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Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

Post author By sina@upnorthfilm.no
Post date September 27, 2023

Safemuse has been evaluated:

VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

September 27, 2023

Report cover photo: Ghawgha Taban, guest artist in the City of Harstad (Photo: Knut Utler)

The evaluation praises the way Safemuse work with censored, threatened and persecuted artists from all over the world, but we are criticized for not marketing ourselves as an organisation. We are therefore using this opportunity to draw attention to what we are doing by publishing this evaluation.

Safemuse has run its business for 10 years this year, and an external evaluation of the organisation’s operations has now been carried out. Here are some keywords:

– The biggest challenge for Safemuse is Norwegian Immigration’s (UDI’s) processing of visa applications for guest artists from countries outside Europe, where UDI sees a risk that the return requirement will not be met. This practice violates Norway’s obligations under the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity (2005), and the secretariat is forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time on follow-up and political work to change this practice.

A few more findings:
– deliver very good results, and they more than deliver on their main goal of creating safe work opportunities for persecuted artists
– the guest artists benefit greatly from the residency
– the guest artists are integrated into Safemuse’s wide network in a way that makes it possible for the artists to find fruitful collaborations and income opportunities long after the residency is over
– in a special class, also internationally

Nicolai López, Carlos David Catun Quintano «Gato», Piero Issa: “Stories of (not) coming home” (Photo: Frode Henriksen/riddu.no)

From the Summary of the report

Safemuse celebrated its 10th anniversary of creating important safe havens for persecuted artists in May 2023 (…) Safemuse consistently delivers very good results, and that they more than deliver on their main goal of creating safe work opportunities for persecuted artists.

The routines for announcements, process for selecting guest artists and preparation of the artists’ stay before arrival work very well and are experienced by the guest artists as transparent. The secretariat is not only described as efficient and competent, but also deeply personally committed. With their own experience as artists, they bring a unique understanding of the guest artists into the dialogue and create trust among both the guest artists and the collaboration partners. In addition, Safemuse actively uses its broad networks within the art and cultural scene to provide the artists with arenas and contacts that stimulate the artistic development of the guest artists. The close follow-up before, during and after the residencies, together with the activation of relevant networks, is highlighted as Safemuse’s most important success criteria and places the organization in a class of its own, also internationally.

Safemuse delivers very well on its strategic goals (…) The biggest challenge for Safemuse is UDI’s processing of visa applications for guest artists from countries outside Europe where UDI sees a risk that the return requirement will not be met. This practice violates Norway’s obligations under the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity (2005), and the secretariat is forced to spend a disproportionate amount of time on follow-up and political work to change this practice.

Abazar Hamid and Knut Reiersrud at the Safemuse 5-year concert. (Photo: Knut Utler)

Another clear challenge is the future follow-up of an ever-growing number of guest artists after their stay. The commitment and flexibility shown by the secretariat, which makes the residencies so valuable, draws more resources than the secretariat actually has. It will be a real dilemma to create routines to bring the deliveries more in line with the actual commitments Safemuse has taken on, without at the same time losing their strongest advantage; the personal commitment.

Safemuse is very relevant to Norwegian cultural and human rights policy and has a good reputation among its donors. Through good and systematic network building, Safemuse has managed to bring together art and human rights environments (…) Safemuse thus has a great potential for recruiting new members and can advantageously take measures to increase its visibility in relevant environments, including political ones.

“The Sea Monster”, Saitip Majewska, 2023. Saitip was a residence artist at Hvitsten Art Haven in 2023 – from an Art Walk during the Hvitsten Salong art festival. (Photo: Cronje Strøm)

The evaluation has been carried out by Scanteam in collaboration with Conow, and financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Read the full report here (in Norwegian)
HERE

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Safe Residencies News

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Post author By sina@upnorthfilm.no
Post date June 1, 2023

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OPEN CALL - Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

June 1, 2023

Artwork by Zhanna Gladko

Artistic freedom of expression, solidarity and collaboration

In 2022 Safemuse invited for the first round of safe residency placements in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, in cooperation with Nordic Black Theatre. Two six month residencies open for artists from all over the world and from all artistic disciplines; censored, threatened or persecuted due to their artistic activity. This program continues this year, and two new residence artists are about to arrive in Oslo.

The Oslo Art Haven program is funded by the City of Oslo, and when initiating this program run by Safemuse, the Vice Mayor for Culture in Oslo, Omar Samy Gamas, said:
– We are doing this to support independent voices, and because diversity in the arts is what keeps it vibrant and alive. And we are doing it because freedom of expression is under pressure in many parts of the world.

This year we are now opening a new addition to our work for artistic freedom of expression, giving more endangered artists the opportunity to work in freedom, develop their art and build networks with motivated colleagues: Hvitsten Art Haven. This program, opening up for one additional six month residency pr. year, and is funded by the EU’s EEA program plus local and regional authorities. Hvitsten Art Haven is carried out in collaboration with “Hvitsten Salong”, an art festival institution some 50 km south of Oslo.

– We have been working hard to set up a well-functioning residency program that caters to the individual needs and aspirations of the artists who are selected to partake in the program. The response from organisations, institutions and individuals has been overwhelmingly positive and many have expressed an interest to collaborate with- or contribute to the initiative in various ways, says Jon Lundell, Safemuse’s residence coordinator.

OPEN CALL 2024
Now we open up for new applications. Deadline July 1st.

Please check out the details HERE

Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

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FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

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Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

News

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

Post author By sina@upnorthfilm.no
Post date May 31, 2023

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Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

May 31, 2023

Art walk at Hvitsten Salong. (Photo: Hvitsten Salong)

MEET THE ARTISTS OF “WHOSE VOICES ARE HEARD”

We are pleased to announce that we are inviting 12 minority artist living in Poland and Norway and one artist from outside the EEA/EU to participate in the residency exchange “Whose voices are heard?”. This by the decision of our selection committee consisting of representatives of our partners Wrocław Institute of Culture and Hvitsten Salong, plus from Safemuse,.

In 2023 we will organize 13 artistic residencies: six artists going to Wroclaw from Norway, and seven coming to Hvitsten, thanks to the support of EEA funds under the Culture Program. The main goal of the project is to contribute to equalize the chances and visibility for minority artists. A safe and comfortable place to work, where there will be room for providing questions, exchanging thoughts , cooperate, develop network and get inspired.

The design of the residency program focuses on support functions, and thus on building the value of artistic action and collaboration. In this process, the artists coming to Hvitsten will be accompanied by the curator and Safemuse residency coordinator Jon Lundell and coordinator Maria Waagbø, and in Wrocław by the curator Agata Ciastoń. The purpose of the curators and coordinator is to strengthen the residence artists in their new environment, to suggest ideas and solutions and, together with the artists, develop and implement new artistic work.
An important element of the program will be the presentation of works in Norway during the art festival Hvitsten Salong 2023 and the exhibition planned for the autumn in Wrocław.

Who was interested in participating in the program in Hvitsten?
During the month-long open call, applications came from large urban centers such as Wrocław, Warsaw, Poznań and Katowice. There were also applications from the area of Lower Silesia (outside Wrocław). Artists represented various fields of art, primarily visual arts (sculpture, painting, ceramics, glass, socially engaged art, eco-art), performative arts and photography. There were also portfolios of people looking for their creative path or adapting them to a more site-specific context. The applications represented great openness to experiment, flexibility in action to co-create a safe space for art.

Who will go to Hvitsten?
Out of over 140 applications from artists living in Poland, we selected six artist representing various visual arts, such as photography, sculpture, textiles, illustration and new media, and one artist from the open call fort a residency placement organized by Safemuse. Chosen artists have repeatedly emphasized their desire to create projects in harmony with nature, referring to the relationship between man and the natural environment.

Here are the participants of the residency in Hvitsten, Norway:

Anastasia Jechorek / Taso Pataridze (Tbilisi, Georgia)
Georgian intermedia artist active in Poznań and Leipzig. She draws inspiration from the weaknesses of man in the modern world suffering from information overload and rapid development of technology. Anastasia’s works deal mainly with the gloomy aspects of the new reality. Presenting a vision of the future, she often uses photography, changing its traditional forms and other media.

Dawid Puszyński (Poznań, Poland)
Graphic artist, sculptor and educator. The portfolio of the artist based in Poznań includes projects of spatial activities and traditional media. His works often touches on the sphere of the human figure, its transformations and adaptations to existing situations, analyzing the chaos of modernity and pop culture transformations. During the residency, he wants to create a sculpture/installation, directing the audience to reflect on the exclusion and isolation of LGBTQ+ people.

Kate Ngan Wa Ao (Macau)
Kate comes from Macau and has been living in Poland, in Wrocław, for eight years. Her work is inspired by different visual cultures, childhood memories, issues of racial identity, and the complex issues of post-colonialism and irredentism in Macau. She often transforms and remakes archives, photographs and everyday objects, combining different materials and cultural symbols to discover intricate meanings in the process. During her Norwegian residency, she wants to deconstruct the question “where do I come from?”; is it a national concept or an individual experience? The artistic process will be connected with dialogues, locally written answers, as well as stories of collections of locally found objects that carry the idea of identity. As a result, we can expect an installation in an engaged art form.

