Multaia: An Artistic Journey into Multicultural Identity in a Globalizing World

Multiculturalism is and will be playing an even bigger part of our global collective future. Many of us will marry each another in new variations transcending nationality, race, faith and gender. And millions of young children will be growing up in our multicultural, untraditional family structures. Where the question "where do you come from?" becomes irrelevant. Or does it? When people with become more tolerant. Or will we? 

I was born in the old kingdom of Denmark, one of the most homogeneous, monocultural and colourless countries in the world. This little safe and happy haven now feels under treat by globalisation. Not by the external globalisation, as Danish companies are more than happy to supply the world with their Carlsberg beer and LEGO bricks. Not the internal globalisation in terms of import of goods, as Danish consumers are as addicted to their coffee and fresh fruit all-year-round, as most ofter western nations.

The perceived threat is multiculturalism, immigrants and refugees. For many years, the political agenda focused on integration. Foreign residents could and should become as "Danish" as possible, as fast as possible, for the rest of their lives. Now this political model is semi-broken and somewhat outdated. With the explosion of global interconnectedness coming from travelling and online access, people are culturally mixing and matching like never before in history.