Study: Art can be a safe space for artists with minority backgrounds

"The findings are relevant for the classroom," says researcher.

Artist in white coveralls installs a mural on an outdoor wall in Tórshavn.

The artist installs one of her wall murals in Tórshavn.

(Photo: Rolant Waag Dam)

Magnus Heie Magnus Heie COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER

Presented by: Presented by: University of Oslo

Published 10 May 2026 - 00:01

In the Faroe Islands, researcher Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R has interviewed two artist sisters. One is a musician, the other a visual artist.

They experience art as personal while creating it, but political the moment it meets an audience.

“For them, something is at stake simply by taking part in public life with their art,” says Vijayavarathan-R.

The musician makes music inspired by hip hop, pop, and soul. The artist's graphic works address the feeling of being a stranger.

'Cosy racism' in the Faroe Islands

With a father from Kenya and a mother from the Faroe Islands, the two stand out on the islands.

'Cosy racism’ is a type of racism that the artists refer to. It's a form of exclusion and minimisation of experiences with discrimination.

One of the sisters tells of an older woman who, after seeing her pictures and hearing about her painful experiences, asked her to ‘just stop thinking like that.’

And said that she is ‘just like other Faroese girls.’

Experiences we rarely hear about

For the two sisters, art becomes a way to express how they experience being part of a minority.

Art is a way to communicate with people from other minorities.

The musician says that her music becomes a place where she can share stories and experiences with other minorities that are rarely heard in the public sphere in the Faroe Islands.

Researcher Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R herself lives in the Faroe Islands. She comes from a minority background and both researches and writes poetry about discrimination and racism.

Breaking with Latin American stereotypes in Norway

In Norway, researchers Joke Dewilde and Ole Kolbjørn Kjørven interviewed a Mexican choreographer, an Italian musician, and a Chilean storyteller living in Norway.

The three performed at Stoppested Verden, an annual festival in Hamar.

“At the festival, they engaged and involved the audience through dance. Gradually, they made their message more nuanced, for example by talking about how central death is in Latin American culture,” says Kjørven.

The artists said that it's important for them to break with stereotypical ideas about Latin American culture, such as the idea that it's only about partying and fun.

Festivals like Stoppested Verden become a safe space for these artists, according to the researchers.

Harder to talk about racism at a lively festival

The storyteller showed how the art of storytelling is connected to craftsmanship, for example using knitting yarn from Patagonia, west of the Andes in South America.

“In this way, the audience gains insight into the material and bodily aspects of how they practice their culture,” says Dewilde.

The researchers write that the setting for the interview may have influenced which topics the artists talked about.

At a lively festival with many happy people, it may be more difficult to talk about racism and discrimination, as the sisters in the Faroe Islands did.

Minority experiences are useful in teaching

All the researchers work with education and multilingualism. Dewilde uses the research, among other things, to discuss minority experiences with student teachers.

“In the course Multilingualism in School and Society, we address experiences that are directly relevant for diverse classrooms. Teachers can use pupils’ minority experiences as a resource by connecting them to subject-related topics, so that it does not become so personal for the pupils,” she says.

“When different perspectives are brought into teaching, all pupils gain more ways to understand the subject matter,” the professor emphasises.

For pupils with majority backgrounds, this can lead to greater reflection on their own position. At the same time, the teacher must be aware and ensure that sharing experiences is voluntary and happens on the pupils’ own terms.

Not all pupils or student teachers will want to talk about their experiences. Diversity and ethnicity are sensitive topics for many.

“When it's done well, it strengthens both learning and the sense of community in the classroom,” says Dewilde.

Reference:

Dewilde et al. 'Art is everything, it’s like a safe space’: Minority artists’ negotiation of identity and heritage across two Nordic contexts, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 2026. DOI: 10.1080/07256868.2026.2636891

About the research

The research is a collaboration between Joke Dewilde, Ole Kolbjørn Kjørven, and Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R at the University of Oslo, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, and the University of the Faroe Islands.