As part of the public program for Skeive ornamenter/Queer Ornaments Skeiv Verden, Senter for Likestilling ved Universitetet i Agder, and Nasjonalmuseet invite you to a guided curator-led tour and a conversation about how art can open up spaces for queer experiences connected to Islam. The conversation will take place at the National Museum’s Library.
The Divine in Diversity aims to explore relationships between faith, identity, and queer experiences, highlighting how art can create spaces for wonder and community. Through artistic contributions and reflections, we explore how queer Muslims navigate questions of belonging, faith, body, emotions, and identity, while making room for complexity and new perspectives.
Participants in the event include Wesam Al-Madani (he/they), writer and activist; Hamid Waheed (he/him), filmmaker and artist; and Roza Taslimi (she/her), music and club activist. The conversation is moderated by Mona Frank (she/her), project leader in Skeiv Verden, and will be held in English.
The evening is open to everyone with a faith background, to queer people and allies, and to anyone curious about how faith and queerness can coexist and enrich one another. The goal is to create an inclusive space for dialogue and new perspectives.
Registration also includes a curator-led tour prior to the event from 5:00–5:30 PM. Meeting point for the tour is the National Museum’s public entrance/foyer.
Read more about visiting the National Museum’s Library here: https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/besok/bibliotek/.
The event is a continuation of a program held during Democracy Week in Kristiansand, where The Divine in Diversity was part of the program organized by Skeiv Verden and the Centre for Equality (UiA). Skeive Ornamenter/ Queer Ornaments is open to the public at the National Museum from 27 November 2025 to 15 March 2026 and is curated by Dr. Noor Bhangu.
Due to limited capacity, registration is required for this event: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD3GaSeTAonla6LAzPIr6rcSof_MGRMcFGErzwz8nJ-pzmVg/viewform?usp=publish-editor
Hamid Waheed (he/him) is a trained filmmaker and artist who works with film, writing and performance, and is part of the art collective HÆRK. His work explores political and psychosocial conditions, as well as time, intimacy, and violence through the lens of queerness and desire. His work has been shown at museums, galleries and festivals in Norway and internationally. In 2020, he received the Critics’ Prize at NordNorsken.
Roza Taslimi (she/her) is a Norwegian-Iranian advisor and music activist for export and internationalisation at Music Norway, working to develop international opportunities and sustainable market positions for Norwegian music in the GSA markets, with a particular focus on electronic music. She is also a board member of Norwegian Live, which is an interest- and competence organization for Norwegian cultural organizers. She has a background in film and club culture, and is the founder of Sweetcheeks, a collective platform for music and alternative communities. Her work centers on representation, power, and alternative perspectives in the cultural field.
Wesam Almadani (he/ they) is a Palestinian-Norwegian writer-in-residence and deputy chair of Skeiv Verden. They have published one novel and two poetry collections, with work have been translated into several languages. They write about queerness in the Middle East and have participated in numerous events speaking about being a queer Muslim and a lesbian in the region.
