Safemuse

18/05/2026

Donate a piece of your bed for Tara’s art project!🛏️🛏️🛏️

Let’s Not Sleep is a new anti-war installation by our artist in residence Tara Abdullah.

We are inviting people in Oslo to donate a piece connected to their bed, such as a pillow, blanket, mattress, or any object related to bed, sleep, or rest. Your donation will become part of a collective artwork about vulnerability, care, memory, and the urgent need for peace.

The installation will be exhibited at Hvitsten Salong in August 2026.

Locations for receiving donations: Tara’s atelier at Kabelgata 1a, Oslo.
Drop-off period: 22 June – 5 July 2026
Drop-off time: 11:00–17:00

Donation form -> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfSRC6-WxuV60vICU-kknXZPsfMfs70a1ZxUkmP1b6WGKX3Ew/viewform

The project is created in collaboration with Safemuse & Hvitsten Salong

30/04/2026

Safemuse & Hvitsten Art Haven warmly welcomes our new artist in residence Nguyen Thi Xuan Trang, filmmaker from Vietnam💕

With nearly 20 years of experience in international cinema, Trang is known for her deep commitment to independent storytelling and high-profile Southeast Asian collaborations. After producing award-winning titles like the 2024 Cannes contender «Viet and Nam» and the 2025 Locarno Golden Leopard winner «Hair, Paper, Water…», she successfully transitioned into directing with her debut short, «After Taste». In her first feature-length documentary, «Land of Evanescence», Trang explores her personal identity and the challenges of being a young person navigating a volatile era and an imposing national educational system.

«After 10 days in Hvitsten, I think this rare opportunity allows me to trade the city’s bustle for the challenging silence of an unfamiliar landscape, providing the perfect space to re-examine my work and the stories I wish to tell. By distancing myself from the familiar, I can finally declutter my mind and make room for fresh creative inspiration», - Nguyen Thi Xuan Trang🌾

21/04/2026

"We believe that art mast be free. We all want to speak",-Jan Lothe Eriksen / Freemuse / Founder of Safemuse. From the key-notes "Threats Against and Challenges for Artistic Freedom" - "Voices in Public Art" conference. Thank you, Mesén and everyone involved!

20/04/2026

“Voices in Public Art: Mapping Freedom of Speech and Expression in the Nordic Region” arrangert av Mesén i samarbeid med Finsk-norsk kulturinstitutt.
For Safemuse kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet er et kjernetema vi jobber med daglig. Takk til arrangørene for dette viktige initiativet. Vi setter også stor pris på at vi ble invitert med både kunstnerisk innlegg av Tara Abdullah, panelsamtale moderert av Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor og key-notes av Jan Lothe Eriksen, Safemuse grunnlegger og tidligere daglig leder. Takk til alle på scenen og i publikum for en flott dag!

14/04/2026

Safemuse residenskunstner Tara Abdullah åpner "Voices in Public Art" med stemmen sin

For den kurdiske kunstneren Tara Abdullah er kunsten – og stemmen – en spirituell motstandshandling. En kamp for å eksistere gjennom lyd.

Under konferansen Voices in Public Art: Mapping Freedom of Speech and Expression in the Nordic Region presenterer Tara Abdullah performancen «I Want to Speak» – et sonisk mantra om hva det vil si å bli gjort taus. Her uttrykkes frustrasjon, utmattelse og emosjonell tyngde, men også et ufravikelig krav: Å få snakke. Å bli hørt. Å fortelle sin egen historie.

✨ Performancen vises i Universitetets aula i Oslo fredag 17. april, som en del av konferanseprogrammet.

🎥 Tara vil også vise videoverk fra kunstprosjektet «The Voice» som hun utførte i Irak. Her brukte hun strategisk utplasserte høyttalere for å gi kvinner og marginaliserte grupper en stemme i bybildet.

👋 Søndag 19. april kan du møte Tara igjen under Oslo Open, når hun åpner dørene til sitt atelier og deler mer av sitt kunstnerskap og sin praksis.

Bli med på konferansen Voices in Public Art!
🟣 For program og billettkjøp, https://www.mesen.no/voices-in-public-art

Delta på årets Oslo Open | 19.–20. april
👋 Besøk Tara Abdullah i hennes atelier: https://osloopen.no/nb/kunstnere/6766
🟣 Oppdag over 400 kunstnerskap under Oslo Open: https://osloopen.no/nb/pages

Tara Abdullah er en tverrfaglig kunstner som for tiden er basert i Oslo som artist-in-residence hos Safemuse.

Konferansen Voices in Public Art er arrangert av Mesén i samarbeid med Finsk-norsk kulturinstitutt. Konferansen er støttet av Nordisk kulturfond, Oslo kommune og Finsk-norsk kulturinstitutt.

