Akari – Safemuse

Pouya Pour-Amin: An artist’s journey from fear to freedom

Akari — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:33:17 +0000

Pouya Pour-Amin: An artist’s journey from fear to freedom

June 20, 2025

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

Pouya Pour-Amin is a multidisciplinary artist with over twenty years of experience in music, composition, sound design and performance. Born in Tehran in 1983 into a family that worked in the arts, Pouya grew up in a creative environment. His mother was a puppeteer and actress, his father was a cinematographer, and his grandfather was an instrumentalist who played the tar – a traditional Iranian string instrument. Pouya began learning music when he was five years old and by his late teens he was making his own music.

As a university student, he began to study computer science, music and theatre, but dropped out three times because he felt that the studies and academic system did not have much to offer him. He continued to study through self-learning and private teachers. Pouya played the guitar, but his love for the low frequencies led him to take up the double bass, which he coincidentally discovered while studying at the Tehran Conservatory. Later Pouya joined the contemporary chamber orchestra, The Camerada Orchestra, where he spent a decade of tremedous musical growth under the guidance the conductor Kayvan Mirhadi, who had also been his musical teacher. His very first works as a composer were performed by Mirhadi’s orchestra.

Looking back, Pouya’s grandfather, Akbar Jeddikar, and the conductor of the Camerada Orchestra, Kayvan Mirhadi, were his biggest inspirations growing up:

— They were both very special people to me, opened my eyes to the worlds of music and literature and became my window to the world beyond the strict religious Iranian society, he says.

— My grandfather first of all influenced me as a human being. He was not religious and did not believe in God, something which was very rare for his generation and in Iranian society in general. We had a very close relationship. He was open-minded and introduced me to politics and critical thought through his vast collection of literature. Kayvan Mirhadi, the conductor, was also my classical teacher, but did not have the dogma-point-of-view that most educators had. Instead he was wise and had an open view to the arts and to different kinds of music. He introduced me to Western contemporary music, which opened my eyes and made me realise that there was so much to explore and learn, Pouya recalls.

“While living in Iran, I worked a lot in fear. I had to find secret ways, like put my phone in the microwave to avoid being tapped, and I lived under the constant fear of getting in trouble with the authorities.”
— Pouya Pour-Amin

The struggle for artistic freedom

Artists in Iran who refuse to stay silent in the face of the country’s authorities and current sociopolitical situation pay a high price for their expression. Over the last years, the Iranian government has taken on increasingly harsh measures to suppress artistic freedom of expression and exert control over artists through threats, censorship and persecution.

Pouya laments the ongoing situation in his homecountry whereby artists, writers and journalists are frequently subjected to superveillance, interrogations, detention, imprisonment, torture, and even the death penalty to punish those who dare to question or criticise the system. Pouya has many friends and colleagues who have received death threats, been forced to flee the country and live in exile. He, too, has felt the heavy burden of being an artist without freedom of expression.

— While living in Iran, I worked a lot in fear. I had to find secret ways, like put my phone in the microwave, to avoid being tapped and I lived under the constant fear of getting in trouble with the authorities. Sometimes I chose not to put my name on my work to avoid getting in trouble. The thought that someone could call the door bell to detain me, plant evidence and present untrue allegations was constantly in the back of my mind, he says.

Pouya used to work with different people from various creative industries in Iran, but in his first act of conscious political reaction, he decided to stop working with TV and cinema because he felt like the cultural scene was corrupted and a channel for propagating the state’s lies. He began to work with theatre, but it became evident that this industry, too, was a corrupted sphere. In a culture where questioning and confronting was highly discouraged, Pouya refused to be silenced and raised the question of why the industry did not pay its artists properly. After he took to the street and joined the marches during the Green Movement in 2010, Pouya was imprisoned twice. During the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in 2022, Pouya again took to the streets to partake in the demonstrations that were televised across the world, and felt the fear more than ever before.

— Artistic freedom for me is twenty years of struggling with propaganda, with censorship and a corrupted economy, he says. Even when you are independent, you are at risk if you want to raise questions about politics, the regime or religion, human rights. And it’s only getting worse and worse.

“To have artistic freedom now is a totally new feeling for me. I didn’t know how it would feel. When I look back at this short period I have worked in freedom, I can see that things have started changing in the ways that I think and create art.”
— Pouya Pour-Amin

From prison to Safe Haven and the rebirth of an artist

Since 2011, Pouya has expanded his work to include theatre, juggling the roles of musician, actor and director. His music has gradually transitioned into the more experimental and electronic realms. In May of 2024, he travelled to Norway to partake in Safemuse’s Safe Haven artistic residency program. The first part of his artistic residency was spent in the idyllic coastal town of Hvitsten, organised in collaborations with our local partner Hvitsten Salong. Thereafter, Pouya has spent the second part of his residency in Oslo, in collaboration with our partner Nordic Black Theatre.

Through the Safe Haven program, Pouya has continued to evolve as a multidisciplinary artist and developing his creative practice through a blend of music, performance and theatre. Since arriving in Norway as an artist-in-residence, he has composed several works and performed at Ultimafestivalen – the largest contemporary music festival in the Nordic region, as well as Hvitsten Salong and at Caféteatret.

— When I arrived Norway and could breathe out after so many years of living in a state of exception and survival mode, I also realised that I was worn-out after having denied and neglected my own needs and wellbeing. I realised the constant fear I had been living under and how worn-out I was. Living in Hvitsten surrounded by beautiful nature, I was for the first time feeling everything I had not had the chance to feel prior to arriving Norway, especially related to my experience in prison and how hard it had actually been, Pouya says.

