Category: Project

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

Post author By Akari
Post date January 6, 2023

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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An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

Post author By Akari
Post date October 8, 2022

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An artist´s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

By belarusian artist Zhanna Gladko

October 8, 2022

About the artist

Zhanna Gladko (1984) is a visual artist and a graduate of the Republican College of Arts in Minsk and the Department of Easel Graphics at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. She is currently one of Safemuse’s artists in residence based in Oslo. In this article, Gladko reflects on her experience and the process of creating an outdoor art installation for the festival Hvitsten Salong in august 2022.

Relentless flow of time

Working on the art installation Relentless Flow Of Time / 2022 for the art festival Hvitsten Salong has been an important and interesting experience for me. It was especially important to me because it was the first time that I exhibited my art in Norway. I was interested in the Norwegian history and local context, the topics that contemporary Norwegian artists work with and my encounters with Hvitsten Salong’s creative community and the participants with different stories and backgrounds.

This festival showed me that the art community in Norway is developing in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, welcoming people with different histories and cultural contexts. I was happy to meet many artists whose names was not already familiar with. I met those whose practice is close to me both in terms of artistic strategy and the themes that contemporary artists work with. I was pleased to get good feedback on my work from local artists and was pleasantly surprised at how hospitable they were.

Another important point for me is that this is the first work I have shown outside a gallery space. So for me this experience is still important as a step in the development of personal professional tools, which is important for an artist whose practice is mainly related to gallery and museum spaces.

I also felt comfortable working on the preparations for the festival whilst being in Hvitsten itself, with the warm and caring support of the Safemuse team. The fact that no one restricted my ideas, did not correct or censor me – neither in the process of reflection on the work, nor during the creation of the installation is of great importance to me and cannot be underestimated. For me, as a Belarusian artist, this is an important and valuable aspect, which I emphasise, because in Belarus, making such a work is simply impossible. To work in Belarus with any statement that touches on social or political issues can lead to imprisonment – it is a restrictive and limiting condition, which binds the artist’s hands and takes away his or her voice. That is why I am happy to have the chance to show my voice, to have the right to a personal manifesto, not to leave unnoticed and invisible those topics of concern in countries where crimes against humanity and crimes against artists are taking place right now.

It was important for me to show work that has a difficult conceptual side. It refers to events which are important for the current history, which on the one hand is important to fix, but on the other hand is also ephemeral and unstable – like everything that happens in the era of post-truth, digital oversaturation and devaluation of meanings. Therefore, it was conceptually important for my work in interaction with the natural environment – which always corrects and puts everything in its right place.

“To work in Belarus with any statement that touches on social or political issues can lead to imprisonment – it is a restrictive and limiting condition, which binds the artist’s hands and takes away his or her voice.”
– Zhanna Gladko

About my work in Hvitsten

The installation consists of a series of glass inscriptions made of ashes. The series is called Relentless Flow Of Time / 2022 and was created especially for Hvitsten Salong.

The inscriptions on the glasses are taken as fragments of expressions, headlines from the world’s press, which printed news about the war in Ukraine, about the revolutionary events in Belarus. I am interested in the phenomenon of information deformation in the post-truth era, when information flow is characterized by the layering, distortion and devaluation of meanings. My intention was that, with the passage of time and interaction with nature, the rain and humidity would partly deform, erase, disappear – everything that happens to memory and history over time in the social, political and any other context.

This series of works began with the creation of Force. Farce. False. / 2020 (https://gladko.org/FORCE-FARCE-FALSE). The slogan emerged during the 2020 pandemic when the President of Belarus refused to take any action to reduce the risk of coronavirus during the pandemic. Statistical figures on the sick were hidden and distorted in the media.

In 2020, I created a slogan on glass and displayed it on the balcony of my flat in Minsk, on one of the city’s main avenues. The inscription was made of a sticky transparent liquid and, over time, dust, dirt, and smog from the avenue accumulated on it. Later, during the revolutionary events in Belarus, the glass panel displayed on the balcony was passed by police cars as peaceful protests were held. Thus, the inscription was symbolically shaped by the dust, by the moods that were in the air in 2020 – hatred, fear, enthusiasm, protest.

