.

 

Application

The applicant should submit an expression of interest with the following documents:

  1. Completed application form (this includes CV, pitch, budget and sample work)