The residency coordinator in Safemuse Jon Lundell, is one of many that have worked with Pouya since his arrival to Norway and been impressed by his dedication, versatility and courage to explore new artistic directions:

— Pouya have been exploring and digging deeper in composing new music for different scenes in Oslo and Hvitsten; commissioned work that has challenged him to seek new ways of composing and combining digital and analog instruments and sounds. He has also taken the work with his play Prison Episodes further and is developing it with different artists and partners.

In 2015, Pouya released his first album “Lullaby and Down the Quod” based on his own experience as a political prisoner. His second album, “Prison Episodes” (check out the Bandcamp link), which was released in 2019, was inspired by his study of other Iranian prisoners’ experiences. During his residency in Norway, Pouya’s main artistic ambition is to complete his project Prison Episodes which he has been developing over many years. Together with Safemuse, partners and other artists, Pouya is planning a multidisciplinary performance that combines music, dance, theatre and visual technology to tell the story of the tragedy of political prisoners and their subjection to torture, suffering, solicitations and death. On top of that, he has also begun to record a new album, which he hopes to release in 2026.

Pouya says he has learned a lot of things through the Safemuse residency, not just artistically, but about life and himself:

— I love my culture and I cannot cut that string, but now I am in a position to decide how I want to work with it and to tell my story. To have artistic freedom now is a totally new feeling for me. I didn’t know how it would feel. When I look back at this short period I have worked in freedom, I can see that things have started changing in the ways that I think and create art. When you no longer have barriers in your mind, you starts to think differently and your passions start changing. With no imposed limitations, I think my artistic language has already started to change. I feel like the blinds are gone. While I have been working on my newest album, I can see that I am going in new directions that I would never have imagined before.

Safemuse looks forward to continue the collaboration with Pouya and share more about his upcoming events and projects!

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Meet our newest staff member

Akari — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:01:15 +0000

Meet our newest staff member

April 2, 2025

Kate Ngan Wa Ao joined the Safemuse team at the end of March - Photo credit: Kate Ngan Wa Ao.

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.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Safemuse søker programmedarbeider

Akari — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 09:48:43 +0000

Safemuse søker programmedarbeider

February 28, 2025

Photo Description - Photo credit: Photographer name

Meningsfylt arbeid med spennende og varierte oppgaver i et internasjonalt miljø

Da vår kollega skal ut i permisjon søker vi en fleksibel, engasjert, selvgående medarbeider med gode samarbeidsevner i 100% stilling til et ettårig engasjement, med mulighet for forlengelse fra mai/juni 2025.

I våre faste residenser tar vi imot truede, forfulgte og sensurerte kunstnere og følger dem opp både faglig og personlig. Vi skal bidra til at kunstnerne i residensopphold får forutsigbare og gode arbeidsforhold, og får utviklet og presentert sin kunst. I tillegg har vi flere prosjekter knyttet til kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet. Programmedarbeideren skal bidra i våre ulike prosjekter og til utviklingen av residensprogrammet med visninger, samtaler, workshops, konserter og forestillinger for barn og unge og det generelle publikum. Enkelte kommunikasjons- og administrasjonsoppgaver vil også inngå i stillingen. Man må påberegne ansvar også for andre oppgaver etter behov.

Vi ønsker oss en kollega som kan utgjøre et positivt tilskudd til innsatsen vår for den kunstneriske ytringsfriheten. Vi er en liten administrasjon med et aktivt styre der det er stor plass for kreativitet og nye løsninger. Vår aktivitet omfatter trygge residenser for kunstnere, enkeltarrangementer, kunstneriske visninger, innspillinger og dokumentasjon, politisk påvirkningsarbeid, samt annet som kan bidra til å styrke den kunstneriske ytringsfriheten for enkeltkunstnere og i samfunnet for øvrig. Å sørge for finansiering til dette er en vesentlig del av vårt arbeid.

Personen vi søker har bakgrunn fra kunstfeltet og har et engasjement for ytringsfrihet, menneskerettigheter og internasjonale forhold. Vi vektlegger også internasjonal erfaring.

Det er viktig at vår nye medarbeider har en forståelse for fleksibiliteten som kreves når man driver residens og kan håndtere uventede situasjoner og endringer på en god måte. Personen vi ansetter må kunne arbeide godt i team og være lydhør og tillitsskapende i møtet med kunstnere fra svært ulike bakgrunner og forskjellige land. Fleksibilitet og forståelse i møte med kunstnere fra alle deler av verden og resten av teamet er essensielt.

Du bør ha solid formuleringsevne på norsk og engelsk, både muntlig og skriftlig.

