NYC Artist Safe Haven Prototype on freeDimensional

About

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The New York City Artist Safe Haven Prototype is a collaborative residency program that provides housing, support, and career development to international artists who:

Are at risk of political, gender or religious persecution.
Need a respite from dangerous situations.
Are from conflict regions anywhere in the world.
Are from countries where repressive regimes severely limit freedom of expression.
Seek to enrich the city’s arts and culture, human rights, and diaspora communities, as well as New York City at large, through their practice and personal narratives.

Partner Organizations

The program brings together:

Artists

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Kanchana Ugbabe

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Born and raised in Chennai, India, Ugbabe spent time in Scotland and Australia — where she acquired a Ph.D. from Flinders University — before settling in Jos, Nigeria, where she worked as a writer and professor of English. As a scholar, Ugbabe enjoyed her teaching and writing and the mentoring of young people in the university and the community. She was an active member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, which enabled her to encourage creative writing and expression wherever she found it. She also promoted the reading culture in northern Nigeria for many years through her participation in the Reading Promotion Programme of the Nigerian Book Foundation.

Rashwan Abdelbaki

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Abdelbaki is the second artist in the New York City Safe Haven Prototype, a multi-organizational residency supporting artists at risk, launched in 2017. The program is supported by ArtistSafety.net, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Westbeth Artists Housing, and Residency Unlimited.

His practice examines racism, religion and politics and their impact on humanity. He describes his work: “I am speaking to the fear inside all of us that keeps us awake…I put a monocle around the open eye to draw attention…painted with striped garments in empty cells…I also see light in that darkness, so I use colors that feel joyous to me. There is hope.”

Hadi Nasiri

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Hadi Nasiri is an activist/artist/researcher whose practice spans performance, painting, sculpture, graphic design, and political protest. His work examines the relationship of religion (specifically Islam) to women’s rights, LGBTI rights, sexuality, and political ideology.

His activism includes founding an underground women’s rights organization called Afarinesh hay e-Irani in Bandar Abbas, Iran, and delivering a public speech titled “What the Qur’an Really Says About Hijab.” Both actions resulted in arrest and interrogation by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.