Exploring Central Asian identities through the Art of Today
Key information
- Date
- Time
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5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
About this event
Unfortunately, this event has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule it at a later date.
The SOAS Centre for Contemporary Central Asia and the Caucasus is hosting the talk by Alexey Ulko in collaboration with the British-Uzbek Society.
This presentation explores how multiple overlapping identities in Central Asia manifest themselves in different art forms, including neo-traditionalist, realist, and contemporary art. Artists in the region face pressures from the lingering Soviet legacy, the perceived need to engage with ethnic traditions, and the demands of the international art market.
Artists respond to these with various strategies of compliance and resistance, leading to the emergence of new art forms and the transformation of traditional ones. Alexey Ulko proposes two complimentary approaches to study these complex relations: examining how identities are expressed through art and analysing different artistic genres to uncover often conflicting identities.
He will examine works of such diverse artists as Akmal Nur and Vyacheslav Akhunov from Uzbekistan, female artists Umida Akhmedova, Almagul Menlibayeva and Saodat Ismailova, various artistic institutions from the national pavilions at the Venice Biennial to underground activist groups from Bishkek. This presentation will contribute to the understanding of Central Asian art and its role in reflecting and shaping societal identities and a medium for social dialogue and critique in post-colonial Central Asia.
The talk includes Q&A with the speaker.
Image by Francisco Anzola via Flickr
About the speaker
Alexey Ulko (MEd TTELT) is a consultant on contemporary art, researcher and filmmaker from Samarkand (Uzbekistan). He has a diverse range of interests, including postcolonial studies, contemporary Central Asian art, new metaphysics, and esotericism. He graduated from Samarkand State University in 1991 and obtained his Master’s degree from the University of Exeter in 2001.
In recent years, he has authored or contributed to several books, including ἀγάπη (2021), Censoring Art (2018), and Culture Smart! Uzbekistan (2017). He conducted research for the award-winning exhibition We Treasure Our Lucid Dreams (2020) at Garage Museum of Contemporary Art. He has co-curated several exhibitions, artistic, musical and educational projects in Central Asia, written over 50 articles and made more than 20 experimental films. He is a member of the Association for Art History, the European Society for Central Asian Studies, and the Central Eurasian Studies Society.
Chair
Rachel Harris (Professor of Ethnomusicology, SOAS School of Arts)
Registration
This event is open to the public and free to attend, however registration is required.