Programmedarbeiders oppgaver inkluderer, men er ikke begrenset til

Bidra inn til residensene praktisk og kunstfaglig
Bidra til utvikling av vårt kunst- og samfunnsprogram gjennom workshops for kunstnere, samtaler, visninger og konserter rettet mot et bredere publikum.
Fasilitere produksjon av kunst i ulike former med våre samarbeidspartnere
Bidra til å skape, tilrettelegge og utvikle visninger og konserter i samarbeid med residenskunstneren, residenskoordinator og andre prosjektdeltakere
Rapportering, budsjett og søknader knyttet til ansvarsområdet
Knytte kunstneren opp mot faglig nettverk.
Administrasjon

Bakgrunn og kvalifikasjoner

Bred kunstfaglig bakgrunn, Kunstfaglig kompetanse og/eller erfaring gjennom feks eget kunstnerisk virke eller gjennom å kuratere, organisere eller produserer kunstfaglige eller kunstneriske prosjekter.
Stort nettverk i norsk kunst og kulturliv
Internasjonal erfaring er en fordel, har du bakgrunn fra, har bodd eller arbeidet i et annet land er det en fordel
Interesse for menneskerettigheter og kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet
Erfaring med arrangementsutvikling, workshops eller kuratering/kunstproduksjon/visninger/scenearbeid
Erfaring med søknadsskriving og ryddig og nøyaktig rapportering skriftlig og muntlig
Ha solid formuleringsevne på norsk og engelsk, både muntlig og skriftlig

Personlige egenskaper

Du har en god forståelse av fleksibilitet
God sosial, kulturell og kunstnerisk kompetanse
Selvgående, men også en lagspiller
Kreativ og lyttende med gjennomføringsevne
Evne til å skape positivt engasjement
Forståelse for kunstneriske prosesser

Personlig egnethet og teamets totale sammensetning vil bli vektlagt.

Vi tilbyr:

Stillingsstørrelse: 100%

Lønn etter avtale.

Fleksibel arbeidstid etter avtale.

En del reisevirksomhet samt arbeid kvelder og helger må påregnes.

Safemuse holder til i kontor i Oscarsgate i Oslo og driver også residens i Hvitsten i Vestby kommune.

SØKNADSFRIST 16.mars

Innkomne søknader vurderes fortløpende.

Søknad med referanser og CV sendes celina@safemuse.org

Kontaktperson: Daglig leder Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, telefon 95735598

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

“Qaf” – New album release from Ghawgha

Akari — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 06:05:36 +0000

"Qaf" - Ghawgha releases new album

November 10, 2024

On the 12th of November, Ghawgha will release her album “Qaf” at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene in Oslo. “Qaf” can be translated as a place of refuge, or an inner home where one meets one’s true self.

The album is produced by OK World in cooperation with LIDIO/Safemuse. The founder and former general manager in Safemuse, Jan Lothe Eriksen, has since its inception, been passionately involved in the project. With a dedicated and talented group of artists and production team, this beautiful and important album is finally ready to be shared with the world.

The artists Anja Lauvdal and Marianna Sangita A Røe, who feature on the album, will be joining Ghawgha on stage for the release concert.

— Ultimately, “Qaf” is a quest for finding home, identity, and humanity; perhaps the place we all belong to and are seeking the peace hidden within these sounds and experiences.

Ghawgha

Here are Ghawgha’s reflections on “Qaf” and the background for the album:

— The album “Qaf” is not just a musical work for me; it reflects years of search, observation, and experience. A journey that took me from my hometown to unfamiliar lands, traversing the streets where I grew up to the new borders I had to cross in search of a new identity. This album began as a personal journey but ultimately became the voice of those who share a similar experience; those who have faced loss and displacement in their quest for a home, and who continue to seek a new meaning for themselves.

— In this journey, I have often encountered the harsh realities of migration, displacement, and the endless search for a place called “home.” Each piece in “Qaf” reflects not only the moments experienced during my travels through Iran, Turkey, Greece, and Afghanistan, but also the stories of those who have lived through similar struggles and hopes. In tracks like “Sing for Me” and “Boat,” I revisit my memories; memories that have accompanied me from the streets of my hometown to the unfamiliar shores of the sea. “Sing for Me” evokes the longing for my childhood days and the feeling of being cast away from the environments that once were my home, while “Boat” portrays an eternal farewell in the heart of the night, an experience I have often heard through the voices of migrants and refugees, and has now become part of my own story.

— However, “Qaf” is not just my story. In fact, this voice goes beyond my personal experience. This album reflects lives and stories that we hear in every corner of the world; the stories of individuals who view the world through a similar lens and share the feeling of loss with me. Each piece, from “Kabul Beauty” to “Here,” is a collective voice; a voice I want to be heard, a voice for those like me, seeking a place they can call home.

— Ultimately, “Qaf” is a quest for finding home, identity, and humanity; perhaps the place we all belong to and are seeking the peace hidden within these sounds and experiences.

For more information about Ghawgha and her work, visit her website:

https://ghawgha.com

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Altyn Kapalova – A fearless advocate for feminist & queer art

Akari — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 10:40:59 +0000

Altyn Kapalova — A fearless advocate for feminist and queer art

October 28, 2024

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

Altyn Kapalova is a woman of many trades and talents: a visual artist, researcher, writer and feminist activist based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She creates experimental artworks that combine research, art and politics, and the results of her anthropological findings are transferred into artworks and curated art projects that aim to elevate vulnerable voices and influence political decision-making processes. As an anthropologist, at the University of Central Asia, she has researched cultural policy and creative industries in Central Asia. Her vast curatorial experiences include, among others, visual multimedia art, theatre and creative writing. Kapalova is one of the initiators behind a Feminnale and the Central Asian Museum of Feminist and Queer Art (MoFA+).

In the fall of 2023, Safemuse had the honour of hosting Kapalova at our residency program Hvitsten Art Haven, in an idyllic coastal town situated south of the capital and along the Oslo fjord. Kapalova was among the first artists to attend the then newly-established residency, organised together with our local partner Hvitsten Salong.

