Comic Artist Refused Permission to Attend own Book Launch

Comic artist Nikhil Singh, illustrator of the acclaimed Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers recently published by Walker Books, has now been held in South Africa for five months, unable to return to the UK even to attend his own book launch, due to being 'underqualified'.

Although Singh, who was born in South Africa, has been a resident of Hampstead, London for three years, the British Home Office has made the decision not to renew any Artists’ Visas. This means that international artists whose visas have expired must now reapply for a Tier One Highly Skilled Worker Visa, which cannot be obtained without a degree or similar proof of tertiary education.

Singh is just one of many victims of insane regulations brought in by the government which are restricting artistic expression and visiting artists to the UK. As we've previously reported, they are being vigorously challenged by the Manifesto Club who have launched a petition protesting at the regulations.

Despite being a published illustrator of a novel which has been acclaimed by the likes of titles such as Metro, the Financial Times and Sunday Express as well as comic legend Alan Moore, Singh was informed that, as he does not have a degree, he does not qualify for this ‘highly skilled’ visa. He was also made to take an English language test, despite having worked in the UK as a journalist for many years.

“This new legislature speaks poorly of a country previously renowned as an international nexus of arts and culture," argues Nikhil Singh. "The fact that so many academics and artists are being refused entry for such petty reasons only weakens England's cultural backbone.

"The new immigration laws have insinuated an atmosphere of creative policing that is entirely out of character with the various professions it has effected; trades whose universal spirit of free thinking, regardless of nationality, have now been subtly degraded by the very powers which should be nurturing it.”

Paul Gravett, Director of Comica Festival and author of Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life, is infuriated by the Home Office action.

“The refusal of Nikhil Singh's application for a Highly Skilled Worker Visa, resulting in his being unable to attend his own book launch at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, is short-sighted and prejudiced towards the graphic novel medium, and plainly ignores his exceptional merits," he says. "One look at the extraordinary craftsmanship of his illustrative contributions to the acclaimed graphic novel Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers would convince anyone that Nikhil is not only "highly skilled" but a truly visionary artist of international standing.”

Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers launched in a sell-out Salem Spooktacular event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London on Saturday 24th October. Singh, who has now lost his London apartment and who has not seen his girlfriend of seven years for the past five months, is still unable to leave South Africa. He has currently spent over £2,000 appealing this process, and on subsequent reapplications which have all, to date, been refused.

• If you think the government is wrong, join the Manifesto Club's campaign in support of visiting artists at: www.manifestoclub.com/visitingartists

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Visiting Artist Expelled from UK

While the artist mentioned in the report below isn't from the world of comics, the actions taken against her – which have been widely condemned in the past couple of weeks - could affect any comics creator visiting the UK and deserve the widest exposure...

Cristina Winsor, a US citizen and artist from the downtown East Village New York scene innocently arrived in London on Sunday 6th September to visit friends and take part in a free five day The Meaning of Art in the respected east London venue The Foundry - only to be detained for nine hours in a detention centre at Heathrow airport and escorted on an outbound plane back to New York by armed security guards.

Her crime? Carrying two small paintings under her arm, which she wished to exhibit at the festival and with a bit of luck, sell for a few hundred dollars.

"The immigration officials told me that selling my work was illegal without a business visa, and took me to the detention centre for further questioning," says Cristina, a 32-year-old artist living in the East Village, New York, who has exhibited her work across the US.

"I told them I wouldn't sell my paintings if it was against the law,” she continues, “and even offered to leave them at the airport so that I could at least stay in the country and see my friends, and pick them up on my way out. They said they couldn't trust me to have changed my mind so fast, and that they couldn't show me favouritism by holding my paintings until my return flight four days later.

"I then sat in the immigration detention centre for nine hours and was escorted to an outbound flight by security. They only gave me back my passport once I disembarked in JFK airport in NY. I opened my passport to see a little 'barred entry' symbol."

“We’re shocked that someone should be refused entry to the UK because of our festival,” commented Meaning of Arts curator Michael Bucknell. “It's particularly ironic that the meaning of art should turn out to be nine hours detention, and a flight back to the United States.”

Cristina is the latest victim of the new immigration regulations which took full effect in November last year, wreaking havoc on international arts events across the UK, preventing artists, poets and musicians from taking part in numerous festivals and other arts projects. Invited artists from the non-EU area are now required to be “sponsored” by a UK organisation at considerable cost under the new points-based system.

Copies of official documents, such as passport and biometric identification are required to be kept by the host, and should the invited artist’s whereabouts become unknown, the host is legally obliged to inform the UK Borders Agency.

Phil Woolas, Minister for Borders and Immigration introduced the new Business visitors rules last October, stating that with the introduction of “an Australian-style points based system for selective migration, it makes sense to tighten visit visas at the same time.” (Readers may recall it was Woolas who received the full brunt of Joanna Lumley’s successful campaign to enable Gurka soldiers to live in the UK).

