On October 17, Tamyr Central Asia Art Lab will host Community Day in Dushanbe, a one-day program of lectures, panel discussions, and workshops dedicated to contemporary art in Tajikistan and artists’ professional development. The event will take place as part of Tamyr Art Scene, an initiative aimed at nurturing the regional art community.
The program brings together diverse perspectives on artistic practice and the regional environment, covering topics from the history of contemporary art in Tajikistan, self-censorship, and performative practices to artistic research methodologies and artist-gallery interactions. Community Day participants include artists, curators, and cultural practitioners from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The gathering in Dushanbe marks the culmination of the first year of the Community Day series across Central Asia.
Community Day / Dushanbe Program | October 17, 2:00–10:00pm
Venue: Bactria Cultural Centre, 12a Mirzo Tursunzoda Street
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2:00–3:00 pm Lecture: "Artist and Gallery: How to Start Collaborating" with Sanzhar Serikpaev, founder of Occupy Steppe Gallery
Sanzhar Serikpaev, founder of the Almaty-based Occupy Steppe Gallery, will discuss the structure of the gallery business and principles of working with artists based on his own practice. Participants will learn how to present a portfolio to a gallery, how artwork prices are established, what commission rates are standard in the art market, and what key aspects to consider when signing a contract. We will also address strategies for building long-term professional relationships with galleries.
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3:00–4:30 pm Lecture & Practical Workshop: "Performative Practices: Personal Experience" with Ulan Djaparov, artist and founder of the Bishkek April Fools' Contemporary Art Competition
Drawing from his own practice, Ulan Djaparov will explore the evolution of performance art in Central Asia, shifting artistic methodologies, and an artist's interaction with surrounding reality. Participants will also learn about performance documentation and working with leftover material objects after a performance concludes. During the practical session, attendees can re-enact one of the artist's performances and explore the medium through hands-on experience.
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4:30–5:30 pm Workshop: "How to Begin Artistic Research" with Nazira Karimi, artist and filmmaker
Artistic research can originate from an archival document, a family story, a conversation, or observations of everyday life. Nazira Karimi will introduce participants to various methods of sourcing and gathering material, using examples from her own practice to demonstrate the trajectory from initial interest to a full-fledged art project. The practical session will guide participants in identifying a theme, formulating a research question, and mapping potential sources and methods for their work.
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5:30–6:30 pm Lecture: "The Specifics of Contemporary Art Development in Tajikistan: 'The Murder That Never Happened'" with Alexei Rumiantsev, artist
How have traditions, societal norms, and modern Tajik history shaped the country's contemporary art scene? Alexey Rumyantsev will trace changing conditions of artistic production during the post-Soviet period, the civil war, and subsequent decades of independence. Examining works by Tajik artists, he will discuss self-censorship (the "silent killer of creative intent") and how it manifests in artistic language: through metaphor and Aesopian language, traditional aesthetics and ornamentation, abstraction, shifts in medium, avoidance of specific topics, or targeting a "safe" audience.
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7:00-10:00pm — Presentation of Tamyr Art Scene with Rus Biketov, Director of the Tamyr Central Asia Art Lab