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I’m an American artist, activist, & freelance journalist based in Spain. My work intersects artistic freedom, digital rights, body politics, identity, and memory.

Upcoming and Recent Events, News, and Publications!

Emma Shapiro is an artist, writer, and digital rights advocate working at the intersection of art, policy, and online freedom of expression. After launching Exposure Therapy to challenge censorship and body bias, she now leads Don’t Delete Art, an internationally recognized platform ensuring artists are recognized as cultural rights defenders and included in global digital policy.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA in Painting),I bring a multidisciplinary approach to my practice, blending art, advocacy, and participatory projects to confront issues of censorship, body image, digital rights, and personal agency.

As the Co-Founder of The Body Room, a participatory art installation designed to promote radical self-care and body image reflection, I have focused on creating spaces for healing and dialogue. Most recently, The Body Room was installed at Goldsmiths University of London, where it invited audiences to engage with body politics and artistic expression. My art has recently been featured at Unit London in the groundbreaking “Sensitive Content” exhibition and at Abierto Valencia, one of Spain’s premier contemporary art festivals. Additionally, I was honored to receive the Premier Premio Llibro Artistica for my artist's book CUT OUT.

Explore my art practice

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ART

Artist

People attending an art gallery workshop or lecture, seated and listening to a woman speaking into a microphone. The room has artworks on the walls and a group of inquisitive listeners.

Advocate

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ACTIVISM

As Editor-At-Large for Don’t Delete Art, I direct campaigns, create content, and represent the initiative at international talks and panels. This global platform defends artistic freedom by raising awareness of censorship on digital platforms and supporting artists whose work has been unjustly removed. My work with Don’t Delete Art aims to amplify the voices of artists and foster critical dialogue around the rights of creators in the digital sphere. I have been asked to speak and lead panels with organizations and programs such as RightsCon, the World Ethical Data Forum, Woodhull Freedom Foundation, EFF, the NYC Independent Art Fair, and London Drawing Group.

In addition to this, I founded Exposure Therapy, an international project that advocates for body equality and artistic freedom. Using symbolic interventions like stickers and personal protest tools, Exposure Therapy challenges body bias and censorship on digital platforms and has reached audiences in over 40 countries.

Find out more about Exposure Therapy and Don’t Delete Art

WRITING

In addition to my artistic practice, I’ve written over 40 published articles on art censorship and the intersection of art and digital rights. My work has been featured in outlets such as Hyperallergic, The Art Newspaper, and Freemuse’s State of Artistic Freedom report. As a journalist, I focus on the nuanced and often urgent conversations surrounding creativity, digital platforms, and feminist issues.

FIND ALL MY PUBLISHED ARTICLES HERE

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Writing

Upcoming & Recent Events, Publications, and Interviews

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