The work in Hvitsten is the next stage in the series. And the ash material is important here as a reference to the military events in Ukraine, to recent events in Belarus – which are part of a complex history and struggle for independence.

A commentary by Anne Weyer Larsen:

Zhanna Gladko’s art work Relentless flow of time

Glass panels with inscriptions of ashes. The piece is based on a work she started at the onset of the pandemic – Force Farce False. It dealt with, among other things, the popular uprising against Lukaschenko in Belarus, and is now relevant in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A simple chain of events that unfortunately develops into a greater and deeper darkness. The work is not intended to be decorative, illustrative or complex, but seeks to reflect the pain of the present. The work is a response to contemporary events with a relevant statement. At its core – a universal code that corresponds to any historical moment. The work is not intended as a political statement, but as a reflection on the changes taking place in the social structures, the breaking of the times in which we now find ourselves.

One of the layers is dedicated to the information war that is currently taking place. The artist is interested in post-truth, the layers of meaning that disappear, memories and forgetting, the conflict zones around different meanings, different discourses. The words become like a thundercloud that thickens, darkens because of the layers of meaning, and all the words. The words are taken from world news. With rain and wind, the words will be erased over time. This is also the passage of time in a longer perspective. We do not forget and remember the horror in the same way.

Anne Weyer Larsen works as an art mediator at Hvitsten Salong, Henie Onstad Art Center and has many years of experience working with a number of art institutions where she has partaken in various art projects and artist-driven events.

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News Project Safe Residencies

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

Post author By Akari
Post date August 24, 2022

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– We are doing this to support independent voices

August 24, 2022

Artistic freedom of expression, solidarity and collaboration

In an increasingly polarised world, with tensions between nations, cultures, political parties and cultural norms, a growing group of artists are encountering obstacles in the execution of their work. Artists are in many cases regarded as activists, even when they themselves do not identify with, or promote a political view or a political movement. This is especially true for female artists, artists that are queer, come from minority or indigenous groups or artists that work in genres not deemed acceptable by society or by their government. One of Safemuse’s most important projects is, therefore, to create safe residencies for artists and to promote artistic freedom of expression, as well as artistic solidarity and collaboration.

At the closing event of the Safe Havens Conference in Oslo in December of 2021, Vice Mayor for Culture and Sports, Omar Samy Gamal, expressed the City of Oslo’s unwavering endorsement for Safemuse’s residency program:

– 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.”

“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.”

– Omar Samy Gamal, Vice Mayor for Culture and Sports in Oslo

At the opening of the Artistic Freedom Week in March, the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstuen followed suit and emphasised that she – cannot think of anything more important than to promote the importance of artistic freedom and to define artists’ right to move and express themselves. It is simply a matter of democracy, the most fundamental thing we have to fight for.

Safemuse Artistic Safe Haven residency program

At the beginning of the year, Safemuse established a residency program in the Norwegian capital of Oslo for artists subjected censorship, threats, persecution, or/and that for various reason cannot work freely in the place they currently reside. The program offers residencies for artists within all artistic disciplines. The residencies have a duration of up to six-month and are focused on artistic development and cooperation. The Safemuse Artistic Safe Haven residency program in Oslo is funded by the City of Oslo and carried out in collaboration with Nordic Black Theatre.

– After years of uncertain, unpredictable and scarce funding for our residency projects, Safemuse finally has the possibility, through the support of the City of Oslo’s enthusiastic political and administrative leadership, to invite artists in need for a safe space and possibilities for artistic development. But unfortunately, we are only able to host some few artists out of the many thousands who are in danger and in serious need of safe residencies. Hence, we are looking forward to develop the program further and be able to invite more independent voices, says Jan Lothe Eriksen, general manager of Safemuse.