09/04/2026

Velkommen til konferansen "Voices in Public Art: Mapping Freedom of Speech and Expression in the Nordic Region" – et samarbeid mellom flere nordiske aktører.

Dato: 17. april kl. 09–16
Sted: Universitetets aula, Karl Johans gate 47, Oslo
Kjøp billetter her: mesen.hoopla.no/event/voices-in-public-art

Arrangementet er i regi av Mesén og Safemuse deltar på flere plan:

-Safemuse residenskunstner Tara Abdullah deltar I konferansen med kunstnerisk innlegg
- Daglig leder i Safemuse Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor skal modere panelsamtale under bolken 1 – Artistic Freedom of Expression
- Vi har også samarbeidet med Mesén med utvikling av programmet

Vi gleder oss!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DWD3tikDVY3/?img_index=4

27/03/2026

Safemuse på Kulturdirektoratet med presentasjon av Kvinnenettverket og vår residenskunstner Tara Abdullah, samt visning av en dokumentarfilm om hennes historie og kunstpraksis. Filmen viser hvordan kunst kan fungere som et kraftfullt verktøy for motstand og samfunnsendring, og er et eksempel på hvordan kvinnelig aktivisme kan ta form gjennom kunstnerisk praksis. Takk for oss!
Foto: Bnwar Rizgar

04/03/2026

Welcome to "The Night of Her Voice", Solo Exhibition of Safemuse´s former artist in residence Saba Pouyeshman, Iranian multidisciplinary artist and performer.
17.03 - 10.04.26 Nordic Black Theatre, Oslo.
Vernissage - Tuesday, 17th of March, from 18:30.
Hope to see you 🌚

Solo Exhibition - Saba Pouyeshman

Opening March 17th at 18:30 (doors open 18:00) - Please take out free tickets

Welcome to Saba Pouyeshmans exhibition opening, there will be welcome drinks and mingling with the artist herself.

The word Jahī originates from the Proto–Indo-European root gʷenh₂-—“woman.” This root appears across Indo-European languages: for example, in Sanskrit jánī (“wife, woman”) and in Greek gynē (“woman”). In its earliest sense, the word simply meant woman—untouched by judgment, neither sacred nor profane.

Over the course of the development of the Iranian languages, especially during the formative period of Zoroastrianism, its meaning gradually shifted from a neutral term to one carrying negative moral associations. In the Avesta, Jahī no longer means “woman,” but rather “the corrupt, lustful, or impure woman.” Over time, Jahī evolved from a moral concept into a mythic personality: a demoness, the primal w***e who awakens Ahriman, the evil spirit, to destroy and pollute the world.

Jahi is a presence shaped by centuries of fear and fascination. She carries the weight of a tradition that turned the feminine into a site of danger, disruption, and stain. As a woman raised within a patriarchal, theocratic, and misogynistic regime, depicting her feels like defiance—personal justice, a quiet but relentless revenge. I rewrite her with my own blood, and I let her rise through me, screaming as loudly as she desires.

Exhibition runs from March 17th - April 10th

18/02/2026

A one-day workshop exploring the transformation of a musical storytelling performance into a performative art practice.
Through experimentation and collaboration, the workshop opens the work to other disciplines—theatre, dance, music, and visual art—testing new performative forms and collective processes.

The Secret Life of a Shameless Demon
A story of Ghafandar, a demon raised against Islamic patriarchy
Composer, Writer & Director: Pouya Pour-Amin
Actor: Torbjør Martin Davidsen
Dancer: Alma Bø
Saxophone & Clarinet: Atle Nymo
Painter: Christian Tony Norum
Photos & Video: Aliona Pazdniakova
Project Curators: Jon Lundell and Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen
Producer: Safemuse
Venue: Nordic Black Theatre & Cafeteatret

A story of Ghafandar, a demon raised against Islamic patriarchyA one-day workshop exploring the transformation of a musical storytelling performance into a p...

11/02/2026

Safemuse´s former artist-in-residence Нурпери Орунбаева in conversation with Nordic Artists' Centre Dale, where she spent a part of her residency after Hvitsten Art Haven.
https://shorturl.at/cWf5g

Video by our great collaborator Nordic Artists' Centre Dale

This is "In conversation with Peri Orunbaeva" by Nordic Artists' Centre on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

15/12/2025

Fighting Through Art: The Experience of Art Activism in Central Asia✊❤️‍🔥 Powerful presentation by our artist-in-residence Нурпери Орунбаева at Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

Thanks to the organisers of The Open Forum Oslo for their warm welcome and to the active audience for all the insightful questions and engaging discussions!❤️