Crossroads: Nomadic Knowledge and Art Strategies

(2008)

Exhibition: Bishkek Art Center

Artistic Director: Shaarbek Amankul

Curator: Eugenia Gorchakova (DE)

Artists DE: Edda Akkermann, Katja Butt, Shirin Homann-Saadat, Insa Winkler & Gerd Kunis, Astrid Baxmeier, Claudia Christoffel, Marina Gertzovskaja, Marikke Heinz-Hoek, Werner Henkel, Katia Liebmann, Isolde Loock, Elisabeth Lumme, Angelika Middendorf, Mariella Mosler, Astrid Nippoldt, Helene von Oldenburg, Claudia Reiche, Jan-Peter E. R. Sonntag, Corinna Schnitt

The collaboration between the Bishkek Art Center and the "slap" Oldenburg social land art project represents a groundbreaking intersection of European ecological art and Kyrgyz nomadic traditions. This innovative project fosters a cross-cultural dialogue about art and ecology, combining diverse artistic practices to address global environmental challenges. It delves deeply into local contexts, specifically exploring how Kyrgyz nomadic traditions can inform contemporary ecological thinking while presenting art as a platform for critical reflection on humanity's relationship with nature in the face of ongoing ecological change. At its core, the project highlights how art can function as a dynamic, experimental space where multi-perspective approaches to nature can flourish. Through the strategic use of distancing and alienation techniques, the artists aim to create unique aesthetic experiences that connect historical, social, and environmental contexts. This approach generates new ways of perceiving the natural world, inviting audiences to reconsider traditional notions of nature and ecological sustainability, particularly within the context of the Kyrgyz landscape and its long-standing nomadic heritage. The exhibition fosters a vibrant cultural exchange between German and Kyrgyz artists by merging European ecological art with Kyrgyz artistic practices. This exchange opens up new artistic avenues for collaboration while challenging both communities to reflect on their respective relationships to nature, environmental responsibility, and art's role in ecological discourse. The project also facilitates a deeper understanding of how local cultural knowledge and global ecological concerns can intertwine and inform one another.

As part of the initiative, Sabine Himmelsbach, director of the Edith-Russ-Site for Media Art in Oldenburg, conducted a lecture titled AMedialPerspectiveonEcologicalQuestions: GlobalDevelopments, LocalResponsibilities. In addition, a seminar further expanded on the exhibition's themes, encouraging continued discussions about the intersection of art, ecology, and social responsibility in the context of contemporary art practices. This collaboration highlights the power of art to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, facilitating meaningful conversations about the urgent issues of ecological sustainability and the diverse ways art can address them. The partnership between Bishkek Art Center and the "slap" Oldenburg social land art project demonstrates how cross-cultural, interdisciplinary projects can catalyze deeper connections between art, nature, and society. Unfortunately, the second part of the project was not continued in Germany due to the lack of action from the German side, which failed to fulfill its commitments and obligations. This lack of follow-through hindered the potential for further collaboration and exchange, leaving the project incomplete and limiting the broader impact that could have been achieved through sustained international cooperation. Despite this setback, the project's first phase successfully initiated essential discussions on the intersection of ecological art and Kyrgyz nomadic traditions, highlighting the potential for future and continued exploration of these critical ecological themes.