Safemuse is also working to expand the program in order to offer similar residency opportunities in other places in Norway.

– 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. He reveals that Safemuse, in collaboration with the artist-run organisation Hvitsten Salong, will start up yet another residence in the coastal town of Hvitsten in 2023.

Open call for applications

On August 1^st, Safemuse published an open call for applications for its upcoming residencies in 2023. The deadline is on September 1^st and Safemuse encourages its friends and supporters around the world to help spread the word about this opportunity to artists at risk and in need of a safe space to develop their art.

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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

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An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

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Concert Conference/Meeting Fri Kunst Music Freedom Day News Project

More important than ever: Artistic freedom and mobility

Post author By Akari
Post date March 31, 2022

The Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstuen, opened the conference. Foto: Jon Lundell / Safemuse

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More important than ever: Artistic freedom and mobility

March 31, 2022

As March comes to a close, Safemuse looks back at a month where artistic freedom has been celebrated and promoted. A mere week after the violent conflict in Ukraine was evoked, Safemuse organised the Artistic Freedom-week 2022 in order to raise the theme of artistic freedom of expression and free mobility of artists onto the public agenda.

Free Art – Free Movement

On the 4th of March, dozens of Norwegian organisations, institutions, cultural initiatives and artists gathered for the one-day conference “Free Art – Free Movement” (Fri Kunst – Fri Bevegelse) at Riksscenen in Oslo. In their welcoming speech, Riksscenen’s CEO / Artistic Director, Ane Carmen Roggen, and Safemuse’s General Manager, Jan Lothe Eriksen, underscored how deeply and disturbingly relevant the discussion of artistic freedom and mobility have become in light of the meaningless atrocities unfolding before the world’s eyes and the all too evident risks and barriers that confront many artists in Eastern Europe and beyond.

A committed Minister of Culture

In the opening speech, the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstuen, spoke of the necessity for artistic freedom of expression in democratic societies today and shared her unwavering support for Safemuse’s efforts:

“I cannot think of anything more important than to promote the importance of artistic freedom and to defend artists’ right to move and express themselves. It is simply a matter of democracy, the most fundamental thing we have to fight for.”

The minister also expressed her ambitions for Norway to take the lead.

– We must look at how we can make the conditions for development and cooperation across national borders in the world of art and culture even better. Norway to the world and the world to Norway. The world community is fragile [and] this makes it even more important to stand up and work for increased cooperation and contact.

Norway, Trettebergstuen pointed out, is one of the world’s best countries to live in, also for artists.

– We have good frameworks, good support schemes and we value artistic freedom. And so, allowing international artists to come here to exchange knowledge and experience security, is perhaps more important than ever, she said.

In her closing statement, Trettebergstuen reaffirmed the Norwegian government’s continued commitment to promote artistic freedom and mobility:

– While it is easy to experience discouragement when the world is fragile, this is an effort we must never give up. There is no alternative. Thank you so much for the work you do, it is more important than ever, and I promise on behalf of the government we will support you and work together with you.

The impossible task

The South African-Norwegian artist Nosizwe Baqwa moved the entire audience at the conference. In a powerful spoken-word performance that sent shivers down the audiences’ spines, she underlined the indispensable societal contribution of artists, and delivered an emotional appeal for the pressing need to protect and enhance artists’ freedoms:

“…What I know for sure is that artists are best at impossible tasks.
Artists continue to create because they have to, because they exist in a belief and truth that what they deliver to the world is more important and greater than themselves, that one must not be stopped, one must not be silenced, that which has accompanied humanity since the beginnings, are the rhythms, are the heartbeat, our pulsating inner percussion, it is the tones that hold us together, that created a we, a us, an idea, a thought, a dream, you can not be part of the system who refuse the dreamers to come together, especially not those who are already suffering from the violence of those who want to silence them, silence them to death, you must keep the dreams and dreams alive, because it is we who keep you alive.”

– Excerpt from Nosizwe Baqwas piece. (Translated from Norwegian. Read the entire, original text here).