— In the open call process for the residency Altyn stood out with her multifaceted background and fearlessness in the eyes of the Kyrgyz authorities. We were eager and excited to meet and work with whom we more and more understood was an important figure in a progressive feminist movement in Kyrgyzstan. Her artistic vision in presenting female traditional Kyrgyz arts and crafts in her own way and in this context was also very interesting, says Jon Lundell, residence coordinator in Safemuse.

Activism, threats and a need for peace and time

In her home country Kyrgyzstan, Kapalova and her colleagues are facing constant risk of persecution for their work promoting feminist and queer art. The authorities have on various occasions opposed and even cracked down on artistic projects that give platform to minority voices and shine a spotlight on societal challenges. Kapalova has over the years been targeted with insults and threats, and many of her friends and colleagues have been arrested.

— My activism didn’t allow me to engage in art in a safe manner. I felt exhausted and craved the experience of the art-making process without threats, in a secure environment, with ample materials for the making process, and the assurance that my work wouldn’t face censorship. When I applied for the Hvitsten art residency, I wanted some peace and time for myself. I wanted to reclaim myself as an artist, Kapalova says.

When I applied for the Hvitsten art residency, I wanted some peace and time for myself. I wanted to reclaim myself as an artist.
– Altyn Kapalova

Promoting feminist and queer art

In Kyrgyzstan, artists, human rights defenders and activists are experiencing an increasingly authoritarian and repressive regime. Art and cultural organisations lose financial support, they experience censorship, threats of violence and imprisonment. Kyrgyzstan has passed homophobic anti-propaganda laws, where speaking out about homosexuality or promoting LGBTQ+ rights can be punished with fines or imprisonment.

Kapalova was one of the initiators of a Feminnale – a grassroot initiative and the first major feminist exhibition in the history of Kyrgyzstan. The Feminnale in 2019, a contemporary art exhibition that took place at the National Museum Fine Arts in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, illustrates the difficult situation that artists and cultural workers in Kyrgyzstan face.

The exhibition, which was programmed to last for 17 days, was dedicated to the memory of 17 women and children, amongst them labour migrants, mothers and victims of domestic violence. The exhibition raised some important questions and critiqued the scale of violence against women and children, state corruption, police violence and patriarchal structures upholding so-called ‘traditions’. However, following the Feminnale’s official opening, the team behind the project, participants and museum staff were subjected to insults, provocative acts and threats of physical violence and murder. Among the most active opponents were members of the reactionary ultra-right group Kyrk Choro. The director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Mira Jangarecheva, was forced to leave her post and the exhibition was censored and closed down.

A painstakingly lengthy visa process

Although Kapalova was only planning a short-term stay for her art residence, the application process to obtain a visa to Norway was lengthy. Those who live in Kyrgyzstan have to travel to the Norwegian embassy in Kazakhstan in order to submit their application. Moreover, the task is outsourced to commercial players and it is a process characterised by a lot of bureaucracy and excessive documentation requirements. It took a whole eight months and two trips to Kazakhstan before Kapalova received her temporary visa. The residency, which originally was planned to last six months ended up being only three.

This visa process, like that of many other former Safemuse residence artists, points to the organisation’s main challenge in running art residencies, namely the painstakingly lengthy process of issuing temporary residence permits to censored, threatened or persecuted artists by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) – a process that all too often ends in long delays or rejection.

— Safemuse’s main funding comes from the Norwegian government, because our goals align with that of the Norwegian state, to promote artistic freedom and human rights through strengthening individual activists. When we are hindered from doing our job, due to unnecessarily lengthy and expensive processes, activists like Kapalova are the ones to suffer, says general manager in Safemuse, Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor.

Producing art during Hvitsten Art Haven

Kapalova describes the three months she spent in residency in Hvitsten as “a time and place where [she] could breathe and freely work with [her] art.”

— For the first time in my life, I thanked myself for everything I had done to protect human rights in my country, including advocating for the freedom of creative expression. Gradually, I started to feel the desire to work again. During this time, I had the pleasure of meeting wonderful people, including the artist Maria Waagbo. Together, we collaborated on a textile work addressing femicide, titled “Slap”. Through our collaboration, we exchanged skills, engaged in meaningful discussions, and worked together and separately, Kapalova said.

The artwork ‘A Slap’, which Kapalova worked on during her residence, was exhibited at the Artistic Freedom Conference in March, after she had returned home. The piece was created from fabric, thread and beads and shown on five mannequins in collaboration with the Hvitsten-based artist Maria Waagbø in the fall of 2023. The work is an artistic critique of domestic violence that permeates society and the harsh expectations placed upon women. As described by the artists:

It begins with a single slap, followed by another, and then the tightening grip around your throat. The violence escalates to include blows to the stomach, and then you find yourself enduring kicks, strikes to your kidneys and thighs, leaving you with more and more bruises until you’re covered in them. Ultimately, it ends with your life being taken. Domestic violence is shrouded in societal expectations of being a dutiful wife, daughter, and mother. The reluctance to bring dishonour to the family prevents escape through divorce. Domestic violence remains hidden behind traditions that demand adherence even at the expense of one’s life.

Looking back at her art residency and the process of creating the piece, Kapalova says:

— The artwork we created during this residency is something I doubt I could replicate in my home country at the moment (hopefully things will get better). “A Slap” is composed of thousands of small fabric pieces intricately sewn together to form dozens of amulet-like circles. Such meticulous work demands significant diligence, time, and tranquillity. I am so grateful to Safemuse for providing me with the opportunity to create such a meaningful piece.

Future ambitions

Following the end of her artistic residency in Norway, Kapalova returned to her home in Bishkek.

