Ulan Djaparov
Ulan Djaparov born in 1960 in Kyrgyzstan is an artist, curator, architect and critic. Currently living in Bishkek he is also an influential and dynamic figure among artists in Central Asia as well as founding member of a contemporary art and architecture space in Bishkek Studio Museum – a venue that supported the development of many multidisciplinary art projects by dozens of artists since the early 1990s. His work ranges from performance-based video to installations and photography. Djaparov’s video performances are characterised not only by their situationist topics, but also by their colourful, overtly humorous gestures. As a pioneer of contemporary art in Kyrgyzstan, he has organized numerous exhibitions and art events. Every summer he runs an artists’ residency Lazy Art Project at the Issyk-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan. Djaparov has also published numerous essays on contemporary art and culture.
Notable recent exhibitions include The Missing Planet, Italy (2019), Phantom Stories: Leitmotifs of Post-Soviet Asia, Sweden (2018), Between Heaven and Earth, UK (2011), Individual Memory in Global Economy, Italy (2010), East of Nowhere. Contemporary Art from Post-Soviet Central Asia, Italy (2009), The Paradox of Polarity. Contemporary Art from Central Asia, USA (2007), No Mad’s Land, Germany (2002).