Saitip Majewska (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand)
Saitip is a PhD student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. She uses her work for art therapy, focusing on the interactivity of art and connecting people. Her activities on the borderline of ceramics, drawing, graphics, sculpture and artistic installations, focus on experiencing through the sense of touch. She often works with textiles. They are flexible, susceptible to changes, deformations, have shape memory, and their materialism gives many messages. Giving fabrics new forms, it lures recipients with softness, color, and ideas. In this way, she offers new experiences to those interacting with her art.

Oleksandra Balytska (Kiev, Ukraine)
Ukrainian graphic designer and illustrator. She has been passionate about drawing since she was a child, although at the time she thought it was just a hobby, an extra job. After obtaining her master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, she began illustrating books and magazines. Her visual world is characterized by surreal figures, distorted human silhouettes and pastel colors. She experiments with proportions without breaking the rules of composition and color theory. Oleksandra’s drawings resemble movie scenes.

Viktoriia Toofan (Dnipro, Ukraine)
Viktoriia is a Visual artist, who lives and work in Wroclaw. Graduated with a master’s degree in painting in 2019 at Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. She explores the possibilities offered by language as a response to a profound sense of alienation, which she shares with deaf persons. Tofan uses embroidery as well as a wide variety of materials and techniques in her work.

One additional from the open-call by Safemuse.
Due to the security of the artist, the artist’s identity cannot be revealed before the artist is safely arrived in Norway.

Who will go to Wroclaw from Norway
The following artists have been chosen for the exchange residency stay with Wrocław Institute of Culture in Poland from Norway: Kine Michelle Bruniera, Lill Yildiz Yalcin, Aliona Pazdniakova, Yachi Shian-Yuan Yang, Ghawga Taban and Ingrid Frivold Storli.

The residency program has already started in Poland for some of the artists, and will continue throughout the summer – early autumn this year.

Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

“Landless Tree” – migration, destruction & resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

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LIDIO Music Freedom Day News

“Landless Tree” – migration, destruction & resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

Post author By Anna Safemuse
Post date March 2, 2023

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"Landless Tree" - EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

March 2, 2023

Photo credit: Camilla Norvoll

"Landless Tree" - migration, destruction and resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

In her first EP release, Ghawgha Taban sings about a “tree without a land”. About an eternally displaced body filled with memories of migration both as a direct personal experience and as a legacy of generations of “Afghan-Iranians” or “Afrans”. A strong debut from Ghawgha, a brave singer who, together with some of Norway’s leading musicians, Anja Lauvdal (keyboard), Morten Qvenild (keyboard etc.) and Paal Nilssen-Love (percussion), conveys frustration, anger and hope.

Photo credit: JLE/ Safemuse

In April 2022, Ghawgha was welcomed as a guest artist to Safe Music Haven Harstad, a city in the north of Norway dedicated to welcoming persecuted musical artists under the ICORN Cities of Refuge Network and Norsk PEN’s program in Norway, and in cooperation with Safemuse. Since her arrival she has worked on the development the repertoire for the EP “Landless Tree”, and more is to come. The recording is produced by the Safemuse label LIDIO with support from The Audio and Visual Fund (Fond for lyd og bilde) and the City of Harstad, and is a musical triptych that invites the listener to the experience of younger generations of “Afrans”, as a complex legacy of migrations, destruction and resilience.

Photo credit: JLE/ Safemuse

Ghawgha does not use the established term Afghans for the people of Afghanistan, but mixes both Afghanistan and Iran to refer to herself; “Afrans”. This clarifies a complicated, multi-layered recent history. Afghans originally refers to specific groups of Pashtuns, one of the largest ethnic groups in modern society in Afghanistan. But Ghawgha is Hazara, a large minority in both Afghanistan and Iran, who have been persecuted and subjected to genocide since 1880 by Afghanistan’s Pashtuns. King Abdur Rahman Khan (1880-1901) ordered several raids against Hazaras, which resulted in the extermination of a significant part of this population, through direct massacres and through the rape and enslavement of Hazara women. As a group, the Hazaras became the target of brutal political and societal racism that is still ongoing.

Photo credit: JLE/ Safemuse

“Away from home” is a traditional Hazara lullaby from Bamiyan, the site where the Taliban blew up the two giant Buddha statues in March 2001. Although it is often interpreted as an act of religious fundamentalism, the reasons behind this are much more intricate, and also clearly linked to the identity politics set in motion by Abdur Rahman Khan’s genocide and destruction of Hazara culture. The tune is a Hazara folk tune that reached Ghawgha through oral transmission, against all odds.

More information at LIDIO

Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

“Landless Tree” – migration, destruction & resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

News

Fri Kunst News

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Post author By Anna Safemuse
Post date February 8, 2023

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FRI KUNST - under autoritære regimer: 3. mars

February 8, 2023

FRI KUNST – under autoritære regimer, fredag 3. mars 2023.

