What do we really know about Central Asia? Our images of a romanticised oriental splendour or riders across the endless steppes have now been overlaid with pictures of catastrophic crises, in ecology, the economy and security policy. But are we truly doing justice to the major cultural traditions across the region, or recognizing the significance of a touchstone transformation process, struggling to establish a path from other-determined social structures formed under Soviet influence towards an independent development defined by national criteria? Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – the new Central Asian states – find themselves in a constant process of reorientation in cultural, social, political and economic spheres. This contribution to the "Off the Silk Road" project offers a closer look at cultural and artistic developments, using an interdisciplinary perspective to trace forms of cultural expression ranging from folk religious practices – especially in music – to the radical pronouncements of avant-garde artists. This sets a clear signal for the creative potential and expressive power of artists in whatever 'category' and provides a counterweight to simplistic images of a region in crisis.
Authors: Hans-Georg Knopp and Peter C. Seel
For the full-length article please refer to the german version.
Title
On September 11
Notes from a journey to Bukhara, Samarkand, and Tashkent
On September 11, Sabine Vogel, curator of the exhibition on Central Asian contemporary art "No Mad’s Land", found herself travelling in Uzbekistan, on the way from Bukhara to Samarkand. In her notes she describes her impressions of Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent, cities tacking back and forth between the relics of a magnificent past, Soviet structures and the new market economy. Her journey was given a surreal touch by the snippets of news slowly trickling in about the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Author: Sabine Vogel
For the full-length article please refer to the German version.
Title
Photo-Series by Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, Summer 1997
crossroads
everyday life, youth
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Aktau, Caspian Sea, summer 1997 Russell Liebman
Russell Liebman, born in New York in 1966 moved to Berlin after the fall of the Wall. He visited the Caspian Sea several times in the 1990s.
