During Oslo Art Weekend, Rafiki Art Initiatives launches RAI Sessions – a podcast amplifying the voices of BIPOC artists in the Nordics. Join the launch at Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Loft on Saturday 12 October between 18:00 and 22:00!
→ REGISTER HERE to join the event!
18:00 Welcome mocktails and nibbles
19:00 RAI Executive Coordinator Rebecca Dorkase inaugurates the evening, followed by Marea Vigesaa's recounting of the RAI story and a short contextualisation of Atelier Kunstnerforbundet by Martina Petrelli
19:30 About RAI Sessions by Ro Averin
20:00–21:10 Live podcast recording of a RAI Session: Ro Averin in conversation with Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor
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About RAI
Founded in 2014 by interdisciplinary artist Nicole Rafiki, Rafiki Art Initiatives is an Oslo-based not-for-profit hybrid platform and community that centers on the experiences and needs of BIPOC+ art practitioners in Norway and the Nordics. Rafiki is one of the Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Artists 2024-2026. Read more about RAI Sessions here.
Rebecca Dorkase (she/her) is a cultural worker with a focus on cultural integration and education in Norway. Her dedication to law, cultural advocacy, and community development drives her efforts to merge art with social progress. With a background in international relations and law, she currently works as Senior Adviser at The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). As the founder of Bana Kongo Nettverk Norge, Rebecca aims to empower the Congolese community by collaborating with the Historical Museum to ensure accessibility to Congolese art. She has also been on the board of the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA). Additionally, Rebecca mentors immigrants and refugees through the volunteer organisation Sammen om en jobb (SAJO).
RAI Director and Sessions Host Ro Averin (she/they) is a writer, researcher, and educator dedicated to promoting mindful and intersectional approaches to social, racial, and environmental issues. They are currently leading the doctoral research project “UNLRN PRJCT” at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor (she/her) is an artist and researcher exploring the intersections of text, archives, and moving images. Her practice delves into themes of ritual, social politics, and the identity mythology of Black and Indigenous communities. Jessica is currently a PhD fellow at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KhiO), investigating death and mourning practices across the African diaspora. Previously, Jessica hosted and moderated the discursive salon series on race politics and relations “Black in Berlin”, featured at Savvy Contemporary and Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (both in Berlin, Germany). She has been guest of conversation-based events at Astrup Fearnley (Oslo, Norway), performed at the Barbican and Chisenhale Gallery (London, United Kingdom), and was artist in residence at Tate Modern (London, United Kingdom) and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA, Dublin).
Marea Vigesaa (she/her) is an art practitioner, cultural worker, and freelance curator working at the intersections of creativity, community, and inclusivity. Originating in the realms of burlesque and performance art, Marea’s artistic journey has evolved into a dynamic exploration of cultural impact and social engagement. As a freelance curator, Marea's practice focuses on the commitment to authenticity and inclusivity. While collaborating closely with artists, she crafts exhibitions that are a testament to diverse narratives and perspectives. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Art and Public Spaces at the Oslo Academy of Arts (KhiO).
About Atelier Kunstnerforbundet: Located in Kunstnerforbundet’s premises in the centre of Oslo and based on a two-year cycle, Atelier Kunstnerforbundet is an infrastructural, collective studio programme that fosters artistic and cultural production by offering free-of-charge studios for artists in combination with a customised programme geared towards the development of their practices. Drawing from models of community-building across a variety of networks and disciplines (such as inclusive feminism, antiracism principles, safer space and collective norms guidelines), the Atelier aims to facilitate access to professional expertise, networks, and resources; foster new modes of participation, support interrelated practices of visual art, and bridge relations to cultures in a plurality of perspectives.
Martina Petrelli (she/her) is a curator and cultural worker with a focus on infrastructural, editorial, and archival practices that emphasise community-building, intersectional feminism, and non-innocent ideologies of care. Martina is curator for Atelier Kunstnerforbundet; was Chair of The Norwegian Association of Curators (2023–2024) and assistant curator at Office for Contemporary Art (OCA) for ‘The Sámi Pavilion’ in the Pavilion of the Nordic Countries during the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2022.
Access: Please note that Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Loft is on the 4th floor, and regrettably not accessible for people with limited mobility. A long-term rehabilitation of the building is in process. We will do our best to accommodate accessibility and other needs – if you feel comfortable sharing them, or have any questions about accessibility and/or this event, please get in touch via e-mail with Atelier Kunstnerforbundet Project Manager Anne Marte Archer.