Here We Are

IN SHORT

• 2021-2024 (pilot project, inspiring Here ! Am)
• Directed at artists who have immigrated to Switzerland
• Developed in cooperation with the Zurich University of the Arts; implemented in partnership with other Swiss art schools and cultural venues as well as with artists with migration experience.

How can the cultural scene in Switzerland best support artists and cultural practitioners who have recently moved to Switzerland? To empower them and foster their inclusion? Here We Are was a participatory, hands-on research project aimed at answering these questions. Together with these artists themselves, designed not for, but with them, Here We Are sought to develop long-term initiatives, services and funding opportunities. After analysing the challenges and opportunities artists with migration experience find themselves in (co-thinking), measures and formats were proprosed, developed (co-creating), tested and implemented together with funding bodies, art schools, cultural venues and other interested parties (co-acting).

The inclusion of newcomer artists in the Swiss cultural scene not only increases its diversity, but also the intercultural competences of all artists. It allows for a cultural scene where all voices are heard, fosters democratic processes and social cohesion.  

Together with another pilot project, Shifting Places, Here We Are laid the foundation for one of artlink’s current core programmes, Here ! Am, aimed at supporting all artists who have migrated to Switzerland.

→ Discover Here ! Am 

What challenges do artists with migration experience face when they want to build their artistic careers in Switzerland? How can cultural practitioners contribute to ensuring that the voice of these artists is heard and their presence in Switzerland is strengthened? Listen to the 'Lessons Learned' from Here We Are below.
 

EPISODE 1: WHAT IS HERE WE ARE?

In episode one, we learn about the project.

EPISODE 2: BEING AN ARTIST WITH MIGRATION EXPERIENCE IN SWITZERLAND

What challenges and obstacles do artists who have arrived in Switzerland regularly face? In episode two, we hear first-hand experiences.

EPISODE 3: OVERCOMING LABELS

How are artists with migration experience viewed and defined from the outside? How does this limit their possibilities and identity? How can we overcome the problems of categorisation in the context of migration in Switzerland? This is the topic of episode three.

EPISODE 4: ROOM FOR EVERYONE

In this episode, the artists talk about their daily experiences of dealing with a lack of diversity in various institutions of Swiss society. They reflect on what real inclusion would look like and what needs to be done to achieve it.

EPISODE 5: OPENING DOORS

In this episode, we discuss possible initiatives and formats that can help open more doors for artists with migration experience.