— Now that I’m home again, life is crazy-busy as usual. I often miss the calm and quiet work environment I had in Norway. But I’m thankful for the habit I cultivated during my months at the art residency, the habit to create my own artistic pieces. Since coming back, I’ve made two new pieces. I try to remember that I’m an artist and keep the feeling of creating alive in my mind. It helps me find time for myself and my art.

The Central Asian Museum of Feminist and Queer Art, of which Kapalova is one of the founders and curators, has already made a commendable effort to raise voices, support and connect artists, and increase knowledge about artistic freedom of expression in the region.

In the aftermath of the Feminnale in 2019, which was closed down by the authorities, the museum has been collecting works that promote women’s and LGBTQIA+ community’s freedom, and gender equality. Kapalova says that it was also established in order to use art as a channel to stand up for civic rights, especially those of women and queer people. Kapalova and her colleagues strive to create a safe space for creative queer people that can support minorities and increase the visibility of female and queer artists in public spaces that have been occupied by men for centuries.

Safemuse is currently, together with Kapalova and MOFA+ preparing a project to highlight the ongoing challenging situation for artists in the Central Asian region and to promote artistic voices that are normally silenced or not given the platform they deserve. If all goes according to plan, then Kapalova will be back in Norway to share her valuable insights and showcase the diversity of artistic works produced in Kyrgyzstan and its neighbouring countries.

Sources:

Interviews with Altyn Kapalova

MoFA+ homepage: https://femmuseum.org/about/en

“Altyn’s response.” ADAMDAR/CA, 4. December 2019, https://adamdar.ca/en/post/altyn-s-response/168?lang=en-US. Accessed 10 May. 2024.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Når kunsten er å gjøre motstand

Akari — Wed, 29 May 2024 11:30:08 +0000

Når kunsten er å gjøre motstand

May 29, 2024

En kunstner er dømt til døden. En stemme skal stilnes. Presteregimet har talt. Den iranske musikeren Toomaj Salehi får ikke leve, han har støttet protestbevegelsen i Iran. Kunsten er en fiende for autoritære regimer verden over, de vet hva kunsten kan skape. Kanskje gjenkjenner de kunstens makt bedre enn her hos oss. Toomaj Salehi, rapper, 32 år skal henrettes, ikke lenger få spre sin kunst. Ikke få løfte sin stemme. I protest. Slik rap alltid har vært protest. Som kunst kan være protest. Motstand. Håp.

Kunstnere er viktige opposisjonelle stemmer i mange land. Kunstnere har stått og står i første rekke sammen med menneskerettighetsforkjempere. De står opp mot krig, vold og autoritære regimer. I Iran, i Belarus, i Myanmar har kunsten og kunstnere formidlet motstand, formidlet folks historier, samlet og styrket fellesskap. Kunstnere viser oss det verden kan bli. Det gir kunsten makt.

Fredsarbeid og arbeid for demokrati kan skje mange steder, men ofte skjer det i eksil. Slik det var for norske myndigheter i England under andre verdenskrig, sørafrikanske stemmer i eksil under Apartheid. I dag samles russiske opposisjonelle ulike steder i Europa og Iranske kunstnere turnerer verden. Ofte kan man støtte organisasjoner og aktivister i deres eget hjemland, der de bor, virker, har familie, der de ønsker å skape endring. Men noen ganger er det nødvendig å hente dem ut, for å gi dem et pusterom, for læringsutveksling, for å skape internasjonale nettverk, for å sikre liv.

Flere kunstner -og menneskerettighetsorganisasjoner får støtte av norske myndigheter for å oppfylle norske mål på menneskerettighetsområdet, og arbeider med å sikre at det finnes uavhengige stemmer. Kunstneriske stemmer, stemmer som roper om vern av miljø, som fremmer kvinners rettigheter, stemmer for skeive, stemmer mot krig, mot autoritære strukturer. Deler av det organisasjonene får støtte til er å invitere utsatte kunstnere, menneskerettighetsforkjempere og studentaktivister til Norge for kortere opphold.

Kunstnere og menneskerettighetsaktivister fra land der de møter særskilt store utfordringer på menneskerettighetsområdet får ofte ikke slike midlertidige tillatelser til å komme inn i Norge. Vi har ikke en politikk for å ta imot folk fra bestemte grupper, mennesker som har freds- og rettighetsarbeid som jobb, de som trenger å arbeide sammen, tett og støttet av andre for å kunne returnere, skape fred, fremtid og gode samfunn.

Organisasjonen Safemuse tar imot kunstnere i begrensede perioder. Låner dem ører, bistår med verktøy og nettverk, samler oss til felles læring, slik at de står sterkere rustet til å kjempe. Dette er mennesker som ønsker å reise tilbake, som har risikert alt for å forsøke å sikre rom for de som er undertrykt. Som er utsatt nettopp fordi de tror så sterkt på individets og fellesskapets påvirkningskraft. Norske myndigheter støtter oss i dette arbeidet, samtidig som de stopper oss fra å utføre arbeidet de betaler for. Når Justisdepartementet med UDI som utøvende organ hindrer oss i å gjøre vårt arbeid, så er det mennskerettighetene og ytringsfriheten som taper.

Musikeren Toomaj Salehi er dømt til døden i Iran. Vi skal gjøre vårt for at hans stemme ikke stilnes.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Skal UDI ødelegge for kunsten?

Akari — Mon, 06 May 2024 08:02:01 +0000

Skal UDI ødelegge for kunsten?

