The Verdensrommet Allegory

Hjemmefra, A diasporic artist’s Norwegian story

On Monday, February 1, at 16:30 we are happy to welcome Verdensrommet. They will introduce themselves and the circumstances that forced them to band together.

During this lecture we will hear about the journey of a non-EU artist based in Norway, starting from the time of their KMD application to the current pandemic moment (2021).

This allegory will represent an aggregate of stories experienced by members of Verdensrommet (+150 artists). The concern is that the same tale will be told for future international artists in Norway, unless we work together to make a change.

The lecture is held by Anthony Morton (Bergen/South Africa) and Rodrigo Ghattas-Pérez (Innlandet/Peru-Palestine).

Verdensrommet is an artistic research collective and mutual support network grounded in solidarity among global diasporic artists in Norway, specifically from non-EU/EEA countries. It is a call to self-organize, to reach out to each other, to develop infrastructures for mutual-aid, and to use our joint forces to overcome precarity and immigration uncertainty.

Since March 2020, we have collectively been in survival mode, challenging a liberal democratic system that has failed to recognize the systemic unfairness and inequalities faced by immigrant artists and cultural workers in their quests to create sustainable livelihoods in the country. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has only heightened these difficulties. For Norway to be able to fulfill its visions of a sustainable multicultural and international art scene, there must be steps taken by relevant authorities to address the increasingly precarious working conditions of these artists by making fitting changes to immigration regulations.

We stand for fair immigration policies, better living and working conditions, and encourage new imaginations of the future of artists' work. Verdensrommet addresses such urgent migratory, socio-economic, and labor concerns of non-EU/EEA artists through advocacy, guidance, and network-building.

Learn more about Verdensrommet

Website: https://www.verdensrommet.network

Facebook community (Mutual Support Group)

Email: info.verdensrommet@gmail.com

Instagram: @verdensrommet.network