Art residency – Memories woven into the soil: Women and the Movement of Tobacco Leaves

We are pleased to share with you the programme of the Art residency entitled “Memories woven into the soil: Women and the Movement of Tobacco Leaves”, taking place in Bishkek and Talas (Kyrgyzstan) from 18 September to 1 October 2026. 

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This residency, curated by Altyn Kapalova (UCA) and Lucia Direnberger (IFEAC), contributes to the history of Central Asian women’s lives under the Soviet regime by bringing together researchers, artists, and women storytellers in a collaborative creative process.

The residency draws on social science methods, including the use of state and private archives, oral histories, and ethnographic observation. This year’s focus is on the experiences of women who worked in tobacco fields and in the tobacco industry in Kyrgyzstan. Central Asian women played a central role in Soviet tobacco production, much of which was sent to the imperial centre. The residency addresses questions of (im)mobility – of both people and goods – within the Soviet empire. Through the creation of land art and public art, participants will develop new works that document and interpret the life stories of Central Asian women. Engaging with everyday life and labour, the artworks will explore how land, place, (im)mobility, and inequalities intersect in shaping Central Asian women’s history.

The detailed programme of the event can be found here.

Diana Skiba

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