Inconsistent visa practice

The conference included two panel discussions moderated by Ingeborg Moa (Norwegian Human Rights Fund). The first conversation was with Alexandra Archetti Stølen (Oslo World) and Per-Idar Almås (The Førde Traditional and World Music Festival) who shared their reflections and experiences as festival organisers. Thereafter Moa spoke with Ole Reitov (Unesco adviser and founder of Freemuse) and Celina Bright Jerman-Taylor (Safemuse) about the challenges and opportunities with regards to the 2005 Unesco convention on artistic diversity, which Norway has ratified together with 150 other countries as well as the EU.

The discussions were followed by a performance by an anonymous Afghan singer and a mini-concert by the Malmø-based ICORN guest artist, Egyptian oud player and sound-artist Yasmine El Baramawy together with Danish tuba player Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund. The conference closed off with an artist talk, organised in collaboration with Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor’s initiative Ella, whereby Guro Kleveland, editor of the web-magazine Ballade, interviewed Ayhvin Bruno from Venezuela, Dayami Ross from Cuba and Yasmine El Baramawy.

—

Thank you to our supporters

Artistic Freedom Week 2022 and conference was organised with support from the Fritt Ord Foundation (Stiftelsen Fritt Ord) and the Norwegian Culture Council (Kulturrådet).

We extend a special thanks to all the participants, the engaged audience – both physical and digital -, and our partners Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor.

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

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Safemuse inviterer til Fri Kunst 2022

Post author By Akari
Post date February 15, 2022

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SAFEMUSE INVITERER TIL MARKERING AV KUNSTNERISK YTRINGSFRIHET

February 15, 2022

Følg live-stream fra konferansen via denne lenken. Start: 13:00.

Watch the live-stream from the conference via this link. Start: 13:00.

FRI KUNST 2022

Safemuse arrangerer Fri Kunst-uken den 1. – 7. mars 2022 for å sette temaet kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet og fri bevegelse av kunstnere på dagsorden. Vi inviterer til dagkonferanse, løfter saken i norske medier og sprer budskapet via nettbaserte kanaler. Bli med å markere uken!

VELKOMMEN TIL DAGKONFERANSE

Bli med på dagkonferansen “Fri Kunst – Fri Bevegelse” på Riksscenen den 4. mars 2022. Her samles relevante aktører fra organisasjoner, festivaler og andre arrangører, samt institusjoner som arbeider med kunst og kultur.

Dagkonferansen er åpen og gratis, men krever påmelding.

Meld deg på arrangementet via lenken: https://forms.office.com/r/jteb8MDm81

ÅRETS TEMA

Årets tema er fri bevegelse av kunst og kunstnere, og hvordan vi kan bidra til at Norge oppfyller UNESCO-konvensjonen om kulturelt mangfold (2005) art.16, Preferansebehandling (eller fordelsbehandling) av utviklingsland: Industriland skal legge til rette for kulturutveksling med utviklingsland ved å tilstå, gjennom hensiktsmessige institusjonelle og juridiske rammeverk, fortrinnsbehandling av kunstnere, andre kulturarbeidere og utøvere, så vel som av kulturvarer og -tjenester fra utviklingsland.

Vi ønsker å sikre at kunstnere og kulturarbeidere internasjonalt har mulighet til å forflytte seg fritt og mulighet til å samarbeide på tvers av grenser. En rekke aktører i kunst og kulturverdenen opplever store utfordringer med visum når artister og kulturarbeidere skal inviteres både ved kortere og lengre opphold. Det at kunstnere og andre kulturarbeidere ikke får visum hindrer den kunstneriske friheten, utveksling av ideer og hindrer kunsten i å utvikle seg og bli sett, hørt og opplevd også utenfor sin egen kulturelle kontekst. Spesielt er det viktig at kunstnere fra land i sør i økt grad får delta i utveksling, utviklet sitt arbeidsmarked og vist sin kunst i Norge, i Europa og resten av den vestlige verden.

