Artist’s in Iceland Visa Action Group (AIVAG) welcomes you to a series of events at Gallery Port under the title Legislation Kitchen. AIVAG’s main aim of these events is forming a proposal of changes in legislation to immigrant labor laws, focusing on artists living in Iceland coming from countries outside the Schengen area.

These legal and systemic restrictions have played a role in creating a lack of inclusivity and diversity in the Icelandic cultural scene. AIVAG has put emphasis on gathering data that clearly shows the low participation of non-EU/EEA artists in exhibitions at art museums and other exhibition spaces in Iceland within the last ten years and as well the small number of artists outside of the EU seeking to study in Iceland. AIVAG has written articles and organized discursive events on the data and on the issue as a whole with the aim of creating grounds for discussion on a wide spectrum within the Icelandic cultural scene. It is of the utmost importance that these developments take place within the structures of a community. AIVAG’s central aim is therefore to build up communal solidarity structures as we continue.

AIVAG stands for Artist´s in Iceland Visa Action Group. Founded in 2021, we are an advocacy group for immigrant cultural workers in Iceland and their workers rights. We aim to function as a collaborative community building platform as we address the issues to our agenda.

We are an open group that welcomes new members as we continue to grow and develop our horizontal structure. On each 15th of the month we meet together as a group.

Active members now are Adam Flint, Bilge Hasdemir, Bryndís Björnsdóttir, Hugo Llanes, Megan Auður, Vala Sigþrúður Jónsdóttir & Wiola Ujazdowska. With about thirty members that serve the role of a support.

The schedule is as follows:

17th of February: Opening at Gallery Port, drinks will be offered along with casual talks about the schedule ahead. Open from 17-19 o’clock
18th February: Workshop with R.E.C Arts Reykjavík on community building – Allyship vs Accompliceship: How to combat the issue of exclusivity in Icelandic academic & artistic spaces. Food will be offered. From 15:00 – 17:00 o’clock.

Please note this worksop will not be held at Port but in the basement of the National Theatre.
Registration form: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSfY9wYr053Ixd…/viewform
24th of February: Talk with Nicol Savinetti founder of IMMART – https://immart.dk/ – Starts at 18:00.
25th of February: Workshop on drafting a proposal of an artist visa, with an introduction by Claudia Ashanie Wilson. Event starts at 16:00 and runs to 18:00. The exhibition/event itself will end that same day at 19:00.

The space of Gallery Port will be open to all to get to know AIVAG’s, exchange ideas, concerns, experiences during opening hours of Gallery Port.

More informal talks with people working on projects related to culture and immigration might occur and will be announced later in the month under the title Kitchen Talk. If you would like to have a scheduled meeting with us during this time at Port please do contact us.