The happy consequence of hygge in a fælleskab of artists, internationals and culinary traditions. The February 2023 edition of IMMART Artists Dinner
Fanning the fires within, on a cold Nordic winter evening
After 8 months of traveling in and out of Denmark, the stars had finally perfectly aligned so that I would enjoy the privilege of attending an Immart dinner on Thursday February 23rd, 2023 at a rather nostalgic place of business, art and human rights for me, Global Art Gallery located in the wonderful happy city of Copenhagen. The sentiment of “happy”, a well earned status in numerous studies, might be largely debated by many in the cold dark nordic winter month of February. That said, I was happy to see so many new and familiar faces in a rich cultural and culinary evening setting focused on art, artists, and the places we make art. The happy consequence of such a dinner for artists? Hygge. A necessary fuel to propel the northern spirit through winter, held in a fælleskabe of artists.
On becoming, self discovery, and the power of a supportive community
The venue, Global Art Gallery, is one that evokes nostalgia within me because it is here that I attended my first Immart dinner, almost 6 years ago. Since leaving my native New York City, and spending time in Copenhagen searching for something, not knowing what that something was, Immart dinners were a great anchoring point in my journey of becoming and unbecoming. 6 years ago, I never had the courage, conviction or confidence to believe that I am an artist. It’s old wisdom really, if you aspire to become like someone, or learn a trade, spend time with those that are already where you want to be. For myself, I never permitted the idea that I was or rather I am an artist, it was more the freedom, the color that came with being amongst artists that I enjoyed and particularly enjoyed at Immart dinners. When I look back now, I realize it was that freedom to be as I am that I had hoped to unlock within myself here. Immart dinners and the community have been a big supportive part of my journey to become an artist.
Home can be among a people
On this particular Thursday evening, I found myself reliving all those dinners that had taken place here, where I was then, sometimes participant, sometimes board member, sometimes friend, sometimes sound artist, as I was at the last dinner in June, all the roles I have played. I reflected on where Immart was then and where Immart is now, on this eve of Artival, a festival for celebrating foreign artists in the nordics, their work, and its impact on the space between you and I, metaphorically speaking bridging the gaps in between cultures and otherness. It was lovely to see so many people of melanin gradients, of gender, of cultural background, nationalities, roles in the art world, art mediums, real diversity that I miss from my home city of New York. For a moment, I felt home in Copenhagen again.
How do I say ‘Good Appetite” to thee? Let me count the ways.
Beyond the dinner attendees, was the incredibly diverse and culturally rich culinary spread! A feast for the eyes and heart, rich with color, aroma, shape and texture. A feast for the Gods as it were, but of Gods from all over the world, representation from many a civilization around this table. It was a privilege for me to be an attendee that evening truly, to witness this fabric of culinary culture, coalesce in it and bask in all its warmth.
We began the evening with introductions, our names, a little about us, our relationship to art and more interestingly, how we say ‘good appetite’ in our culture and mother tongues. For myself, growing up we didn’t have such formalities when sitting around a dinner table adorned with indian subzis and rotis. As the food was laid out, we just began to eat. When I looked around this circle of humans, artists, I heard how to say ‘good appetite’ in Farsi, in Spanish, in Lebanese, in Italian and more. I knew how we might say it in Hindi if it were a custom or tradition, I was familiar with how it was said in Danish and more recently am becoming familiar with how it is said in German. But this thread between us, of language and tradition around a dinner table, was powerful to hear all the voices and their mother tongue.
Artists stories untold and unpacked over a an Immart dinner table
The ambiance of sound and scent, was further complemented by introductions of each cultural dish that the guests brought for the potluck dinner. The stories around their relationship with this particular dish, the memories, and in one case we had the privilege of eating one guest’s homemade Syrian croquettes.
After filling our plates, we were given the task of introducing one person sitting closest to us along a rather long dinner table. As the chatter, sound of plates, eating, laughter, drinking began to slowly usher itself into the room, I had the good fortune of being seated next to an aspiring writer who happened to be from Lebanon. We exchanged ideas about art, war, culture, language. It was fascinating coming from different parts of the world, developing a mosaic of perspectives and meeting now in this common third. In my experience it is often like that, the space between you and I is often much smaller than we realize, especially amongst artists. In that we have the capacity to see in many gradients of colors and mediums of expression.
As the formal introductions began, I was amazed looking around the table, the caliber of people, and was rather pleased I had been able to muster the energy in this dark winter evening, to feel the warmth here in this moment. The stories presented, the connections kindled, was heart warming especially coming off the heels of an isolating 3ish years of the pandemic. I had been grappling with how to find meaningful connections again, and it is at evenings like these, moments like this I find, when we have the opportunity to arrive as our whole selves, with all that we have to offer in the form of stories.
The dinner culminated in a celebration of the history of Immart, her own story, namely the founder Nicol, the journey and origin. To listen to the twists and turns in her own plot, the story of becoming an impactful organisation, one that had set out on a mission to include, without excluding, artists of all kind, starting with one country at a time, Immart’s accomplishments are impressive. One can see that celebration and emergence from the old into the new with what’s taking place right now Artival. From Stockholm to Oslo and soon Bornholm and Copenhagen. I encourage you to go beyond these words here, and see the power of Immart in action at Artival in May 2023.
Tina Israni
Artist & Contributing Writer Immart
Tinaisrani.art | Upcoming exhibition ‘Lost in Fire’ April 14 2023, Trappenkamp, Germany
