ABOUT

BIOGRAPHY

Ulan Djaparov (Kyrgyzstan) was born in 1960 and lives in Bishkek. He is an influential and dynamic figure among artists in Central Asia as an artist, curator, architect, and critic. Djaparov is one of the founding members of Studio Museum in Bishkek - a venue that has supported the development of many multidisciplinary art projects by dozens of artists since the early 1990s. His work ranges from performance-based video to installation and photography. As a pioneer of contemporary art in Kyrgyzstan, he has organized numerous exhibitions and art events in collaboration with artist couples like Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev and Yelena and Victor Vorobyev. Djaparov is also the publisher of a quarterly bulletin on contemporary art.

Prominent recent exhibitions and workshops include:

2014

"THE OTHER & ME" at SHARJAH ART MUSEUM, Sharjha, UAE

Lazy Art Workshop

2013

“[RE]FORMAT 13”, Festival of Video-art, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

2011

“Between Heaven @ Earth”, curated by David Elliot, Calvert 22 Gallery, London

2010

“Individual Memory in Glocal Economy”, curated by Dario Bonetta, Artra Gallery, Milan, Italy

2009

“Very Simple Movement with an Unclear End”, curated by Viktor Miziano, Artra Gallery, Milan, Italy

“East of Nowhere. Contemporary Art from Post-Soviet Central Asia”, project by Federico Piccari & Enrico Mascelloni, curated by Enrico Mascelloni & Valeria Ibraeva, Fondazione 107, Turin, Italy

BUM-BUM Exhibition

3rd Bishkek International Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Kyrgystan

2008

“Live Cinema/The Return of the Image: Video from Central Asia”, curated by Victor Miziano, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA

“FATTO BENE! La collezione del Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci”, curated by Marco Bazzini, Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy

“Destination Asia: Flying over Stereotypes”, curated by Sharmila Samant, Quddus Mirza, Valeria Ibrayeva, Project 88 Gallery, Mumbai, India

2007

“Progressive Nostalgia. Contemporary Art from the Former USSR”, curated by Viktor Miziano, Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy

“The Paradox of Polarity. Contemporary Art from Central Asia”, curated by Leeza Ahmady , Bose Pacia Gallery, New York, USA

“New / Old Routes – Video Art from Central Asia”, curated by Stefan Rusu, Galeria Arsenal, Bialystok, Poland

2006

“Zone of Risk – Transition”, 3rd Bishkek International Contemporary Art Exhibition, curated by Muratbek Jumaliyev & Gulnara Kasmaliyeva, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

2005

“In the Shadow of Heroes”, 2nd Bishkek International Contemporary Art Exhibition, curated by Muratbek Jumaliyev & Gulnara Kasmaliyeva, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

The Taste of Others: Contemporary Art in Central Asia, curated by Leeza Ahmady at Apexart, New York

2004:

and OTHERS

2003

2nd Tashkent Biennale of Contemporary Art, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

2002

“Trans-forma”, curated by Daniela Gruninger & Valeriya Ibrayeva, Centre d’Art Contemporain Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland

“No Mad’s Land”, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany

“Re-orientation”, ACC Galerie, Weimar, Germany

2000

“Communication: Experience of Interaction”, Second Annual Exhibition of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art-Almaty, curated by Sabina Vogel, Almaty, Kazakhstan

1999

“PLUS – MINUS”, National Museum of Fine Arts, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

1998:

LABYRINTOS

Public collections

Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy