In An Unrecognizable and Unrecognized Central Asia
By Marshall Swatt
Culture defines everything and nothing. It is a paradox of boundaries and behaviors, attitudes and geographies, both individual and collective. It is rooted in its environment while simultaneously creating and giving birth to environmental artifice. Imagine all the cultures of the world with which you are familiar: those in which you were born, those of your heritage, those you’ve visited or come into contact with, those you’ve learned about, those you dream about, and those you simply do not know. Each has a history, a birth in time and space.
Most cultures produce artifacts. For curator Leeza Ahmady, whose focus has been investigating multiculturalism and universality in artifact, the best contemporary art is "rooted in culture, yet perceptive of universal phenomena."
Ahmady — who spent much of her childhood in native Afghanistan — recently returned to Central Asia to curate a show as part of the Central Asian Biennial, held in Bishkek, capital of the Republic of Kyrgzstan. Her first trip back, she was the only American and the only contemporary arts curator to participate. Her exhibition, titled "Contemporaneity," was placed among a festival of traditional painting, dance and theater programs, all capped by a formal and phlegmatic "scientific and practical conference."
MS: You go by the formal title of contemporary arts curator, but that doesn’t quite fit you professionally.
LA: I used to be attached to calling myself a curator, an educator, a this, or a that, but I’m beginning to become comfortable in many roles. There is no such role anymore, at least not in any pure form. If you’re a curator, you’re a communicator, a marketer, a fundraiser, and even an educator. You’re going to have to wear many hats.
MS: How did you get involved in the Central Asian biennial?
LA: I’ve been thinking about what’s happening in Central Asia. I subscribed to the Harvard Central Asia List, connecting Central Asian Scholars around the world to each other. I joined 5 years ago, following and waiting and hoping for arts and culture to appear [among its posts]. But oil, technology, business reform, government, and environment all dominated the list. Finally, in Oct. 2003, I got an email announcing the 2nd Int. festival, "Peace and Respect," a beautiful statement about bringing Central Asia together. Immediately, I wrote the coordinators and introduced myself, proposing to include contemporary art in their festival. They had everything else. I outlined my reasons and they said OK. I could represent the U.S.
Contemporaneity was an exhibition of video works by 13 international artists. Work was screened in the theater of the Museum of Fine Arts as part of the festival in Bishkek, and subsequently at a theater in the city of Osh, and the Academy of Fine Arts, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
MS: Why an exhibition solely of works on video?
LA: It is a contemporary medium. It is very accessible to artists around the world and it is very expressive. Part of the reason I work with video is that it is what many artists are using. I chose video art as a medium because it is portable and flexible, and then I began selecting works. I bought a ticket on tuition funds from a credited class. This festival would be my class. Luckily, the festival applied to the U.S. embassy in Bishkek asking for help and they said yes and agreed to pay for my expenses on the trip.
MS: How did you feel being back in Central Asia for the first time since you were a child of 13?
LA: A ‘dream come true.’ Its clich�, I know. It looked and smelled familiar. The people, language, hospitality all were familiar and related to Afghanistan. I felt proud to see how modern life is there. I discovered a very creative people in Central Asia. Honestly, I was surprised by the quality of works presented in the festival, especially by contemporary artists. I was expecting more of a backwardness… I had fallen for the same western stereotypes from living in the west so long. I went to a concert of works by Vivaldi. They performed his sacred music from Venice, not the popular and familiar works but a very rarely performed opus. I was shocked to hear it there in Bishkek. You don’t hear that in America. My feeling: somewhere between proud and amused. A performance by a nameless orchestra in the plush setting of a beautiful concert hall, yet you can smell the bathroom throughout the entire place. Imagine smelling the bathroom while listening to a concert in Avery Fisher Hall. These discrepancies remind you where you are. Or the fact that [at the time of the festival] there was not one extra piece of equipment to rent in the whole city. My projector got canceled and there was none to be found anywhere. We had to call non-profits to hunt one down.
MS: You’ve mentioned that there is a strong "past-centeredness" in and about Central Asia, its culture, its artistic life, and its people.
LA: Yes. Central Asia has a tendency to marvel in its own past and in its shortcomings. It is both a self-criticism and a response to an external stereotype from the west. That part of the world is looked upon still as existing in the past. People say at one point it had a marvelous culture. But it is present now. I gave my show its title in order to focus on now and stand out from the past. It is deliberate. It is meant to be ‘in your face’ [for that reason.]
MS: We seem unable to talk about your exhibition or even Central Asia without provoking an east/west dialectic, with all the relationships and maneuverings and windows of perception that juxtaposition creates.
LA: ‘East/west’ is intellectual mumbo-jumbo. There is no such thing as east/west anymore. We’re already integrated in so many ways. Blue jeans are an international brand there. And who here in America hasn’t tried a falafel? The same is true for art. Where would modern have been without Japanese prints and architecture, or African painting and sculpture? Contemporary art is a universal phenomenon, culturally distinguished and specific. India, Afghanistan, and Sweden are all culturally distinguished. That is what makes them interesting. The best art is rooted in culture and yet perceptive of universal phenomena.
MS: What is an example of ‘universal phenomena’ that you look for in contemporary art?
LA: Anything now in the world: Immigration. Ethics. The pursuit of individuality. Love. Intimacy.