May 6, 2024

Debattinnlegg skrevet av:
Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor (daglig leder i Safemuse) og Heidi Marie Kriznik (programmedarbeider i Safemuse)

For at kunsten skal kunne redde oss, må det legges til rette for det. Økonomisk ja, men også ved å sikre de stemmene som risikerer alt for at kunsten kan leve. Utenriksdepartementet finansierer tiltak som skal bidra til å styrke kunstnere i land der kunsten er under press, men Utlendingsdirektoratet med Justisdepartementet i ryggen opererer med så strenge grenser at det vanskeliggjør jobben.

Menneskerettighetsarbeid er ikke bare en mobilisering mot overgrep, men også en mobilisering for menneskelighet. Og der har kunsten og kunstnerne en rolle. Kunstnerne vår organisasjon bistår, ønsker å komme til Norge for å arbeide kunstnerisk uten frykt for sensur og straff. Men for dem synes muligheten for et residensopphold i Norge fjernt, om ikke umulig.

Safemuse får finansiering fra regjeringen til å invitere kunstnere som er truet, forfulgt eller sensurert i sine hjemland, til Norge for kortere opphold. I Norge får de et pusterom, så de makter å arbeide og kjempe videre. Kunstnerne ønsker å returnere og virke som kunstnere og menneskerettighetsforkjempere i hjemlandet.

Midlene Safemuse mottar er øremerka land der Utenriksdepartementet prioriterer å bidra til økonomisk utvikling og velferd, såkalte ODA-land. Men hvordan oppfylle det målet, når Utlendingsdirektoratet gjør det så vanskelig for kunstnerne å få oppholdstillatelse? Mennesker fra såkalt «asylproduserende» land, uten «returforutsetninger», for å bruke UDI sine termer, kan i mange tilfeller se langt etter oppholdstillatelse.

For å gjøre det vi kan for at kunsten skal redde oss og kunstnere og menneskerettsforkjempere få fortsette det viktige arbeidet, trenger vi at Utenriksdepartementet viser handlekraft og foretar en regelendring. Regjeringen omtaler menneskerettighetene som både mål og middel i norsk utenriks- og utviklingspolitikk, sentralt i det arbeidet står innsatsen for menneskerettighetsforkjempere. Da må det bli mulig å gjøre en innsats for dem. Slik at kunsten og kunstnerne kan redde flere enn oss.

Innlegget ble publisert i Klassekampen den 3. mai 2024: https://klassekampen.no/artikkel/2024-05-03/debatt-skal-udi-odelegge-for-kunsten

Varun Narain – A universe of puppetry, botany & queer survival

Akari — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 08:31:28 +0000

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ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE VARUN NARAIN: A universe of puppetry, botany & queer survival

March 7, 2024

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

If you find yourself in Oslo between the 10^th and 13^th of March, you have the rare opportunity to experience ‘Dark&Delicious’ by artists Varun and Shaad at Nordic Black Theatre — a unique artistic performance combining botany, poetry and queer survival.

Imagining freedom and inclusion

Varun Narain is a queer puppeteer and live performance director from India. He combines modern and traditional puppetry and works on articulating gender fluidity and sexuality. Narain has taught Puppetry and contemporary communication at Jamia Millia University for over 10 years, as well as at the Guru Gobind Indraprastha University in New Delhi. Moreover, he has a degree in botany and through his artistry he explores intelligence and survival strategies in the natural world.

— I am very much inspired and healed by the world of plants, lichens and fungi and their physical presence in the cites. I believe in blurring physical, mental and biological boundaries, Narain says.

For many years Narain has been working on gender-fluid characters inspired by what he calls the “wood-wide web”. In recent years, Narain has increasingly faced challenges and a restricted space for expression. He experienced censorship due to the themes reflected in his artistic work and is currently one of Safemuse’s artists-in-residence in Oslo.

— As an artist in residence with Safemuse here in Norway, I hope to rediscover free expression and interact with students and artists to create ways to imagine new possibilities of freedom and inclusion, he says.

“I hope to rediscover free expression and interact with students and artists to create ways to imagine new possibilities of freedom and inclusion.”
– Varun Narain, Safemuse artist-in-residence

A universe of puppetry, botany & queer survival

During his residency, Narain has worked on ‘Dark&Delicious’ – a collaborative performance with his artistic partner, actor and poet Shaad. The performance, which combines botany, poetry and queer survival, will be set up between the 10^th and 13^th of March at Nordic Black Theatre in Oslo.

— Having Varun with us, and working with him has been interesting on so many different levels, says Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, Safemuse’s general manager. Visually interesting, challenging us intellectually, all while being extremely funny. It has been fascinating to get an insight into his creative processes and the stories behind each of his colourful puppets. We are very much looking forward to his performance at Nordic Black Theatre and invite everyone to come see the show!

For the past months, Varun has been enjoying a creative collaboration with Nordic Black Theatre (NBT) and preparing for the performance in Oslo. The artistic director at NBT, Cliff Moustache, is looking forward to presenting ‘Dark&Delicious’ on his stage.

— Very rarely do we get the opportunity to experience such beautiful puppets that convey deep and reflected drama in a simple and sincere way. The narrative grabs and engages thanks to the strong qualities of the artists as the puppet becomes a third artist on stage. At Nordic Black Theatre we want to give them the opportunity to delve deeply into their artistic universe without fear or restricted by authorities.

Tickets for the show can be bought here.

Check out the facebook-event here.

