CAP celebrated its 10th Anniversary by bringing Central Asia to the heart of DC with a week of in-person festivities to commemorate a decade of its achievements in advancing knowledge on and for Central Asia. The celebration kicked off with the “News from Central Asia” exhibit on May 16 and concluded with the Silk Road Festival on May 22 at the Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University.
News from Central Asia brings together Central Asian artists, artisans, and designers whose inspirational works reflect political protests, environmental issues, collective memory restoration, the role of women, objects as reminders of historical events, and the transformation caused by modernization.
Curator Aida Sulova invited artists and designers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to share the news from their home countries in the form of an object. “For many artists in Central Asia, making art is the only way to respond and talk about the events taking place today. Although the concept of this exhibition has a geographical representation, the themes of the news are relevant to what we are witnessing in the world.”
Central Asia stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to the borderlands with China and Mongolia in the east. Since gaining their independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asian countries have been undergoing a number of major political, social, and cultural transformations.
Participants:
Altynai Osmoeva, Kyrgyzstan @altynarty
Chinara Niyazova, Kyrgyzstan @niyazovachinara
Diana Rahmanova, Tajikistan @diana_rahmanova
Dilyara Kayipova, Uzbekistan @crazy_for_ikat
Galina & Evgeny Boikov, Kyrgyzstan @evgenyboikov
Guzel Zakir, Judy Ai, Kazakhstan @guzelzakirart
Humairo Muhammad, Tajikistan @humairojewelry
Jakshylyk Chentemirov, Kyrgyzstan @chentemirovzhakshylyk
Jennet, Turkmenistan @jennet_sanatullina
Jol Jol, Kazakhstan @joljoljwlry
Saule Dyussenbina, Kazakhstan @saule_dyuss
Shailoo Djekshenbaev, Kyrgyzstan @shailo_djekshenbaev
Timur Karpov, Uzbekistan @timur_karpov
Zalkar Askaraliev, Kyrgyzstan @zalkaraskaraliev05
Aida Sulova, Kyrgyzstan @aidasulova