Yu Shuk Pui Bobby

TOWARDS THE SUN

“RUNTO THE SICH” literally translates: “towards the sun and rich”. From 2022, in order to meet the Norwegian visa conditions, I established my own one-person company in Norway.

(Yu Shuk Pui Bobby’s artistic practice, please click this*)

 


I am confused about my future, especially meeting the income conditions required by the Norwegian Immigration Bureau for non-EU/EEA creative workers (an annual income of at least NOK278,693~ HKD222,838).In the 2015 Norwegian Ministry of Culture report "Kunstens autonomi og kunstens økonomi" (translation: autonomy of art and economics of art), it was recorded that the average annual income of Norwegian visual art workers from artistic activities was NOK 89,000 ~ HKD71,162, which means that nowsday's Norwegian visual art workers must be employed or part-time outside their artistic career.



However, as a non-EU/EEA creative worker applying for a visa as a self-employed person, the applicant cannot work outside their own industry. Every year after graduation, there are always several non-EU/EEA students or friends who say goodbye to us because of visa rejections/can’t sell the artworks/income that didn’t meet to standard/couldn’t find any art-related jobs, etc. The struggle is real, and I don't know if I will be the next one.



So, when thinking about my company's name and logo, I want to add a blessing to myself: RUNTO THE SICH, which literally translates to “Towards to the sun and rich”. Combining a favorite thing (Sun) in Norway and UDI wants me to fulfill (to be rich).In terms of logo design, the Taiwanese design team, Absence Lab developed it with the spirit of Nordic exploration and extracted the "sled dog". In addition to symbolizing the direction that leads explorers to their goals, it is also my zodiac. The dog with three tails and two heads symbolizes the life of non-EU/EEA immigrant artists and how they deal with those constant economic and legal requirements from UDI while pursuing artistic careers.



RUNTO THE SICH as a business included exhibition production, film production and art commissioning, but it is also an independent art project. In the next three years, in addition to trying to fulfill the income requirements required by the UDI, I will also look for resources and opportunities to discover more stories and life of non-eu/eea immigrant artists in the Norwegian art scene.