Fri Kunst dagskonferanse 2024 / Artistic Freedom Conference 2024

Akari — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 07:42:57 +0000

FRI KUNST DAGSKONFERANSE 2024 / ARTISTIC FREEDOM CONFERENCE 2024

February 16, 2024

Fri Kunst konferanse, 1. mars på Riksscenen, Oslo

For tredje året på rad arrangerer Safemuse en dagskonferanse på Riksscenen under Fri Kunst-uken i begynnelsen av mars. Dagen byr på samtaler som setter søkelys på den frie kunsten og kunstneres endringskraft og rolle i samfunnet, i tillegg til kunstneriske innlegg fra en rekke norske og internasjonale kunstnere.

Dagskonferansen fredag 1. mars er åpen og gratis, men krever påmelding innen 26. february 2024. Påmeldingslenke her.

PROGRAM:

11:30 Dørene åpner
12:00 – 12:10 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Mahsa Vahdat og Marjan Vahdat
12:10 – 12:20 Velkomst
12:25 – 12:35 Åpningstale: sametingspresident Silje Karine Muotka
12:35 – 12:45 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Don Martin
12:45 – 12:55 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Varun Narain
13:00 – 13:50 Panelsamtale I: Kunstens kraft og rolle som samfunnsendrer i Norge og verden (samtalen vil foregå på norsk)
– Øystein Strand, avdelingsdirektør for Kunstnerisk produksjon og formidling, Kulturdirektoratet
– Silje Karine Muotka, president, Sámediggi / Sametinget
– Cliff Moustache, kunstnerisk leder, Nordic Black Theatre
– Moderator: Yohan Shanmugaratnam, journalist og forfatter
13:50 – 14:10 Pause
14:10 – 14:20 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Viktor Bomstad
14:20 – 15:10 Panelsamtale II: Kunstnersamtale om kunst og endringskraft (samtalen vil foregå på engelsk)
– Masha Vahdat, sanger og komponist
– Varun Narain, dukkemaker/dukkefører og Safemuse residenskunstner
– Viktor Bomstad, landsdelsjoiker for Troms og Finnmark
– Jannik Abel, fotograf og billedkunstner
– Moderator: Nosizwe Baqwa, artist, aktivist og styremedlem i Safemuse
15:15 – 15:30 Presentasjon: Safemuse Art Havens
15:30 – 15:40 Kort oppsummering
15:40 – 16:00 Pause / omrigg
16:00 – 16:30 Tverrkunstnerisk mini-forestilling: Hooman Sharifi og Arash Moradi
16:30 – 17:30 Sosialt samvær med bevertning

VELKOMMEN

————————

Artistic Freedom Week Conference, 1st of March at Riksscenen in Oslo

For the third year in a row, Safemuse organises a full-day conference at Riksscenen during Artistic Freedom Week in the beginning of March. The program includes talks that focus on art and artists’ roles and power to change society, in addition to artistic interventions from a number of Norwegian and international artists.

The conference is an open event and free of charge, but requires registration by 26 February 2024. Registration link here.

PROGRAM:

11:30 The doors open
12:00 – 12:10 Artistic intervention: Mahsa Vahdat and Marjan Vahdat
12:10 – 12:20 Welcome
12:25 – 12:35 Opening speech: President of the Sámi Parliament Silje Karine Muotka
12:35 – 12:45 Artistic intervention: Don Martin
12:45 – 12:55 Artistic intervention: Varun Narain
13:00 – 13:50 Panel discussion I: The power of art and its capacity for change, in Norway and the world (the conversation will take place in Norwegian)
– Øystein Strand, department director for artistic production and communication
– Silje Karine Muotka, president, Sámediggi / Sámi Parliament
– Cliff Mustache, artistic director, Nordic Black Theatre
– Moderator: Yohan Shanmugaratnam, journalist and author
13:50 – 14:10 Break
14:10 – 14:20 Artistic intervention: Viktor Bomstad
14:20 – 15:10 Panel conversation II: Artist conversation about art and its power to bring about change (the conversation will take place in English)
– Masha Vahdat, singer and composer
– Varun Narain, puppeteer and Safemuse artist-in-residence
– Viktor Bomstad, regional joiker for Troms and Finnmark
– Jannik Abel, photographer and visual artist
– Moderator: Nosizwe Baqwa, artist, activist and board member of Safemuse
15:15 – 15:30 Presentation: Safemuse Art Havens
15:30 – 15:40 Closing remarks
15:40 – 16:00 Break / rearrangement
16:00 – 16:30 Mini-performance: Hooman Sharifi and Arash Moradi
16:30 – 17:30 Social gathering with refreshments

WELCOME

Meet our newest staff members

Akari — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 13:22:25 +0000

Meet our newest staff members

February 13, 2024

We are happy to present Safemuse’s newest staff members: Tiril Ellingsen Thue and Heidi Marie Kriznik. Tiril has been involved with Safemuse since last fall, but begun working full-time in January 2024, whilst Heidi Marie joined the Safemuse-team in February 2024.

Tiril Ellingsen Thue is a human geographer with broad international experience. She holds an MA from the University of Oslo. In addition, she has lived and studied in Russia and Serbia and has a background from humanitarian organisations, voluntary work and doing research on issues of extremism and minority rights, particularly in the Balkans.

What does artistic freedom mean to you?

