Altyn Kapalova — A fearless advocate for feminist and queer art
Altyn Kapalova is a woman of many trades and talents: a visual artist, researcher, writer and feminist activist based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She creates experimental artworks that combine research, art and politics, and the results of her anthropological findings are transferred into artworks and curated art projects that aim to elevate vulnerable voices and influence political decision-making processes. As an anthropologist, at the University of Central Asia, she has researched cultural policy and creative industries in Central Asia. Her vast curatorial experiences include, among others, visual multimedia art, theatre and creative writing. Kapalova is one of the initiators behind a Feminnale and the Central Asian Museum of Feminist and Queer Art (MoFA+).
In the fall of 2023, Safemuse had the honour of hosting Kapalova at our residency program Hvitsten Art Haven, in an idyllic coastal town situated south of the capital and along the Oslo fjord. Kapalova was among the first artists to attend the then newly-established residency, organised together with our local partner Hvitsten Salong.
— In the open call process for the residency Altyn stood out with her multifaceted background and fearlessness in the eyes of the Kyrgyz authorities. We were eager and excited to meet and work with whom we more and more understood was an important figure in a progressive feminist movement in Kyrgyzstan. Her artistic vision in presenting female traditional Kyrgyz arts and crafts in her own way and in this context was also very interesting, says Jon Lundell, residence coordinator in Safemuse.
Activism, threats and a need for peace and time
In her home country Kyrgyzstan, Kapalova and her colleagues are facing constant risk of persecution for their work promoting feminist and queer art. The authorities have on various occasions opposed and even cracked down on artistic projects that give platform to minority voices and shine a spotlight on societal challenges. Kapalova has over the years been targeted with insults and threats, and many of her friends and colleagues have been arrested.
— My activism didn’t allow me to engage in art in a safe manner. I felt exhausted and craved the experience of the art-making process without threats, in a secure environment, with ample materials for the making process, and the assurance that my work wouldn’t face censorship. When I applied for the Hvitsten art residency, I wanted some peace and time for myself. I wanted to reclaim myself as an artist, Kapalova says.
When I applied for the Hvitsten art residency, I wanted some peace and time for myself. I wanted to reclaim myself as an artist.
– Altyn Kapalova
Promoting feminist and queer art
In Kyrgyzstan, artists, human rights defenders and activists are experiencing an increasingly authoritarian and repressive regime. Art and cultural organisations lose financial support, they experience censorship, threats of violence and imprisonment. Kyrgyzstan has passed homophobic anti-propaganda laws, where speaking out about homosexuality or promoting LGBTQ+ rights can be punished with fines or imprisonment.
Kapalova was one of the initiators of a Feminnale – a grassroot initiative and the first major feminist exhibition in the history of Kyrgyzstan. The Feminnale in 2019, a contemporary art exhibition that took place at the National Museum Fine Arts in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, illustrates the difficult situation that artists and cultural workers in Kyrgyzstan face.
The exhibition, which was programmed to last for 17 days, was dedicated to the memory of 17 women and children, amongst them labour migrants, mothers and victims of domestic violence. The exhibition raised some important questions and critiqued the scale of violence against women and children, state corruption, police violence and patriarchal structures upholding so-called ‘traditions’. However, following the Feminnale’s official opening, the team behind the project, participants and museum staff were subjected to insults, provocative acts and threats of physical violence and murder. Among the most active opponents were members of the reactionary ultra-right group Kyrk Choro. The director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Mira Jangarecheva, was forced to leave her post and the exhibition was censored and closed down.
A painstakingly lengthy visa process
Although Kapalova was only planning a short-term stay for her art residence, the application process to obtain a visa to Norway was lengthy. Those who live in Kyrgyzstan have to travel to the Norwegian embassy in Kazakhstan in order to submit their application. Moreover, the task is outsourced to commercial players and it is a process characterised by a lot of bureaucracy and excessive documentation requirements. It took a whole eight months and two trips to Kazakhstan before Kapalova received her temporary visa. The residency, which originally was planned to last six months ended up being only three.
