Cultivating Common Ground: Longevity, mobility, and renewal in the Trondheim art scene
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Attuned to the unique profile of Trondheim, the conversation will query what it means to create a sustainable art scene here: one that accommodates local and international creatives alike. What are the unique obstacles that non-EU artists face? What is the role of institutions, funders, and government departments in addressing these challenges and promoting solidarity? And, what stake does the Trondheim art scene, and broader community, have in these goals?
Hosted by Trondheim Kunsthall, in collaboration with Verdensrommet for V Fest: We Are Still Here, a festival celebrating the 5th anniversary of Verdensrommet.
Verdensrommet is an artist-powered mutual support network by/for immigrant artists based in Norway. We stand for fair immigration policies, better living and working conditions, and encourage new imaginations for the future of artists' work.
Panelists
Prerna Bishnoi is a Ph.D. candidate in Artistic Research at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art, Norway. Her topic of research explores how labour concerns intersect with climate crisis and what role documentary practice (with a focus on filmmaking) can play in making these interconnections visible to make labour-climate justice imaginable. Her interest is in the agency of grassroots organizing and the potential of (creating) knowledge-sharing networks within this framework. She is a board member of the Norwegian visual artist union, Young Artists Society and was in the first steering group of Verdensrommet, an advocacy and mutual support network for 170+ non-EU/EEA creative professionals in Norway.
Karim Tahir is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and using culture as a tool for dialogue and community building. He has extensive experience in the arts and culture sector, collaborating with institutions such as Kunsthall Trondheim, MiST, and Olavsfest, and works as a cultural guide at the Kulturenheten, where he promotes art and culture as a means of inclusion, understanding, and civic engagement. Through his work in the Diversity Council and the Culture and Upbringing Committee, he supports participation, equality, and initiatives that strengthen the cultural community.
Martin Palmer is an artist and senior adviser at Arts and Culture Norway (Kulturdirektoratet). He has been involved in several art institutions, boards, and artist-run initiatives, with experience spanning organization, event production, cultural policy, and institutional development. His work bridges artistic practice and public administration, focusing on how cultural structures can sustain and empower artists and communities over time.
Cheonghye Sophia Lee is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Trondheim. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Kunstakademiet i Trondheim and a Meisterschülerin degree from Städelschule, in the class of Tobias Rehberger. Lee has exhibited internationally across Europe and Asia.She is currently exploring the interplay between the materiality of everyday life, memory, identity, and belonging. She often uses found or reclaimed materials to uncover the memories and traces of time carried within them. Through site-responsive installations, Lee explores the alternative narratives that emerge when collected and reworked fragments are layered, stitched, or rearranged. Her process-driven practice combines tactile, digital, and performative elements.
Moderator
Joe Rowley is currently the curator and producer at Kunsthall Trondheim (2024-)and an educator for NODE Center for Curatorial Studies (2021-). With a background in art making and artist-run initiatives he has also worked for organisations including Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art (2022-23), UK New Artists (2016-17) and on various independent curatorial projects including initiating the public audio project Raumdeuter Radio (Göteborg, SE, 2021; Glasgow, UK, 2022), and HUTT a project space in Nottingham, UK (2014-19).