Safemuse inviterer til den årlige markeringen av Fri Kunst på Riksscenen – en feiring av kunstnernes unike posisjon til å beskrive, utforske og utfordre vår tidsånd, og til å belyse og avkle maktutøvelse som på ulike måter forhindrer eller nekter kunstnerne friheten til å skape og fremføre.

Vi markerer med en dagskonferanse som inkluderer sterke kunstneriske innlegg og bidrag, og der vi også slipper tre nye SAFE-kortfilmer med møter mellom ulike kunstnere med svært ulike forutsetninger til å kunne være kunstnere.

Tema er Fri kunst under autoritære regimer. På Riksscenen løfter vi frem historier og erfaringer fra sensurerte, forfulgte og truede kunstneres liv, for så å spørre:
– Hva kan vi gjøre?
– Hvilke strategier kan vi finne for internasjonal solidaritet og konkret handling?

Årets program vil veksle mellom ulike kunstneriske bidrag fra Safemuse’ residenskunstnere og faglige samtaler for så å avsluttes med en plateslipp-konsert med den afghanske hazara-sangeren Ghawgha Taban, fribymusiker i Harstad, i samspill med Anja Lauvdal og Marianna Sangita A Røe.

PROGRAM

12:00 – Velkomst: Ane Carmen Roggen, Riksscenen og Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, Safemuse

12:05 – Åpningstale: Marianne Borgen, ordfører i Oslo

12:15 – Kunstnerisk appell: Jae Nyamburah, artist

12:25 – Dans: Carlos Catun/ «Gato» (Guatemala), tidligere residenskunstner hos Safemuse

12:30 – The State of Artistic Freedom: Sverre Pedersen, styreleder i Freemuse,

12:45 – Visning av .SAFE-kortfilm #2.2: Nikan Koshravi & Arash Ilkhani (Iran), Confess/ tidligere fribymusikere i Harstad i samtale med Anders Odden, artist

12:50 – Panelsamtale om levde erfaringer: Kunstnere deler fortellinger om livet under autoritære regimer, diskuterer verdien fri kunst og kunstneres rolle i samfunnet. Ghawgha Taban (Afghanistan), fribymusiker i Harstad, Sina Winter (Iran), tidligere residensmusiker hos Safemuse. Moderator er Sara Christophersen, PRIO. (Denne panelsamtalen foregår på engelsk)

13:45 – Pause

14:10 – Waves of Future: Presentasjon av Safemuse sine residensprogram.

14:20 – Visning av .SAFE-kortfilm #2.1 av Chong Wang (Kina), residenskunstner hos Safemuse i samtale med Ellen Horn, skuespiller, tidligere teatersjef og kulturminister

14:30 – Panelsamtale om kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet i autoritære regimer: Utfordringer og tiltak som kreves for å støtte kunstnere. Hvilke muligheter finnes det lokalt, nasjonal og globalt?

Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, daglig leder, Safemuse, Eivor Evenrud, Leder for kultur- og utdanningsutvalget (Ap), Oslo kommune, Astrid Kvalbein, rektor ved Norges Musikkhøgskole, Sofie Marhaug, Rødts stortingsgruppe. Moderator: Laila Bokhari, statsviter og tidligere statssekretær.

15:20 – Kort oppsummering: Jan Lothe Eriksen, Safemuse. Visning av .SAFE-kortfilm #2.3: Ghawgha Taban i samtale med Oddrun Lilja Jonsdottir, artist

15:30 – Pause

15:50 – Konsert: Ghawgha Taban – vokal (fribymusiker i Harstad), Anja Lauvdal – tangenter og Marianna Sangita A. Røe – perkusjon

16:30 – 17:30 – Vi samles med litt mat og drikke

Fri Kunst faller sammen med den internasjonale Music Freedom Day, som er en global markering og feiring av kunstnerisk frihet for musikere 3. mars hvert år, initiert av Freemuse i 2007 og med lokale feiringer av kunstnerisk frihet over hele verden.
Safemuse har markert Music Freedom Day årlig siden 2015 med konferanser og konserter – først i Harstad og i Oslo fra 2017. I 2023 markerer vi, i tillegg til 3. mars på Riksscenen, med nettbasert aksjon på sosiale medier.

Vi serverer lett mat og drikke, og det vil være sosial samling etter programmet er ferdig. Velkommen!