PROGRAM

12:45 Dørene åpner

13:00 – 13:10 Velkomst og kort introduksjon om Fri Kunst v/ Ane Carmen Roggen, Riksscenen og Jan Lothe Eriksen, Safemuse.

13:10 – 13:25 Åpningstale v/ Kulturminister Anette Trettebergstuen.

13:30 – 14:30 Panelsamtale: “Samarbeid på tvers”. Deltakere: Per Idar Almås, Førdefestivalen, Alexandra Archetti Stølen, Oslo World, Marthe Valle, artist. Moderator: Ingeborg Moa, direktør i Menneskerettighetsfondet.

14:30 – 14:45 Pause

14:45 – 14:55 “Fri kunst – fri bevegelse – fri utveksling”, innlegg v/ Nosizwe Lise Baqwa, artist.

15:00 – 16:00 Panelsamtale: “Inkonsekvent visumpraksis”. Deltakere: Ole Reitov, grunnlegger/ tidligere direktør i Freemuse og UNESCO rådgiver og Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, rådgiver, Safemuse. Politisk ledelse fra Justisdepartementet er invitert. Moderator: Ingeborg Moa, direktør i Menneskerettighetsfondet.

16:00 – 16:30 Pause

16:00 Dørene åpner til konsert / kunstnersamtale

16:30 – 17:30

DEL I: Konsert med Yasmine El Baramawy, egyptisk oudspiller, lydkunstner og fribymusiker i Malmö & Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund, tuba, og Inkognito, Afghansk sanger.

DEL II: Kunstnersamtale i samarbeid med Riksscenen, Ballade og SalsaNor med initiativet Ella. Deltakere: Ahyvin Bruno, venezuelansk vokalist, Las Karamba; Yasmine El Baramawy og Daiami Ross, leder, Cuba Cambia. Moderator: Guro Klevland, redaktør, Ballade.

Fri Kunst-konferansen arrangeres med støtte fra Stiftelsen Fritt Ord og Norsk Kulturråd.

—

English summary:

In connection with the annual celebration of Music Freedom Day, Safemuse is organising Artistic Freedom-week 2022 on the 1st – 7th of March to place the theme of artistic freedom of expression and free movement of artists on the agenda.

The week will include a one-day-conference on Friday the 4th of March at Riksscenen, as well as a campaign to raise the issue in the Norwegian media and spread the message via online channels.

The panel discussions will take place in Norwegian, but English-speakers are welcome to join us at 16:30 for the concert and artist talk. Seating is limited and all participants are asked to register their attendance: https://forms.office.com/r/jteb8MDm81

16:00 The doors open for a concert / artist talk

16:30 – 17:30

PART I: Concert with Yasmine El Baramawy, Egyptian oud player and sound artist based in Malmö & Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund, tuba, and Inkognito, Afghan singer.

PART II: Artist talk in collaboration with Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor with the initiative Ella. Participants: Ahyvin Bruno, Venezuelan singer in Las Karamba; Yasmine El Baramawy and Daiami Ross, leader of Cuba Cambia. Moderator: Guro Klevland, editor of Ballade.

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

News

Safe Residencies Administration News Project

Upcoming artistic residency in Oslo and a new Residence Coordinator

Post author By Akari
Post date February 3, 2022

Jon Lundell is the new Residency Coordinator at Safemuse. Photo: Nosizwe Baqwa

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Upcoming artistic residency in Oslo and a new Residence Coordinator

February 3, 2022

Upcoming residency program in Oslo

The observations and reports by Freemuse and the wider, international network dedicated to defending artistic freedom of expression, all share a common concern: All over the world, artists are exposed to threats and persecution because they create art and in various ways are perceived as a challenge to existing power structures.

When Safemuse was established in 2013, its mission emanated from various Norwegian artists’ organisations’ wish to protect the artistic freedom of expression and the role of artists in society. The newly-launched residency program in Oslo is the last development in Safemuse’s international solidarity initiative, which aims to give artists safe spaces to create and develop their artistry, regardless of the country in which they reside.