Art gives us the opportunity to experience, interpret and question the way we see the world. This is a privilege and a right that I think should be the foundation of any open and free society, one that we unfortunately increasingly see is under threat. Artistic freedom is about defending and strengthening a diversity of voices and forms of expression for artists and societies. I am very excited to join Safemuse and to be a part of the incredibly important work that they do, working in solidarity with and advocating for artists at risk, for the creation of art and for the promotion of human rights and freedom of artistic expression.

Heidi Marie Kriznik has a background as a Norwegian fiction writer, essayist, and columnist. She made her debut in 2002 with the novel Applause, for which she received the Tarjei Vesaas debutant award. The first novel is about a Polish man who comes to Norway. All her novels reflect immigration and the experience of outsiders. Her non-fiction book Den delte byen/The divided City deals with the differences in living conditions in the city of Oslo. She has held several writing courses and workshops for children, young people, and adults. She has held lectures and participated in several panel discussions.

For the past six years, she has been Head of the Norwegian Authors’ Union. She has also been a part of the Norwegian Authors’ Union international committee. Heidi Marie has been active in the Artists’ Network in Norway and has also worked politically for better living conditions in Oslo, and for equal access to benefits. Heidi Marie has a bachelor’s degree in social studies and has also worked as a social worker.

What does artistic freedom mean to you?

I will answer that question by referring to the author John Berger, he writes in the essay Miners in the book Keeping a rendezvous: “I can´t tell you what art does and how it does it, but I know that often art has judged the judges, pleaded revenge to the innocent and shown to the future what the past suffered, so that it has never been forgotten. I know too that the powerful fear art, whatever its form, when it does this, and amongst the people such art sometimes runs like a rumour and legend because it makes sense of what life´s brutalities cannot, a sense that unite us, for it is inseparable from justice at last.”

I think there is a reason why artistic expressions have, and should have, special protection. It is therefore also so important that Norway understands its obligations towards the article of the UNESCO Convention 16, which emphasises that artists and cultural workers must be given preferential rights when granting visas.

Art and culture are a social infrastructure that ensures that people meet and interact, but for art to be able to unite us, it must be free and including, representative and diverse.

As we know, many artists do not have the opportunity to freely express themselves through art. Safemuse is an important organization, and I look forward to work together with the Safemuse team, to facilitate residencies in Norway for endangered and persecuted artists from all over the world, and to push the agenda of human rights and artistic freedom. And of course, I look forward to meeting the artists-in-residence and experience their art.

Akari – Safemuse

Pouya Pour-Amin: An artist’s journey from fear to freedom

Pouya Pour-Amin: An artist’s journey from fear to freedom

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

“While living in Iran, I worked a lot in fear. I had to find secret ways, like put my phone in the microwave to avoid being tapped, and I lived under the constant fear of getting in trouble with the authorities.”

“To have artistic freedom now is a totally new feeling for me. I didn’t know how it would feel. When I look back at this short period I have worked in freedom, I can see that things have started changing in the ways that I think and create art.”

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Meet our newest staff member

Meet our newest staff member

Kate Ngan Wa Ao joined the Safemuse team at the end of March - Photo credit: Kate Ngan Wa Ao.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Safemuse søker programmedarbeider

Safemuse søker programmedarbeider

Photo Description - Photo credit: Photographer name

Meningsfylt arbeid med spennende og varierte oppgaver i et internasjonalt miljø

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

“Qaf” – New album release from Ghawgha

"Qaf" - Ghawgha releases new album

— Ultimately, “Qaf” is a quest for finding home, identity, and humanity; perhaps the place we all belong to and are seeking the peace hidden within these sounds and experiences.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Altyn Kapalova – A fearless advocate for feminist & queer art

Altyn Kapalova — A fearless advocate for feminist and queer art

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

When I applied for the Hvitsten art residency, I wanted some peace and time for myself. I wanted to reclaim myself as an artist.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Når kunsten er å gjøre motstand

Når kunsten er å gjøre motstand​

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Skal UDI ødelegge for kunsten?

Skal UDI ødelegge for kunsten?

Debattinnlegg skrevet av: Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor (daglig leder i Safemuse) og Heidi Marie Kriznik (programmedarbeider i Safemuse)

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Varun Narain – A universe of puppetry, botany & queer survival

Add Your Heading Text Here

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE VARUN NARAIN: A universe of puppetry, botany & queer survival

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

If you find yourself in Oslo between the 10th and 13th of March, you have the rare opportunity to experience ‘Dark&Delicious’ by artists Varun and Shaad at Nordic Black Theatre — a unique artistic performance combining botany, poetry and queer survival.

Imagining freedom and inclusion

“I hope to rediscover free expression and interact with students and artists to create ways to imagine new possibilities of freedom and inclusion.”

– Varun Narain, Safemuse artist-in-residence

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Fri Kunst dagskonferanse 2024 / Artistic Freedom Conference 2024

FRI KUNST DAGSKONFERANSE 2024 / ARTISTIC FREEDOM CONFERENCE 2024

Fri Kunst konferanse, 1. mars på Riksscenen, Oslo

Artistic Freedom Week Conference, 1st of March at Riksscenen in Oslo

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Meet our newest staff members

Meet our newest staff members

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Når kunsten er å gjøre motstand

Debattinnlegg skrevet av:
Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor (daglig leder i Safemuse) og Heidi Marie Kriznik (programmedarbeider i Safemuse)

If you find yourself in Oslo between the 10^th and 13^th of March, you have the rare opportunity to experience ‘Dark&Delicious’ by artists Varun and Shaad at Nordic Black Theatre — a unique artistic performance combining botany, poetry and queer survival.