Tid: 3. mars kl. 11:30 – 17:30
Sted: Riksscenen, Oslo
Fri entre/påmelding: Påmelding Fri kunst 2023forms.office.com

En del av den internasjonale markeringen av Music Freedom Day

Med støtte fra Fritt Ord, Norsk kulturråd og Harstad kommune

Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

“Landless Tree” – migration, destruction & resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

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News Project Safe Residencies

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Post author By Akari
Post date January 6, 2023

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OPEN CALL: Whose voices are being heard? - Exchange program for artists from Poland and Norway 2023

January 6, 2023

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTIC RESIDENCY IN WROCLAW, POLAND 2023

We invite artists to apply for the residency exchange “Whose voices are being heard?” organised by the Wrocław Institute of Culture (Wrocław/PL), Hvitsten Salong (Hvitsten/NO) and Safemuse (Oslo/NO). The project benefits from funding received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA funds. The artistic residency exchange between Poland and Norway aims to equalise opportunities and visibility for artists belonging to minorities, creating safe and inclusive spaces for artistic work. It focuses on integrating foreign and minority artists living in Poland and Norway into the mainstream of cultural and artistic life in these countries.

In 2023, six artists from Poland will have the opportunity to go on a month-long residency in Hvitsten and take part in the local art and music festival Hvitsten Salong 2023, and six artists from Norway will be invited to the Wrocław Institute of Culture (WIK) and participate in a closing exhibition in autumn 2023. In Hvitsten, Norway, there will also be one artist at risk chosen from outside the Schengen area who will stay for a longer period. All artists will be supported by curators, in the adaptation, research and creative process. The application deadline is February 6^th, 2023.

When will the residencies take place?

The residencies will take place from spring to autumn 2023, on dates agreed upon between the selected artists and the hosting organisations.

Who can apply?

The call is aimed at artists, focusing especially (but not exclusively) on female artists that are migrants or belong to minority groups, at different stages of their career:

→ representing various fields of contemporary art (mainly visual arts, but also performing arts and others)

→ living or residing in Norway, including foreign artists living in Norway

→ who are interested in themes related to migration, inclusion, majority-minority relations, engaged art, art made in public space, the role of the artist and art in society and social change.

→ who wants to go for a month-long residency in Wrocław, in 2023 and show their work at the residency closing exhibition in autumn 2023 in Wrocław. Detailed dates of the residency are agreed upon together with WIK.

How to submit the application?

To apply for the residency, please send by e-mail, in English;

→ a portfolio in .pdf format and a CV (max. 10 MB) in English;

→ answers to the questions (1,500-2,000 characters with spaces):

Why would you like to participate in the project?
What would you like to work on during your residency?
What topics move you most in your artistic work?

The application deadline is 6^th of February, 2023.

Please send your application by email to: hvitstensalong@gmail.com and post@safemuse.org with the following title: [YOUR NAME] – Whose voices are being heard?

About the residency program

Selected artists will receive an artistic fee and accommodation. They will work with a local curator and have the opportunity to create art in a safe environment and to learn about the cultural life in Poland and Wroclaw. In addition, the project “Whose voices are being heard?” offers an educational component for artists with the aim of professionalising their work. The selected artists will work in an international environment and have the chance to learn about the work of the host institution and the local community. The project is carried out in collaboration with the NGO Safemuse, which supports artists at risk.

Partners

The Wroclaw Institute of Culture (WIK) is a legacy organisation preparing and implementing for the Wrocław European Capital of Culture 2016. Today it continues to run activities focusing on creating and co-creating artistic, cultural and educational programs for different communities situated between the artistic-, cultural- and educational, focusing on co-creating and art animation for different communities. The AiR program supports mobility of artists from different fields to further develop their artistic praxis.

WIK wants to be a bridge between the institutional field of culture and active citizens, creators, artists and the non-governmental sector. We create opportunities for cooperation, test new formats of activities, identify and research trends and support innovative, non-commercial artistic and cultural initiatives.

We are an institution with a flexible and agile programming structure which can be easily adapted to the challenges posed by a dynamically changing world. In our program we focus on such areas as: competences, support and networking.

Hvitsten Salong is an art institution run by artists and professionals from the world of art and culture. With its experience in organising artistic events, including the annual Hvitsten Salong art and music festival, and its cross-sectoral approach, the institution contributes to the development and creation of innovative solutions for culture. It reaches a wide and diverse audience by exhibiting art in Hvitsten’s public spaces. The initiative also includes an educational program for children and youth.

Safemuse was founded on the initiative of several art organisations in Norway with the purpose of protecting artistic freedom, promote the role of the artist in society and creating an international solidarity initiative. Safemuse has been organising safe residencies for artists at risk from different countries since 2014. Safemuse is part of a network of Norwegian cultural institutions and organisations, as well as an international network working with artistic freedom of expression. Safemuse has so far organised a series of events on the freedom of artistic expression; Artistic Freedom Week / Music Freedom Day; and .SAFE – a film series portraying artist encounters and conversations about artistic freedoms. Safemuse is also the co-founder and fiscal sponsor of SH|FT – Safe Havens Freedom Talks who organise the Safe Havens Conference – a global networking conference on art, culture, human rights and artistic freedom, as well as a Freedom Talks series. Safemuse will coordinate the participation of the artist at risk staying for the six month-residency in Hvitsten.

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Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

Post author By Akari
Post date December 14, 2022

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FREEMUSE AND SAFEMUSE WITH A JOINT PLEA TO NORWEGIAN AUTHORITIES

December 14, 2022

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi: “Don’t cry if I die tomorrow”

The following statement was sent by Freemuse and Safemuse to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Culture, the Mayor of Oslo, the head of the Oslo City Council and the head of Oslo’s Cultural Council today:

On the 30th of October, the rapper Toomaj Salehi was arrested in Iran because of his regime-critical lyrics. His Kurdish colleague Saman Yasin has been in prison since the 2nd of and was sentenced to death in a bogus trial. Both artists are subjected to severe torture and maltreatment. We call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to withdraw the death penalty in the case against Yasin and to drop the charges against him and to drop the charges against Toomaj Salehi, who is also at the risk of facing the death penalty.

We call on the Norwegian government to do everything necessary to save the lives of Toomaj Salehi and Saman Yasin. They are accused of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “gross corruption” (ifsad fil-arz). These are charges that in the 21st century carry the death penalty in Iran.

As rappers, these artists work with words. Their lives are threatened because of their use of free speech. They are our colleagues. We encourage the Municipality of Oslo to make them honorary citizens of Oslo. Anyone who harms Toomaj Salehi and Saman Yasin is committing an unpardonable crime.

We want to do everything we can to prevent this. “Don’t cry if I die tomorrow because you were not by my side today,” Toomaj Salehi said shortly before his arrest. Toomaj and Saman: We are by your side!

Sverre Pedersen Hans Ole Rian
Chair of Freemuse Chair of Safemuse

Følgende henvendelse gikk fra Freemuse og Safemuse til utenriksministeren, kulturministeren, ordføreren, byrådslederen og kulturbyråden tidligere i dag:

30. oktober ble rapperenToomaj Salehi arrestert i Iran på grunn av hans regimekritiske tekster. Hans kurdiske kollega Saman Yasin har sittet i fengsel siden 2. oktober og ble dømt til døden i en farserettssak med falske anklager. Begge blir utsatt for alvorlig tortur og mishandling. Vi oppfordrer den islamske republikken Iran til å trekke tilbake dødsstraffen i saken mot Yasin og frafalle anklagene mot ham og til å frafalle anklagene mot Toomaj Salehi – også han risikerer dødsstraff.

Vi oppfordrer den norske regjeringen til å gjøre alt som trengs for å redde livene til Toomaj Salehi og Saman Yasin. De er anklaget for “fiendskap mot Gud” (moharebeh) og “grov korrupsjon” (ifsad fil-arz). Dette er anklager som i det 21. århundre århundre medfører dødsstraff i Iran.

Som rappere jobber de to med ord. Deres liv er truet på grunn av deres bruk av frie ord. De er våre kolleger. Vi oppfordrer Oslo kommune til å gjøre dem til æresborgere av Oslo. Alle som skader Toomaj Salehi og Saman Yasin begår en utilgivelig forbrytelse.

Vi ønsker å gjøre alt vi kan for å forhindre det. “Ikke gråt hvis jeg dør i morgen fordi du ikke var ved min side i dag,” sa Toomaj Salehi kort før arrestasjonen. Toomaj og Saman: Vi er ved din side

Sverre Pedersen Hans Ole Rian
Styreleder Freemuse Styreleder Safemuse

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Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

Post author By Akari
Post date November 10, 2022

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MEET SAFEMUSE'S NEWEST ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: WANG CHONG -- Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

November 10, 2022

A long-awaited arrival

Wang Chong is Safemuse’s newest and long-awaited second artist in residence of 2022. Wang was initially supposed to arrive in May around the same time as the first resident, Belarusian artist Zhanna Gladko, however obtaining a visa turned out to be a lengthy and unpredictable process. Safemuse was therefore very pleased to finally welcome Wang to our Oslo residence program in September.

— Working at Safemuse involves a lot of frustration; frustration over visa difficulties; over not having the opportunity to welcome more artists who need the kind of respite Safemuse can offer; and thereby the frustration of having to choose between a large number of highly qualified artists who really need to get away from situations that are difficult for us to imagine.

But it is also rewarding. Very rewarding and inspiring. When the artists arrive, watch them unfold and get the opportunity to work. Opportunities they don’t have at all where they come from, says Safemuse’s former general manager (now senior adviser), Jan Lothe Eriksen.

China’s most internationally-commissioned theater director

Wang Chong was born in Beijing in 1982. He received his bachelor’s degree in law from Peking University before he decided to pursue a master’s degree in theater from University of Hawaii. In 2008, Wang founded the Beijing-based performance group Théâtre du Rêve Expérimental (www.theatrere.org).

