Ata-Beyit/Ата-бейит Day Trip from Bishkek Ата-бейит (Ata-Beyit, Kyrgyz for “Grave of Our Fathers”) is a memorial complex located in Chong-Tash, a village and skiing destination in the Chui Province about 15 miles south of Bishkek. The site honors two dark episodes in Kyrgyzstan’s history: mass murders that occurred in 1938 at the hands of the […]

”In the artistic world, Central Asian artists are still listed as “Others.” Ulan Djaparov, exhibition notes for “…and Others,” 2004. Within the last three decades, the international art system has seen the inclusion of contemporary art from regions of the world, which once seemed remote. The newest region to enter the international art system is […]

In photography, superimposition is the placement of one image over another, either to conceal something or create an overall effect. The concept was widely developed by Russian photographer Sergey Larenkov, who compared the past and present of multiple cities in reference to World War II. He describes theses superimposed archival photos as “ghosts.” A new outdoor exhibition of […]

Manas Ordo Address: 10km east of Talas, at the foot of the Manastyn-Chokusu Mountain, on the bank of the Kenkol mountain river Price: Adults – 20 som; Children – 5 som, Guided Tour – 300 som Hours: 9:00am-7:00pm There are few essential things to know about Kyrgyzstan. One of these is the country’s folkloric hero, […]

Przhevalskii Museum Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Price: Students – 40 som; Foreigners – 70 som Address: On the road to Pristan Przhevalsk and Mikhailovka Ever since I arrived in Kyrgyzstan, I have been told to go to Issyk-Kul, an oblast located about five hours east of Bishkek, and location of the famed “hot lake” that never freezes. […]

“Moscow Oceanarium” / Московский Океариум January 26-February 17, 2013 Saturday and Sundays, 12:00pm and 4:00pm Price: 500 som – 700 som http://circus.312.kg/ On Sunday afternoon, my London School colleagues and I caught the last day showing of the circus that has been in town the past month, the “Moscow Oceanarium.” I have been looking forward […]

Песнь о земле. Китай. / Song of the Earth. China. С 4 фебрвля до 14 фебрвля Зал Союза художников КР им. С. Чуйкова “Добрый Парк” http://confederation-art.ru Cost: Free Hours of operation: Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-4pm, Monday: Closed For those interested in a Kyrgyz-Chinese narrative that does not include the geo-political centric words, “China’s economic expansion,” “China’s competition with […]

An interest in the literary works by Chingiz Aitmatov led me to Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2010 in order to study this writer’s native tongue, and, I hoped, discover more about other writers from this small but dynamic country. Before I left the United States, my online research resulted in very few sources that […]