Kyrgyz Artist Chyngyz Aidarov Dies at 40, Remembered by Zamanbap Art Collective

Chyngyz Aidarov, a Kyrgyz artist known for his ironic critiques of nationalism and migration, died on December 16, 2025, from a second stroke. He was 40. His friends and fellow members of the Zamanbap Art collective wrote a detailed biography tracing his life and work. Aidarov grew up near Osh Bazaar in Bishkek, studied at art college and the ArtEast School, and co-founded the Jön Ele Emes group. His series Chuikov Battalion (2013-2014) reimagined American cartoon characters as Kyrgyz figures, sparking nationalist backlash and death threats. After a 2014 exhibition was attacked, he co-curated the 1st April Competition at Studio MUSEUM. He developed the "Nabeg" performance method, staging interventions in Moscow as a labor migrant. His video "Snail (Spiral)" (2021), made during a Garage Museum residency, documents him sewing 27 mattresses into a spiral. In 2022, he suffered a first stroke; friends crowdfunded his care and formed Zamanbap Art Collective. Aidarov's work was shown at Garage Museum, Le Fresnoy, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and acquired by Almaty Museum of Arts.