“In the past, artists had no problems entering the UK for short visits to participate in arts events," says Manick Govinda, artist producer at Artsadmin and campaigner for the civil liberties group, The Manifesto Club, which has documented victims of the new rules, and who set up a petition against the Home Offices restrictions on non-EU artists (sign here, if you haven't already). "Yet again, these draconian immigration rules criminalize invited artists who pose no security threat and are not robbing British artists of work, yet these are the reasons that the Home Office have given for imposing these jackboot style laws – to prevent terrorism and safeguard British jobs.

"Phil Woolas and the UK Borders Agency have lost all sense of reason.”

Art luminaries, writers and theatre directors such as Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread, Jeremy Deller, Benjamin Zephaniah, Blake Morrison and Nicholas Hytner have signed the petition.

“We’re on course to reaching our target of 10,000 signatures – nearly 8,000 people have already signed up,” says Govinda. “When we have the 10,000 we will send a delegation to Downing Street to submit the petition. The Home Office needs to seriously reconsider these pernicious rules, which are seriously stifling international cultural exchange.”

The Manifesto Club, which also campaigns on a number of other government measures, launched the petition against the Home Office’s restrictions on non-EU artists and academics with a letter to the Observer in February and a Guardian news story and has documented hundreds of incidents where the new immigration rules have devastated arts events (PDF format). The report was launched in a major news story in June 2009 in The Times.

• Manifesto Club Campaign Page: www.manifestoclub.com/visitingartists


• Read and sign the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/MCvisit/petition.html


• Campaign Against Home Office restrictions on non-EU artists and academics on Facebook


• Phil Woolas MP made a public response to protests against the regulations in The Guardian’s Comment is Free

Artist Visa System Protest Launched

The Manifesto Club, which campaigns against the hyper regulation of everyday life and supports free movement across borders, free expression and free association is co-ordinating a campaign against a new artist visa system introduced by the UK Home Office for organisations that wish to invite non-EU artists and academics to the UK.

Campaigners against the new rules argue the proposed regulations will curb invitations to non-EU artists and academics to visit the UK for talks, artist residencies, conferences and temporary exhibitions.

This has already seen the cancellation of events and of course could affect any overseas comic creators attending events such as the MCM Expo, the British International Comic Show and other gatherings.

"As professionals committed to the principles of internationalism and cultural exchange, we are dismayed by these new regulations," say campaigners.

"The system is costly to both the host organisation and to the visitor, and has already meant a number of cancelled exhibitions and concerts."

The campaign is led by Manick Govinda, artists' adviser at Artsadmin, and has won support from artists, musicians, gallery directors, academics and students. Together they are calling for the "parochial and suspicious regulations to be reconsidered, and affirm the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to UK cultural and intellectual life."

A petition was launched with a letter in the Observer, signed by high-profile arts figures including artist Antony Gormley, Sandy Nairne, director of the National Portrait Gallery, and Nicholas Hytner, director of the Royal National Theatre.

Under the new regulations, all non-EU visitors now must apply for a visa in person, and supply biometric data, electronic fingerprint scans and a digital photograph. The Home Office’s 158-page guideline document also outlines new controls over visitors’ day-to-day activity: visitors must show that they have at least £800 pounds of personal savings, which have been held for at least three months prior to the date of their application; the host organisation must keep copies of the visitor’s passport and their UK Biometric Card, and a history of their contact details.

If the visitor does not turn up to their studio or place of work, or their whereabouts is unknown, the organisation is legally obliged to inform the UK Border Agency.

"These Home Office restrictions discriminate against our overseas colleagues on the grounds of their nationality and financial resources, and will be particularly detrimental to artists from developing countries, and those with low income," argue campaigners. "Such restrictions will damage the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to cultural, intellectual and civic life in the UK."

The Manifesto Club, which hopes to achive over 10,000 signatures to its petition, is urging people to not only sign it but also write to their MP in protest.

"Tell them your concerns about the issue, and how it’s affecting artists, scholars and many other professions," they suggest. "If you have been personally/professionally affected give them a brief account of what happened and let them know that the points-based system could have a potentially detrimental effect on the UK’s arts and cultural sector, and it may affect local arts groups and festivals in their constituency."

• Sign the petition here: www.petitiononline.com/MCvisit/petition.html

• Help build support for the petition on Facebook

• Click here for more information about the campaignon the Manifesto Club site

• If you have been (or will be) affected by these regulations, please complete the Manifesto Club campaign’s online survey. This will provide a rich source of material for them to better argue the case and gain more publicity for their campaign.

• NCA's Fact-Sheet on the new regulations