Culture Archives - Voices On Cental Asia

Tajik Fashion and the Challenges of Achieving an International Breakthrough

February 17, 2020

Just recently, Tajikistan, with its rich aesthetic traditions, has seemingly made a breakthrough in the fashion arena with some great designers like Khurshed Sattorov (born in 1981), Nafisa Imronova (1991)…

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8 min

Contemporary Art in Central Asia: An Interview with a Curator

January 24, 2020

Interview withThibaut de Ruyter is a French architect, curator, and critic. His latest projects include a traveling exhibition for the Goethe Institute in Eastern Europe and Central Asia entitled “die…

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10 min

Culture

How Ikat Accompanied History in Central Asia

January 9, 2020

Ikat is a fabric that got its name from the resist dye technique used to make its patterns. But I’d like to show you ikat from a different perspective. In…

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5 min

Culture

The Ethnographic Collection of the Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts

December 4, 2019

The Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts has played a significant role in exploring and preserving the rich history of Kyrgyzstan’s applied and fine arts for nearly a…

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7 min

Culture

Kazakh Graphic Illustrations of Evgeny Sidorkin

November 15, 2019

Evgeny Matveevich Sidorkin (1930-1982) is a Soviet graphic illustrator and artist who was recognized by several prestigious awards for his art. He mainly worked in Kazakhstan and created powerful images…

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5 min

Culture

Crafts and Couture from Central Asia Festival

November 11, 2019

From October 10 to October 13, the George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies hosted the “Crafts and Couture from Central Asia” festival. The festival was organized…

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8 min

Culture

Kyrgyz Fashion: Combining Tradition and Innovation

October 2, 2019

An artisan must always be an innovator: choosing and experimenting with new materials, techniques, ornaments, and shapes—but a good artisan must cherish traditions as well.Kyrgyz craftsmen know how to make…

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9 min

Culture

“Captain Ikat”: Textile Fantasies of Dilyara Kaipova

September 12, 2019

In the picture to the right, we see beautiful Central Asian fabrics with an abr (ikat) pattern that convey the mystical spirit of the Middle Ages, the atmosphere of the…

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8 min

Culture

The Cruel Candor of Zhanna Isabaeva

August 26, 2019

Within a mere ten years, director Zhanna Isabaeva carved out a firm place for herself in modern Kazakhstani cinema. She has done so all on her own: neither the state…

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9 min

Culture

Central Asian and Azerbaijani Contemporary Art Discussion at Asia House, UK

August 21, 2019

“Azerbaijani and Central Asian art have a lot to offer the world in terms of discovery,” – says Rose Issa, a renowned curator and writer who has helped to introduce Iranian…

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14 min

Culture

Carpets in Uzbekistan: History and Traditions

July 16, 2019

Carpet-weaving is an amazing art with which mankind has been familiar for almost five millennia (the first known nap structures were found among the archaeological remains of ancient Sumer). Carpets…

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8 min

Civil Protests, Art, and Politics in Kazakhstan

May 14, 2019

As Kazakhstan heads for its first presidential election without long-time leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, a group of creative youth activists has shattered the appearance of stability in the country with several…

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28 min

Culture

FOUNDING FATHER. Shaken Aimanov: The Man at the Core of Kazakh Cinema

May 2, 2019

To most young Kazakhs, the films of Shaken Aimanov are unknown. Many have never even heard his name. Even Aimanov’s greatest hits – Our Dear Doctor (1957) and The End of…

Tajik Fashion and the Challenges of Achieving an International Breakthrough

Contemporary Art in Central Asia: An Interview with a Curator

How Ikat Accompanied History in Central Asia

The Ethnographic Collection of the Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts

Kazakh Graphic Illustrations of Evgeny Sidorkin

In case you missed it

Kyrgyz Fashion: Combining Tradition and Innovation

Humans of the Polygon: Travel Notes from the Land of Abai. Karaul, Znamenka (Kokentau), Sarzhal

Translating Central Asian Literature: An Interview with Shelley Fairweather-Vega

How they met Tamara Khanum in London and the secret of Usto Olim Komilov’s turban

Crafts and Couture from Central Asia Festival

Kyrgyz Fashion: Combining Tradition and Innovation

“Captain Ikat”: Textile Fantasies of Dilyara Kaipova

The Cruel Candor of Zhanna Isabaeva

Central Asian and Azerbaijani Contemporary Art Discussion at Asia House, UK

In case you missed it

Kyrgyz Fashion: Combining Tradition and Innovation

Humans of the Polygon: Travel Notes from the Land of Abai. Karaul, Znamenka (Kokentau), Sarzhal

Translating Central Asian Literature: An Interview with Shelley Fairweather-Vega

How they met Tamara Khanum in London and the secret of Usto Olim Komilov’s turban

Carpets in Uzbekistan: History and Traditions

Civil Protests, Art, and Politics in Kazakhstan

FOUNDING FATHER. Shaken Aimanov: The Man at the Core of Kazakh Cinema

The Ethnographic Collection of the Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts

Destructing Soviet Architecture in Central Asia

How Ikat Accompanied History in Central Asia

The Mystery of Kyrk-Kyz: From 40 Women-Warriors to the Warriors of Light

Contemporary Art in Central Asia: An Interview with a Curator