Wang has translated and directed Chinese premieres of internationally-acclaimed texts, such as Heiner Müller’s Hamletmachine, Peter Handke’s Self-accusation, Sarah Kane’s Crave, Nick Payne’s Constellations, Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, and Woody Allen’s Central Park West.

Today Wang Chong is China’s most internationally-commissioned theater director and, so far, his works have been performed in 20 countries, including Norway at the Oslo International Ibsen Festival. Wang is happy to be in back in Ibsen’s homeland.

— Ibsen was part of our high school literature curriculum, and certainly essential to my theater education in the U.S. I started to work with the Oslo-based organization, Ibsen International, in 2012. Together with playwright Oda Fiskum, producer Inger Buresund, and dramaturg Hege Tørressen, we tried to bring most of Ibsen’s essence into one work, Ibsen in One Take, which was brought here in 2014 as part of the Ibsen Festival. I was commissioned by Ibsen International in the same year to direct Ghosts 2.0, an adaptation set in contemporary China. I hope that I can bring it too to Norway one day.

Wang Chong has an extensive and impressive artistic portfolio, and he is the recipient of numerous awards. Among his many productions, we find The Warfare of Landmine 2.0, which won the Festival/Tokyo Award; Lu Xun, which was noted as The Best Chinese Performance of the Year by The Beijing News; Teahouse 2.0, which won the One Drama Award; Waiting for Godot, a live online performance which has an audience of 290,000; and The Plague, a live online performance with artists working from six continents.

“Without the basic freedoms, I would not be able to learn, research, and experiment enough to come up with artistic concepts.”
— Wang Chong

Face masks, firewalls and basic freedoms

After two years of Covid restrictions and a lengthy six months of awaiting his temporary visa for Norway, Wang finally arrived in Oslo on the 17th of September.

— Being stuck in one country for two and a half years, as an international artist, it was stifling. I was hoping to once again dive into the world and see how people and artists in Norway and other countries are coping with life and arts. The most important thing, he notes, is that I got out of the zero-Covid zone, expecting to re-experience what life can be.

— Although I was here in 2014, it was more of a cultural shock moment this time around. On day one, when I stepped into the Central Station, I saw hundreds of men and women from all walks of life. They were standing, running, talking, laughing, and eating, all maskless and fearless. I stood there, speechless, trying to make sense. When I started to understand the situation, I couldn’t stop laughing. I took off my mask. I became a new being on my arrival.

Looking back at his first few weeks in Oslo, Wang says:

— I have regained Google freedom, YouTube freedom, Wikipedia freedom, and Netflix freedom. These things are not something to talk about or worry about in the Norwegian context, but I have to say these freedoms are forming a new foundation to my creativity. Right away I started to learn and create with artificial intelligence. The booming field looks so exciting, when there is no firewall blocking your vision. So many apps, websites, and open-source platforms are out there. Without the basic freedoms, I would not be able to learn, research, and experiment enough to come up with artistic concepts.

— The residency has been great so far. I have been focusing on an artificial intelligence (AI) generated short film and checked out performances, museums, and hiking trails of Oslo.

“I have regained Google freedom, YouTube freedom, Wikipedia freedom, and Netflix freedom. These things are not something to talk about or worry about in the Norwegian context, but I have to say these freedoms are forming a new foundation to my creativity.”
— Wang Chong”

Wang Chong’s artistic ambitions

Wang has large ambitions for the residency and his artistic plans include an AI-generated short film, a documentary film, and a new text for theater.

— I don’t want to spoil it by telling you how exactly the AI-generated short film would look like. What I can say is that I want to create an intriguing story about the future of humanity.

Wang’s ongoing documentary film project is titled A Director Sitting Still. It is about the life and death of Hu Bo, the young director of award-winning film An Elephant Sitting Still.

— In 2019 I started to ask, why did such a talented artist commit suicide at the age of 29? During the residency, I will focus on editing and post-production of the film. If you have not seen Hu Bo’s movie, I highly recommend it!

Wang is also working on his solo performance, Made in China 2.0. It will premiere in Boston before a world-tour. There is a possibility the piece will be shown in Oslo in 2023.

— Wang Chong is an artist who uses the newly acquired opportunities with great enthusiasm. And for us at Safemuse, the Norwegian art community and for the Norwegian public, it is a fantastic resource to have artists like this visit. We are very much looking forward to being able to present Wang on stage, and to get his look and his artistic approach to the themes he will present, says Jan Lothe Eriksen, before he continues: — At the same time, our guest artists are a reminder of what an incredible reality we live in here, compared to other countries and regions. Many thanks to Oslo municipality for making this program possible.

Safemuse’s residence coordinator, Jon Lundell, is also impressed by Chong’s artistic work and ambitions:

— Artistically, Chong stuck out from the vast number of applicants for our Oslo residence. I saw that his previous work and future plans are full of life, humor, creativity, experimentation and seriousness. He intelligently confronts difficult themes with a brave and open mind. This openness and interest of learning and meeting new obstacles professionally, is both inspiring and important in present and future collaborations. His interest in other people, their struggles and character also makes him humble and just a great guy to work with.

– –

For more information and artistic works, check out online articles on Wang Chong and his Youtube channel.

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Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

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A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

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Administration News

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Post author By Akari
Post date October 31, 2022

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A NEW GENERAL MANAGER IN SAFEMUSE

October 31, 2022

We are pleased to announce that Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor is set to become the new general manager of Safemuse – Safe Havens for Artists.

Bright-Taylor has worked as an advisor in the organisation for the past two years and will take on her new role starting on Tuesday 1 November 2022. She succeeds Jan Lothe Eriksen, who founded the organisation in 2011. Eriksen is now stepping down in his role as general manager of Safemuse, but will however continue as a senior advisor.

A planned transition

– Fortunately, the Safemuse board has had plenty of time to prepare for this change of general manager. Finding a new boss who could build on the excellent work Jan Lothe Eriksen has put in has been particularly crucial. Jan was the one who established Safemuse, and has his dedication has been crucial in developing the organisation into what it is today, says the chairman of Safemuse, Hans Ole Rian.

The board is confident that Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor is the right person for the position.

– She has a very relevant education, and through her work at Safemuse has shown that she has all the qualities we are looking for in Jan’s successor.

– The important thing going forward is to secure funding, establish Safemuse as an even more important and relevant organisation in the area of freedom of expression, and work for more residencies for some of the far too many persecuted artists we receive reports about. We will also ensure that the artists who come here to Norway develop their artistry – preferably in collaboration with colleagues here in the country – and also follow up the artists who have been in residence here once they return to work in their respective home countries, says Rian.

Time to pass on the baton

– It doesn’t look like Safemuse will be redundant anytime soon. On the contrary and unfortunately. Both Freemuse’s documentation of the increasing number of gross violations of artistic freedom in its annual reports, State of Artistic Freedom, and also when we see all the censored, threatened and persecuted artists from around the globe who send strong applications for residency to Safemuse, then Safemuse had far more residency places to offer, says outgoing general manager, Jan Lothe Eriksen.

– Thanks to this year’s contribution from the municipality of Oslo, we have been able to establish our new residency program together with Nordic Black Theatre. Next year, we plan to expand the intiative through a new collaboration with Hvitsten Salong and partner Strefa Kultury Wrocław in Poland. This is motivating and important work, so we really hope that the Ministry of Culture and the government in this year’s budget process will contribute to the further development of our projets.

– After 12-13 years of building the organisation, it is now the time to pass on the baton to younger forces. I will continue to assist in a transition phase in a more withdrawn position. And with Bright-Taylor as the new general manager, together with the rest of Safemuse’s brilliant team, and with the support of motivated board members, Safemuse is in the very best of hands.

Safemuse’s incoming general manager, Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, is excited to embark on her new role in the organisation:

– I am grateful for the trust from my current boss and from the board. I look forward to continuing to work with them and with the artists, members and partners to strengthen artistic freedom of expression, human rights and not least contribute to the creation of art in all forms.

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Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

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Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

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A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

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Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

Post author By Akari
Post date October 11, 2022

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Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian

October 11, 2022

This letter was sent to CEO Harvey Mason Jr. on the 10th of October 2022.

“There will need to be a change of regime for him to get out…That he actually managed to be creative and to work with people outside of Iran through the internet and come out with an album of that kind of quality – I am totally impressed” Safemuse’s general manager, Jan Lothe Eriksen, said in an interview with Billboard.

Read the article here:

https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/grammy-voters-consider-dissident-iranian-composer-letter-1235153527/

Safemuse has been evaluated: VISA PROCESSING THE GREATEST CHALLENGE

OPEN CALL – Oslo and Hvitsten Art Haven 2024!

Wrocław Institute of Culture/ Hvitsten Salong/ Safemuse residency project

“Landless Tree” – migration, destruction & resilience, EP debut by Ghawgha Taban

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Whose voices are being heard? Exchange program for foreign artists from Poland and Norway.

Freemuse and Safemuse with a joint plea to Norwegian authorities

Meet Safemuse’s newest artist in residence: Wang Chong – Ibsen, face masks and freedom to surf the Internet

A new general manager in Safemuse from 1st of November

Letter to the 65th Grammy edition: Conditions of Iranian artist Mehdi Rajabian