The Festival theme 'Neighborhood' addresses a number of current issues and conditions. A neighborhood is something inevitable that provides not only certain rights, but requires reciprocal responsibilities. A neighborhood in the urban environment is a subtle substance of relationships, compromises and contradictions. The festival is planned as a practical experiment to rethink public spaces bearing in mind the influence of neoliberal policies.

 

The Festival aims to examine the public area of a courtyard adjacent to Bishkek’s main street, Chyngyz Aitmatov Avenue. Through interaction with local residents and artistic practices (including, participatory art practices, art objects, and murals) the Festival aims to address the following local concerns:

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• Communication problems due of the rapid changing of apartment residents because of internal and external migration;

• Construction of new «elite» buildings and parking lots, lack of space for communication and recreation for children and adults;

• Emergence of new spontaneous self-organizing communities in the adjoining territory, such as taxi drivers-chess players, and their relationship with the courtyard residents. 

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Curators:

 

Gulnara Kasmalieva, Muratbek Djumaliev

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Artists:

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Zulaika Esentaeva, Kyrgyzstan
Alexandra Kalacheva, Kazakhstan
Kanaiym Kydyralieva, Kyrgyzstan
Chinara Niyazova, Kyrgyzstan
Aigerym Ospan, Kazakhstan
Diana Rakhmanova, Kyrgyzstan
Alexey Rumyantsev, Tadjikistan
Ravshan Ta Djing, Kyrgyzstan
Sultan Eshenkulov, Kyrgyzstan

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Festival Organizer:

 

ArtEast with the support of CEC ArtsLink as part of the Art Prospect program

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