“We continue to see a great need for permanent residences that can ensure continuity and predictability in our work, and contribute to safe opportunities for the artists” says Jan Lothe Eriksen, the director of Safemuse. Artists who experience harassment, persecution and threats are forced to work under very difficult conditions, and have a great need to get out of such situations, recharge their batteries, meet colleagues, expand their repertoire and develop new works and projects. By inviting endangered and persecuted artists to safe residences, we provide the opportunity for a breather. At the same time, Norwegian artists get the opportunity to collaborate with foreign colleagues with completely unique qualities and backgrounds, present these to the public and enrich the Norwegian cultural scene. The residency program in Oslo is organised in cooperation with Nordic Black Theatre and funded by the City of Oslo. The activities related to the program will also strengthen international cultural cooperation in Oslo, cooperation for artistic freedom of expression and increased understanding of art as a societal changer.

Meet our new project coordinator

“As artistic freedom is an important base for any well-functioning society, it should be allowed to be as diverse as we as humans are.”

-Jon Lundell, Residency Coordinator

Jon Lundell, is the newest addition to Safemuse’s team. Jon is a father of two children and has a background as a photographer, artist, art teacher and director of the wonderful art festival, collective and hub, Hvitsten Salong.

What does artistic freedom mean to you?

“As artistic freedom is an important base for any well-functioning society, it should be allowed to be as diverse as we as humans are. This, I think, should be at the core of the understanding of artistic freedom. At the same time, we must be vigilant when it is being used as means for oppressive discourse and reactionary practice. Safemuse is doing super important work for artists at risk and pushing the agenda of human rights and artistic freedom. I am very eager to be part of the organisation and look forward to contributing to this amazing work, as well as to broaden my perspectives and learn more about the challenges in the world of art.”

Safemuse is thrilled to have such a knowledgeable, experienced and motivated new team member onboard to help run the residency in Oslo and, hopefully, contribute to realising the ambitions to expand the Artistic Safe Haven residency program to other parts of Norway in the future.

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

News

News Project Safe Residencies

Safemuse kicks off 2022 with an open call for artists in need of a safe residency to develop their art

Post author By Akari
Post date January 28, 2022

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Safemuse kicks off 2022 with an open call for artists in need of a safe residency to develop their art

January 28, 2022

On the 28th of January, an open call for artists in need of a safe residency to develop their art was published on Safemuse’s homepage. The online application form will be open from the 1st of February until the application deadline on the 15th of February 2022.

One of Safemuse’s most important objectives is to create Safe Residencies for artists, promote artistic freedom of expression, artistic solidarity and collaboration. After receiving funding from the Municipality of Oslo, Safemuse is, together with Nordic Black Theatre, establishing a residency program in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The residencies aim to support artists who are experiencing persecution, censorship or are otherwise living under threat and that for various reasons cannot work freely in their place of living.

“This is a great leap forward in Safemuse’s work for artists at risk!” says Jan Lothe Eriksen, the director of Safemuse. Eriksen and his colleagues has for years strived to make the residency program a reality and he is now looking forward to inviting the two first artists:
“Until now we have had to seek funding for every residency project, a rather complicated process,” he explains. “However, with this new funding from the Oslo City Council we will have a foreseeable financial situation for this work. It will allow us to plan the residencies in a much better way, and not the least, build a sustainable residency program over time within a predictable framework. Over time this initiative will contribute to Oslo as an important Safe Haven, in addition it already being an ICORN-city.”
“It has been a long process getting to where we are today,” Eriksen adds. “And we are grateful for the support and assistance from Jarl Solberg and Cliff Mustache at Nordic Black Theatre, as well as Sverre Pedersen at the former Freemuse Oslo office and Hans Ole Rian at Creo-union.”

In 2022, Safemuse will offer two six-month residencies that focus on artistic development and cooperation for artists within all artistic disciplines. The residence program places the artists at the centre stage, providing them a safe and free space to create, develop and present art, collaborate with other artists, and expand their networks.

The residency program is funded by the Municipality of Oslo. At the closing event of the Safe Havens Conference 2021 that took place at Sentralen in Oslo on the 4th of December, Vice Mayor for Culture and Sports, Omar Samy Gamal, spoke about the duty of politicians to “facilitate and to protect an open and informed conversation”, and underlined the City of Oslo’s support for initiatives that promote freedom of expression and artistic independence:

“Oslo is a diverse city, home to more than 200 nationalities. The city government’s vision is making Oslo a warmer and more creative city, with room for everyone. The objective is for everyone to experience Oslo as an open and inclusive and tolerant city. This is why Oslo has been a city of refuge for writers since 2001.”
“We are working now on expanding our city of refuge scheme to also be a safe haven for artists at risk and human rights activists,” Gamal adds. “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.”

Oslo’s Vice Mayor of Culture and Sports, Omar Samy Gamal, spoke at the Safe Havens Conference in December 2021. (Photo: Cronje Strøm)

One of Safemuse’s most important objectives is to create Safe Residencies for artists, promote artistic freedom of expression, artistic solidarity and collaboration. After receiving funding from the Municipality of Oslo, Safemuse is, together with Nordic Black Theatre, establishing a residence program in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The residencies aim to support artists who are experiencing persecution, censorship or are otherwise living under threat and that for various reasons cannot work freely in their place of living.

“This is a great leap forward in Safemuse’s work for artists at risk!” says Jan Lothe Eriksen, the director of Safemuse. Eriksen and his colleagues has for years strived to make the residence program a reality and he is now looking forward to inviting the two first artists:

“Until now we have had to seek funding for every residency project, a rather complicated process,” he explains. “However, with this new funding from the Oslo City Council we will have a foreseeable financial situation for this work. It will allow us to plan the residencies in a much better way, and not the least, build a sustainable residence program over time within a predictable framework. Over time this initiative will contribute to Oslo as an important Safe Haven, in addition it already being an ICORN-city.”

“It has been a long process getting to where we are today,” Eriksen adds. “And we are grateful for the support and assistance from Jarl Solberg and Cliff Mustache at Nordic Black Theatre, as well as Sverre Pedersen at the former Freemuse Oslo office and Hans Ole Rian at Creo-union.”

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

News

News Project Safe Havens

Safe Havens 2021: WHAT WE RISK FOR ART

Post author By sina@upnorthfilm.no
Post date December 20, 2021

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Safe Havens 2021:
WHAT WE RISK FOR ART

December 20, 2021

Safe Havens is the annual summit of the artistic freedoms sector, convened each December since 2013. It provides a unique opportunity for artists and those who defend them to network and build collaborations across the entire globe.

After last year’s Safe Havens Global Stream 2020 focused on a necessary improvement of cultural and artistic policies, this year’s Safe Havens Conference 2021 over 2 – 4 December focused on the artists themselves and the challenges they face at this stressful time of pandemic and creeping authoritarianism. A web-based summit with the overarching theme of Recentering Artists’ Rights in a Time of Crisis.

The program had three key design components, each with its own objectives:

Artistic Interventions: starting with a Keynote Performance instead of a speech, and closing with a multi-disciplinary artistic event live at Sentralen, Oslo. In addition, the conference featured several Artistic Interventions with the aim of re-centering focus on the artists themselves.

“Hive” Discussions: convened by key grassroots regional organizations in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and followed by an Asia Report.

Artists’ Round Tables: two in-depth engagements, one on perceptions of artistic freedoms and introducing the Majlis concept for the voices of the artists community, and the other on repetitive patterns of definitions of who is “at risk” in arts and culture.

To these were added two debates, one by on Risk, Safety and Wellbeing on managing our mental and spiritual health during current conditions, and the other on the Safe Havens Next Steps and the artistic freedoms sector.

