The meeting entitled “Work or Dissent? That Is the Dilemma” will take place in Foggia on Thursday 30 April at 6:30 p.m. at the Palazzetto dell’Arte “Andrea Pazienza”.

The event, promoted by We Hate Pink, the feminist community that has for years created spaces for discussion for those working in the creative, media, and communication sectors, marks the opening of the new 2026 season of meetings, dedicated to the increasingly complex relationship between work, identity, and the possibility of dissent. In the worlds of communication and creativity, often regarded as progressive, deep contradictions are now emerging: precarity, invisible labour, abuse of power, expectations of constant availability, and a narrative that tends to conflate personal worth with productivity.

“Work or Dissent?” arises precisely from the need to pause, question these models, and create a space in which dissent is not an isolated act, but a shared practice.

«The issue of dissent in creative work cannot be separated from a broader reflection on the structural conditions in which workers in the sector operate. Far too often, in environments that define themselves as progressive, freedom of expression remains a privilege reserved for those who hold established positions of power, while those in precarious conditions are effectively forced into a form of self-censorship in order to preserve their jobs. This mechanism constitutes a substantial form of discrimination, even when it does not take the explicit forms provided for by current legislation», declares Assunta Di Matteo, Equality Councillor of the Province of Foggia.

«The role of the Equality Councillor was created precisely to safeguard those spaces in which inequality manifests itself in systemic ways and is difficult to trace back to individual episodes. The creative and communication sectors are no exception; indeed, they display specific dynamics linked to the informality of employment relationships, the difficulty of documenting abuse and pressure, and a professional culture that tends to normalise exploitation in the name of passion or vocation. It is necessary for these realities to be brought to public attention and addressed with appropriate tools, beginning with the full recognition of contractual rights and the promotion of working environments in which dissent can be expressed without consequences», Di Matteo concludes.

This is an opportunity open to the city to reflect on an increasingly pressing question: is it possible to work without giving up one’s values?

The event will also mark the closing moment of the RealAds exhibition, a curatorial project that reinterprets advertising through a queer lens, challenging stereotypes and traditional visual codes.

It is a choice fully consistent with the theme of the evening: it is not enough to change the images if the working conditions that produce them do not also change.

Programme
6:30 p.m. – Introduction
6:40 p.m. – Panel and discussion
7:30 p.m. – Networking

The meeting will be introduced by Rossella Forlè, founder of We Hate Pink, and will feature professionals from the creative and cultural sectors: Assunta Di Matteo, Equality Councillor of the Province of Foggia; Daria Kirpach, illustrator and the curators of the RealAds exhibition.

We Hate Pink is a platform that brings together professionals working in communication, creativity, and the media, with the aim of questioning the cultural and professional models of the sector and building more conscious and inclusive alternatives.

With this new cycle of events, We Hate Pink brings to Foggia —the first stop on a journey that will continue in Rome, Milan, and London— a debate that now runs throughout the entire creative industry: the one between adaptation and the possibility of dissent.

https://www.wehatepink.org/italiano

Useful information:
Palazzetto dell’Arte “Andrea Pazienza”, Foggia
30 April 2026
6:30 p.m.
Free event, open to the public.
Registration on Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/zw3jtkaa

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