Evan Hikmat to open the Sildajazz Festival in Haugesund

Following from last year’s opening by then Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, Evan Hikmat will have the honour of kicking off this year’s Sildajazz at 18:00 on Wednesday. The opening ceremony will be followed by a free concert with Silya, one of Norway’s most popular music artists. The festival itself has been held annually in Haugesund since 1987, making the 2022 edition its 35th anniversary.

In addition to Evan Hikmat's contribution in the opening event, her artworks will be exhibited for the duration of the Sildajazz Festival. Hikmat’s exhibition will open on Wednesday, August 10th at 15:30 at Festiviteten, the Haugesund Concert House and focal point of Sildajazz.

Aimed at people of all ages, Hikmat’s art seeks to convey the suffering of women and children in her home country of Iraq, and beyond, and remind those in safe countries, such as Norway, of the importance of their political, social, and economic security. Reflecting on the theme of her exhibition, Evan Hikmat points out that the displayed art does not depart from her usual artistic style observed in her illustrations for children’s books, despite the use of a variety of materials and technical methods.

Haugesund City of Refuge has been a member of ICORN since the spring of 2010 and has hosted several persecuted writers and artists, including filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov and journalist Sahar Bayati. Evan Hikmat, Haugesund’s current ICORN resident, is being hosted by the Norwegian town for the two-year period between 2022 and 2024.

To learn more about Evan Hikmat, visit her ICORN resident profile.

For more information on Sildajazz, visit the festival’s official website.