From MAJIC – Memories, Arts and Social Justice in Central Asia
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan adopted amendments to its “child protection law,” restricting the dissemination of information about diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. This measure mirrors Russia’s 2014 anti-LGBTQ+ laws. In this repressive context, Aizhamal Biigazieva, a member of the feminist and queer collective Qun Jelesi (Rainbow in Kyrgyz), curated two significant exhibitions: Квирбиз – Эркинбиз (“We Are Queer, We Are Free“) in 2023 and Аста, Аста (“Slowly, Slowly“) in 2025. These projects highlight the struggle for visibility and queer joy in a hostile environment. This text, based on an interview with Aizhamal by Lucia Direnberger in 2025, explores the challenges, strategies, and successes of these exhibitions, where art becomes a tool of resistance and celebration for the queer community in Kyrgyzstan.
Квирбиз – Эркинбиз. React and normalize
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan adopted a law against “queer propaganda,” with implementation beginning as early as August 2023.
In response to this legislation, I decided to curate a queer exhibition titled Квирбиз – Эркинбиз, which means “We Are Queer, We Are Free” in kyrgyz. The exhibition centered on the theme of queer love, aiming to highlight the humanity of queer individuals in the face of discriminatory laws and hate speech.
The concept of the exhibition was to showcase that queer people often have to create their own worlds due to societal exclusion. Yet, these worlds are not so different from anyone else’s. We, too, have people we love, favorite foods, cherished activities, and moments of joy and sorrow. We experience grief, love, sadness, and happiness just like everyone else.
More content from this blog
- Re-Examining Lenin’s Writings on the National Question: An Early Marxist Critique From the Imperial Periphery, by Hanna Perekhoda – 1 June 2024
- Syrians of the Golan Heights: A Year of “Artificial Calm” in the Geography of the Forgotten Occupation, by Basma Elmahdy – 21 October 2024
- Rethinking Nasser. Interview with Alex Rowell – 5 April 2024
- Why This Mizrahi Feminist Movement Is Disbanding – But Not Disappearing, by Nathalie Rozanes – 28 February 2025
- The Making of Japanese Settler Colonialism. Interview with Sidney Xu Lu – 14 June 2024