The conference was a closed event for participants only, due to safety for partaking artists at risk. But the closing event was a live performance at the brand new ‘Kronesalen’ at Sentralen in Oslo, titled ‘What We Risk for Art’, featuring the following performing artists:

– Carlos Catun aka Gato (Guatemalan breakdancer)
– Yasmine El Baramawy (Egyptian musician, Oud performer, composer)
– Per Oddvar Johansen (Norwegian jazz percussionist/drummer, composer)
– Ahmed Tobasi (Palestinian actor, director and educator)
– Rezan Betula (Kurdish performance artist)
– Hamid Sakhizada (Afghan musician, dambura performer and singer)
– Naïd Mubalegh (French/Hazara, flute player)
Artistic director: Hooman Sharifi
Moderator: Ingeborg Moa (director of the Norwegian Human Rights Fund)

You can see the full stream of the event here

A big thanks to all making the Safe Havens Conference possible in 2021, and see you all next year.

Safe Havens Conference 2021 was produced by Safe Havens and Freedom Talks (SH|FT) with support by The Fanak Fund, Swedish Arts Council, Swedish Institute, Artists at Risk Connection and Safemuse.

More about SH|FT here

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”

News

News Project Safe Residencies

‘Historias’ nominated to Gullsekken 2021 award

Post author By Akari
Post date October 21, 2021

Foto: Kristian Glomnes / Seanse

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‘Historias’ nominated to Gullsekken 2021 award

October 21, 2021

Earlier this month, ‘Historias’ was selected as one of the nominees to the cultural award Gullsekken 2021 for the category Best Tour Production. Together with Piero Issa, Jon Tombre, Fahil Anweri, Even Børsum and Nicolai Lopez, Safemuse’s resident artist Carlos Catun (aka. Gato) has been on tour and visited schools across Norway with a personal and dynamic production combining documentary screening (“Bboy for life”, 2012), and live performance and conversation with the students. ‘Historias’ is centred around the intertwined stories of three dancers and how it ultimately brought them together.

The Guatemalan breakdancer Gato (Carlos Catun) brings his experiences from life in the streets of Guatemala City into the performance. Gato was forced to leave his home country following death threats from Guatemalan street gangs. After several years on the move, his long journey to safety finally came to an end when Gato, in 2019, moved to Norway as a Safemuse resident artist. Over the years, Gato has established close ties with the breakdance milieu in Norway and engaged in numerous collaborative projects with other artists and dancers. Safemuse resident coordinator Nicolai Lopez has been an important engine behind the ‘Gato-process’.

‘Historias’ was launched as part of the artistic program for Den Kulturelle Skolesekken (DKS) (loosely translated as “the cultural school bag”) – a national scheme established in 2001 to promote and disseminate art and culture to children and youth throughout Norway. Gullsekken 2021 recognises the achievements of art- and cultural practitioners in Norway, and the nomination of ‘Historias’ is a testament to the production’s high artistic quality and impact on its audiences.

“We were actually called by many schools afterwards because they had to tell us how intensely the performance had moved their students.”
-DKS nomination statement

In their nomination statement for ‘Historias’, DKS wrote:

“It was a powerful experience for the students who received a visit by the production team to first see the gripping documentary, and then meet one of the main characters live in the classroom, see him dance and hear him tell his story. We were actually called by many schools afterwards because they had to tell us how intensely the performance had moved their students. That is not a daily occurrence for us in the DKS-team.”

On the 20th of October, DKS announced the two winners of Gullsekken 2021: Marja Mortensson Trio and Lost and Found Productions. Safemuse congratulates the winners, as well as the nominees – all of whom have effectively reached out to youth in their own unique ways, created magical cultural experiences in schools and provided students with an opportunity for reflection through music and performing arts.

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

FRI KUNST 2023 – under autoritære regimer

Meet our new staff members

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

An artist’s reflection: Hvitsten Salong 2022

“We are doing this to support independent voices”