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| Kasmalieva Gulnara & Djumaliev Muratbek Gulnara Kasmalieva Born in 1960 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Muratbek Djumaliev Born in 1965 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. They live and work in Kyrgyzstan. Tracks with rusty metal to China and back became a symbol of the very complicate process of migration, survival and transformation of mentality of the last 16 years in Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz people’s lifestyle has been transformed during the last 100 years. Nomads in the past, semi nomads in soviet time, Kyrgyz people absorbed, from time to time, very destructive rules of global market, in the last two decades. The road (people still call it “jibek jol” (“silk road”) on the high mountains connecting Kyrgyzstan and China is interesting by its history as well. Existed from ancient time -there still exists a caravan saray from Middle Ages there- the road reflected all socio-political changes within the country. The road was renovated after Second World War in short period when a good relationship between Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's China existed. The old statues of Soviet leaders on the road are the mute witness of that time. But in the end of 50’s some part of the road became a runaway for military airplanes against China (now it is a huge parking for trucks). Today, former shepherds survive serving the trucks here. A small clay house and wagons offer the drivers bed and feeding. THE IRON SILK ROAD Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev's project А New Silk Road: Algorithm of Survival and Норе is а reconstruction of one of the economic realities of contemporary Kyrgyzstan. Trucks carrying scrap metal pass through the mountains to sell it in Western China. The artists have entitled this dramatic action as А New Silk Road. In other words, these modern commercial expeditions are being represented as the descendants of the ancient medieval caravans of the Great Silk Road -that legendary trading route that passes through Central Asia and has been connecting the East and the West of Eurasia for seventeen centuries. The Great Silk Road -which came to а standstill in the 15th century due to increased political instability along its length and the development of alternative sea routes- is to this day still а very popular "brand name" in the countries of Central Asia. Its name is gladly invoked and used by firms, organizations and all sorts of social initiatives. The Great Silk Road is а symbol of prosperity and success (many cities in Central Asia existed as transit points along the Silk Road and since its decline have consequently fallen into decay). This is а symbol of the peaceful links between West and East and it was clearly the latter that dominated this relationship. For the whole of the Silk Road’s working life, the East was more technologically advanced than the West with the East bringing its valuable goods (silk, cotton, wool, china, and spices) in return for Europe's gold. Today once again, international trade, having served as the economic foundation of these medieval cities, has become а source of survival for the population of post-Soviet Asia. However, now it is nо longer luxury items for Europe's ruling classes that are being transported. Along the smaller Asian section of the Great Silk Road there now only travel trucks piled high with low quality clothing from China and rusty scrap metal going back in the opposite direction, and the services organized by the roadside villagers for these modern dау caravans are much morе basic and modest. After the crash of the USSR this same "silk road" has become the sole means of survival for thousands of former Soviet citizens. An avalanche of "suitcase traders" (as these small traders independently plying their goods are called in the post-Soviet space), are swamping the railway stations with their huge multi-colored checked and plastic weave bags and these have become а colorful sign of the post-perestroika times. Oksana Shatalova  Download CV |  A New Silk Road, 2007 |
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