MS: Can you give some examples from among the work in your exhibition?
LA: Yes. For example, Nikhil Chopra. I selected his work "Passport Photo," because it is the most humble video I’ve ever seen. Everyone responds to it that way. It is an awkward moment of a man in an Indian village trying to get a photo for his passport. We’ve all had to go through that experience of having to be documented for an institutional purpose. But this is clearly in India.
MS: Why India?
LA: Nikhil is from India. He grew up there.
MS: What is the audience of that video?
LA: A world audience. I think a contemporary artist has to have a global perspective. But the work can still be rooted deeply in meaning and culture of their ethnicity. Another example is "Magnets," by Lida Abdullah. She an American who was born in Afghanistan. She studied philosophy and political science, then got an M.F.A. in art. Her work is about displacement, refugee status, loss and mourning. She uses contemporary language, performance, and her body [all] as a medium. One video I showed is of her throwing up hundreds of words written on magnets. Most of her works relate to books or text. Her search is: do we really digest our experiences in life? What we say, etc.? Another black and white piece shows her blowing bubble gum while wearing a hejab, or formal Islamic dress covering her head and body, but not her face. She smiles as she blows bubbles. You think its funny. She’s commenting that Muslim women can be fun and light and happy too.
MS: Tell me about the piece that was filmed in an Italian fountain?
LA: The piece, "Skinhead Swimming," was by Sislej Xhafa. He was born in Kosovo. He is one of the most successful of all the artists in Contemporaneity. He deals with cultural certainties. The piece was filmed in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, illegally one early morning. It shows two skinheads swimming and kissing in the fountain. Society always finds a way to marginalize different groups with attributions [that are] hard to separate from. Maybe skinheads are sweet and human too? Its culturally specific. Sislej comes from a culture with a tendency to be labeled as gypsies, criminals, and bandits. He uses that stereotype and framework to give himself the authority to do what he does. He uses positive and negative aspects of his culture and background to shed light, open another door.
MS: How did people respond to your exhibition?
LA: Half the audience were artists from Eastern Europe. I had reactions. One artist said ‘How come these Afghan artists aren’t showing anything of the invasion of Afghanistan?’ I smiled, because their art isn’t about politics. Politics and war is so obvious. It is pop culture, already in the news. These artists aren’t going to comment on what is already seen. They find subjects more important. If they do criticize the U.S., they won’t do it in obvious ways. Like Mariam Ghani in "Kabul Reconstruction." She chooses to show hope, activity, and possibility because no one sees that in the news: the joy and hope of Afghans. It was strange to get that reaction from a Russian artist.
MS: You brought a contemporary art exhibition to Central Asia. What about contemporary art in Central Asia? Did you see work by any artists on your trip or meet any artists?
LA: People didn’t believe it would be possible to show a contemporary art exhibition in Central Asia or that there would be artists there. Somehow I was convinced there were, based on the fact that contemporary art has developed elsewhere in the world like Eastern Europe and Latin America. There is a small, but strong contemporary art scene growing in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, there have been two contemporary art biennials, in 2001 and 2003. Just before my show opened, Kurama Art — the only contemporary art gallery in Bishkek — held an exhibition called "…And Others." The exhibition was curated by Ulan Djaparov of Kyrgyzstan, and Elena & Victor Vorobyev of Kazakhstan. It included installation, painting, sculpture, and video works by 25 artists from Central Asia, Russia, and Eastern European Republics. For example, the Kazak artist Yerbossyn Meldibekov’s work was very strong. He openly criticizes the changes, reforms, and the struggles in Central Asia. He comments on the impotency of fighting back. In one video work, he lets himself be slapped repeatedly, so hard that his hat flies off. I was astonished that he could have such a strong concept. I was surprised to see artists playing with concepts and the psyche in a fluid way. They’ve gone through so much. I asked Yrbol ‘How do you make your art?’ He said, "I have understood now for a while that art can be anything. So now I’m free." Some curators from the west still require him to present exotic work; you know women in veils. It was a very engaging and provocative show comparable to anything in New York.
MS: What’s next for you regarding Central Asia?
LA: I have the responsibility to expose Central Asian artists to western artists because I feel their need for a new role model. They’re still Russian dominated. It was still an Eastern block exhibition. Central Asia is desperate for other models, other examples, especially from the west. But the real west, not filtered through Eastern Europe. Possibilities for exchange should be looked at now. The time is now. There isn’t much willingness or experience in Central Asia to make an institution happen, otherwise the Soros Foundation or others would have been able to do it. There is a need to create opportunities for Central Asian artists world-wide.
Marshall Swatt resides in New York City. When not otherwise engaged, he writes about contemporary art throughout the U.S. and around the world. He can be reached at marshallswatt@yahoo.com The 2004 "Peace and Respect" Festival of Arts Biennale was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from April 24th — 28th. Leeza Ahmady resides in New York City. She can be reached at ahmadyarts@earthlink.net Participating Artists in Contemporaneity: Muratbek Jumaliev, Gulnara Kasmalieva, Roya Ghiasy, Sislej Xhafa, Mariam Ghani, Lida Abdullah, Nikhil Chopra, Masood Kamandy, Michele Beck, Jorge Calvo, Cecilie Dahl, Ali M. Demirel, Jacob Fuglsang Mikkelsen,
