We are happy to present Safemuse’s newest staff member, Kate Ngan Wa Ao who joined our team at the end of March. Kate was an artist in residency with Safemuse in 2023, and returned to Norway in the fall of 2024 as an intern in Safemuse.

Kate Ao is an artist with a background in photography, filmmaking, video, and object art. She completed her art studies, including a practice-based PhD in art in Poland. Her artistic practice often engages with archives and everyday objects to explore complex identities in the contemporary political era and examine how these elements might serve as testimonies of history in the future.

What does artistic freedom mean to you?

– For me, artistic freedom is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately, this right is being increasingly restricted in different parts of the world. At the same time, these restrictions highlight the power of artistic expression and its ability to create new knowledge, encourage questioning, foster empathy, reveal truth, and strengthen solidarity in society. This is why oppressive regimes often try to silence it. Protecting artistic freedom is just as important as defending any other human right.

– As an artist myself, I am excited to have the opportunity to work toward the promotion and protection of artistic freedom; I look forward to providing our artists-in-residence with safe platforms to share their works, ideas, values, and experiences with the world.