This visa process, like that of many other former Safemuse residence artists, points to the organisation’s main challenge in running art residencies, namely the painstakingly lengthy process of issuing temporary residence permits to censored, threatened or persecuted artists by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) – a process that all too often ends in long delays or rejection.
— Safemuse’s main funding comes from the Norwegian government, because our goals align with that of the Norwegian state, to promote artistic freedom and human rights through strengthening individual activists. When we are hindered from doing our job, due to unnecessarily lengthy and expensive processes, activists like Kapalova are the ones to suffer, says general manager in Safemuse, Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor.
Producing art during Hvitsten Art Haven
Kapalova describes the three months she spent in residency in Hvitsten as “a time and place where [she] could breathe and freely work with [her] art.”
— For the first time in my life, I thanked myself for everything I had done to protect human rights in my country, including advocating for the freedom of creative expression. Gradually, I started to feel the desire to work again. During this time, I had the pleasure of meeting wonderful people, including the artist Maria Waagbo. Together, we collaborated on a textile work addressing femicide, titled “Slap”. Through our collaboration, we exchanged skills, engaged in meaningful discussions, and worked together and separately, Kapalova said.
The artwork ‘A Slap’, which Kapalova worked on during her residence, was exhibited at the Artistic Freedom Conference in March, after she had returned home. The piece was created from fabric, thread and beads and shown on five mannequins in collaboration with the Hvitsten-based artist Maria Waagbø in the fall of 2023. The work is an artistic critique of domestic violence that permeates society and the harsh expectations placed upon women. As described by the artists:
It begins with a single slap, followed by another, and then the tightening grip around your throat. The violence escalates to include blows to the stomach, and then you find yourself enduring kicks, strikes to your kidneys and thighs, leaving you with more and more bruises until you’re covered in them. Ultimately, it ends with your life being taken. Domestic violence is shrouded in societal expectations of being a dutiful wife, daughter, and mother. The reluctance to bring dishonour to the family prevents escape through divorce. Domestic violence remains hidden behind traditions that demand adherence even at the expense of one’s life.
Looking back at her art residency and the process of creating the piece, Kapalova says:
— The artwork we created during this residency is something I doubt I could replicate in my home country at the moment (hopefully things will get better). “A Slap” is composed of thousands of small fabric pieces intricately sewn together to form dozens of amulet-like circles. Such meticulous work demands significant diligence, time, and tranquillity. I am so grateful to Safemuse for providing me with the opportunity to create such a meaningful piece.
Future ambitions
Following the end of her artistic residency in Norway, Kapalova returned to her home in Bishkek.
— Now that I’m home again, life is crazy-busy as usual. I often miss the calm and quiet work environment I had in Norway. But I’m thankful for the habit I cultivated during my months at the art residency, the habit to create my own artistic pieces. Since coming back, I’ve made two new pieces. I try to remember that I’m an artist and keep the feeling of creating alive in my mind. It helps me find time for myself and my art.
The Central Asian Museum of Feminist and Queer Art, of which Kapalova is one of the founders and curators, has already made a commendable effort to raise voices, support and connect artists, and increase knowledge about artistic freedom of expression in the region.
In the aftermath of the Feminnale in 2019, which was closed down by the authorities, the museum has been collecting works that promote women’s and LGBTQIA+ community’s freedom, and gender equality. Kapalova says that it was also established in order to use art as a channel to stand up for civic rights, especially those of women and queer people. Kapalova and her colleagues strive to create a safe space for creative queer people that can support minorities and increase the visibility of female and queer artists in public spaces that have been occupied by men for centuries.
Safemuse is currently, together with Kapalova and MOFA+ preparing a project to highlight the ongoing challenging situation for artists in the Central Asian region and to promote artistic voices that are normally silenced or not given the platform they deserve. If all goes according to plan, then Kapalova will be back in Norway to share her valuable insights and showcase the diversity of artistic works produced in Kyrgyzstan and its neighbouring countries.
Sources:
Interviews with Altyn Kapalova
MoFA+ homepage: https://femmuseum.org/about/en
“Altyn’s response.” ADAMDAR/CA, 4. December 2019, https://adamdar.ca/en/post/altyn-s-response/168?lang=en-US. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
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