Postkoloniale Kunst aus Zentralasien
17 February - 11 March 2018
A group show of Central Asian contemporary artists opened on 17 February at GEDOK Karlsruhe Women Artists Forum. The exhibition showcases the work of Bakhyt Bubikanova and 5 other women artists from the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The works illustrate the new ideological developments and a rebirth of old, pre-Soviet and even pre-Islamic cultures. The exhibition analyses the transformative nature of experience, including political boundaries, cultural identity, social struggle and personal reorientation. Postkoloniale Kunst aus Zentralasien will be on view till 11 March 2018.
Topology of Image
1 March - 8 April 2018
Aspan Gallery presents Alexander Ugay’s first solo show Topology of Image. The exhibition will feature a selection of Ugay's photographic and video works, as well as the artist's novation - a series of optical objects "Obscurations". According to the artist, an Obscuration “as an image, an object, and as a situation in space, is simultaneously a photographic and a spatial object. It can be a form of documentation of places of memory, or a new way of working with archive and memory.”
The show Topology of Image will be held at EXPO Villa, Villa Boutiques & Restaurants (Al-Farabi 140 A) from 1 March to 8 April 2018.
Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev in ‘Our Stories’
4 December 2017
Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev’s video Smiley was shown during the 2017 edition of The Compiler Screenings titled Our Stories which took place in Basel. Thirteen stories told by thirteen video artists from Switzerland, Palestine, Iran, Turkey and Kazakhstan communicated the political, cultural and social complexities of our world with the common goal of bridging our communal interconnection while taking into account the many challenges affecting us, our landscapes, our travels and our relationships.
The Compiler Screenings 2017 were organized by White Frame and Treibsand Online Exhibition Space.
Human Rights: 20 Years Later
6 - 20 December 2017
A group show of Kazakhstani artists Human Rights: 20 Years Later opens on 6 December at ARTMEKEN gallery in Almaty. The exhibition organized with the support of Soros Foundation Kazakhstan brings together 13 artists, among which are Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev and Yerbossyn Meldibekov. The exhibition curated by Valeria Ibraeva is timed to the world Human Rights Day celebrated on 10 December.
Something about Contemporary Nomadism
30 November 2017 - 14 January 2018
Aspan Gallery is pleased to present the first solo show of renowned Kyrgyz artists in Central Asia. Something about Contemporary Nomadism will include installations, video and photography of the artist couple from Bishkek Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev, including their programmatic Transsiberian Amazons (2005) and Brooklyn Bridge (2010), as well as the new works that will be shown for the first time.
The show Something about Contemporary Nomadism will be held at EXPO Villa, Villa Boutiques & Restaurants (Al-Farabi 140 A) from 30 November 2017 to 14 January 2018.
Shiryaevo Biennale. Central Russian Zen
1 September - 8 October 2017
Central Russian Zen group exhibition opened in the National Centre for Contemporary Arts, part of ROSIZO. The exhibition was a metaphorical reflection on the experience of the oldest active international biennale of contemporary art in Russia, which has been held since 1999 in the ancient Russian village of Shiryaevo on the Volga bank, one of the most beautiful places of the Samara bend surrounded by the Zhiguli Nature Reserve on all sides. The Shiryaevo Biennale was intended and carried out as an international experimental project by famous Russian curators Nelya Korzhova and Roman Korzhov, the founders of the Samara Regional Public Charity Foundation The Centre for Contemporary Art with active contribution from Hanns-Michael Rupprechter and the Stuttgart Union of Artists from Germany as well as a group of artists from Kazakhstan headed by Rustam Khalfin and Sergey Maslov.
www.ncca.ru
Bakhyt Bubikanova in a group show 'Elsewhere'
6 - 10 October 2017
Bakhyt Bubikanova's works will be presented at Floodlight Foundation's first exhibition in London. The group show entitled Elsewhere brings attention to artists having a moment elsewhere but who have had little or no exposure in London before.
On Borders and Other Inventions
14 October - 12 November 2017
Aspan Gallery presents a new show On Borders and Other Inventions with Kazakhstani Said Atabekov and Malian Abdoulaye Konaté. Despite the obvious cultural and geographical differences, both artists explore the issues of borders, identity, and interaction of different cultures, religions and ideologies and work with traditional for their respecitve regions materials. This would be the first show of Aspan Gallery's series of exhibitions-dialogues between a Central Asian and another non-Western contemporary artist.
‘NotNotNot’ – Exhibition of Central Asian Artists
24 September – 15 October 2017
A group show of Central Asian contemporary artists NotNotNot opened at Asanbay Centre in Bishkek. Three main complaints most commonly expressed by artists are reflected in the exhibition’s title: "Not as I wanted", "Not according to the plan", "Not the right size". The show, curated by Ulan Japarov, brought together the works from Central Asian artists of different generations. Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev and Said Atabekov presented their new pieces, whereas the younger generation of Kazakhstani art scene was represented by Bakhyt Bubikanova.
ART PROSPECT – BISHKEK: GREEN ZONES – NEW BREATH
22 - 24 September 2017
International Public Art Festival Art Prospect founded by a non-profit organization CEC ArtsLink will take place in Bishkek Botanical Garden in the end of September. The festival will feature artists and collectives from Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine and the USA. Artists and organizers propose to re-imagine and invigorate the Botanical Garden, using art, design and architecture tools, helping to organize a place for informal meetings of citizens of all ages and groups. This year’s festival edition is curated by a Bishkek-based artist duo of Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev.