Shaarbek Amankul on Building Kyrgyzstan's Contemporary Art Scene

Shaarbek Amankul, artist and founder of Б’Art Contemporary, recounts his journey establishing Kyrgyzstan's first nonprofit contemporary art institution in 2007. Operating without government support, Б’Art Contemporary relies on donations from foundations, private citizens, and local communities, as well as project-based funding. Amankul also founded the Bishkek Art Center (BAC) in 2007, which organized around 50 exhibitions and events until its closure in 2011 when the Union of Artists of Kyrgyzstan repurposed the exhibition hall for commercial use. The country lacks a contemporary art museum, professional galleries, curators, critics, collectors, and a real art market. Amankul's Nomadic Art Camp, launched in 2011, brings international artists, curators, and researchers to Kyrgyzstan's Tien Shan mountains for two to three weeks to engage with traditional nomadic life and address issues like consumer culture, climate change, and social justice. Б’Art Contemporary also runs social projects for children from orphanages and marginalized communities, promoting tolerance and addressing issues like unemployment, rural depopulation, and human trafficking. Amankul hopes to donate Б’Art's extensive archive of Kyrgyz contemporary art from the late 1990s to an institution interested in Central Asian art research.