The Bishkek School of Contemporary Art (BiSCA) is a dynamic online and offline platform that offers to accumulate and promote art practices, reflections and experiences in their various manifestations, both at the level of mediums and at the level of artistic decisions / gestures / acts.
We are informal, self-organizing association that is interested in exchanging thoughts, emotions and energy in connection with art as a practice, which are involved in creation of School on a gratuitous basis. We have like-minded people, accumulated, acquired experience and a small collective of 9 people, as well as internet access, virtual communication, international and domestic exchange.
Participants and initiators of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art have different experience, areas of interest and activities, however we are all united by an interest in art in its various forms. Part of School representatives follow feminist, Marxist, environmental views.
The platform is working on the principle of circulation, accumulation, formation of “knowledge” about art, creation of platform for communication, mutual exchange and perhaps but not necessarily could contribute to the development of a methodological and theoretical basis, the creation of an archival space and practices for realization of contemporary art in Kyrgyzstan and not only.
We work with different topics and mediums: ecology, museum practices, theory and methods of implementing local art and artistic expressions, history of art and culture of Kyrgyzstan, work with local communities, socio-political issues, political economy, collective pastime, food, games and talks.
Since the establishment of the School in autumn 2020 we have held several exhibitions, research, festivals and interventions, residencies, educational programs, a series of lectures, artist talks, meetings and open discussions with artists, workers of culture, specialists in different areas both online and offline. We also published 5 issues of the “Aralash” zine (on various topics: pandemic, ecology, culture and politics, museum of participation) in the form of exhibition catalogue, journal and study book.
One of the important events in the life of the BiSCA collective in 2022 is participation in the documenta fifteen contemporary art exhibition (Kassel, Germany) in the space of the Gudskul collective and Gudskul Study Kolektif educational program as part of the La Tabebh collective.
There are 9 actively involved people in the creation of the School program and its functioning, including contemporary artists-curators-researchers have been working in this sphere for the last 10 years, architects, designers, musicians and others.
Our collective:
Ravshan Ta Jing
Bermet Borubaeva
Oksana Kapishnikova
Diana Ukhina / U
Alima Tokmergenova
Sergei Khegai
Kanaiym Kydyralieva
Saadat Aytalieva
Syinat Zholdosheva
Partners of BiSCA:
SYNERGY art studio
Network of urban activists Urban Hub
Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after G. Aitiev