The adoption, on May 13, 2026, of Law No. 2026-8 on artists and artistic professions marks an important milestone for Tunisia’s cultural sector. Adopted by Parliament in May 2026, the new law is still insufficiently understood and integrated by the various stakeholders concerned.

The law responds to a demand that artists and cultural professionals have been advocating for several decades. In particular, it establishes a legal framework for the recognition of artistic professions, the formalization of professional relationships, access to a professional card, social protection, and support for artistic creation work.

However, a law can only fully achieve its intended impact when it is understood and embraced by those concerned, when the necessary implementing regulations are adopted, and when it is put into practice in ways that reflect professional realities.

The project "The Status of Artists: An Ongoing Discussion" therefore seeks to create a space for dialogue, analysis, and collective reflection on the scope of this new law, its progress and limitations, and the practical conditions required for its implementation.

The project is jointly led by the Faculty of Legal, Political and Social Sciences of Tunis, its research laboratory INCP – Initiative Normes, Culture et Patrimoine, and the association L’Art Rue.

Through a national consultation questionnaire, an agora, and a scientific symposium, the project aims to bring together practical experiences from the field, legal and academic analyses, and the perspectives of institutions and sector stakeholders. Its goal is to contribute to the participatory implementation of the law and to the development of a legal framework that reflects the realities and aspirations of the artistic community.

Three Stages, One Shared Process

The Online Agora

September 10 to October 10, 2026

The Online Agora provides an open space for discussion accessible to everyone. It gives artists, cultural professionals, institutions, and cultural organizations the opportunity to take part in the debate.

It also gives people living in different regions of Tunisia, or those unable to attend the in-person meeting, an opportunity to make their voices heard and contribute to a collective reflection on the future of the sector.

Through the contributions gathered online, the Agora will help document realities on the ground, the challenges faced by artists and cultural professionals, as well as their expectations and proposals regarding the implementation of the law.

>Take part in the Online Agora

The In-Person Agora

Artists and Artistic Professions Today: Experiences, Rights, and Realities on the Ground

The Agora provides a space for dialogue between artists, cultural professionals, researchers, legal experts, institutional representatives, and members of the public centred on Law No. 2026-8 on artists and artistic professions.

It will provide an opportunity to compare the provisions of the law with realities on the ground and to discuss working conditions, social protection, access to a professional card, recognition of different artistic professions, freedom of artistic creation, and the mobility of artists and artworks.

The discussions will draw on lived experiences and real-life situations to identify the sector’s needs, the challenges it faces, and proposals that could support the effective implementation of the law.

The Agora is not simply a space for information about the new legal framework. It is a place for debate and collective thinking, where professional knowledge, artistic experiences, and legal analysis can come together.

>Read the Agora Brief

>Book Your Place at the Agora

The Scientific Conference

The Artist and Their Rights, the Artist Within Their Rights: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Law No. 8/26 of May 13, 2026, on Artists and Artistic Professions

September 22 and 23, 2026

The scientific conference will bring together panels of artists, academics, legal experts, cultural professionals, and institutional representatives to examine Law No. 2026-8 and the issues surrounding its implementation.

The discussions will focus in particular on freedom of artistic creation, the recognition of artistic professions, relationships between artists and institutions, social protection, economic autonomy, taxation, patronage, the mobility of artists, and the conditions for implementing the law.

Particular attention will be paid to the potential gaps between the principles set out in the law and the professional, economic, and institutional realities of the sector. The conference will also explore future developments, particularly those related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and new ways of creating and sharing artistic works.

The conference will be structured around four themes:

Theme 1 — The Artist and Their Work: Meaning and Essence

Theme 2 — Public Institutions and Artistic Creation: Oversight, Control, or Support?

Theme 3 — Patronage, Taxation, and the Artist’s Economic autonomy:  the ideal and the feasible

Theme 4 — The Artist’s Responsibility: Encouragement or Constraint?

>Read the Conference brief