Timur Zolotoev

For the inaugural Bukhara Biennial commission, we made installed two swarm boxes in the center of old Bukhara in the shape of snow leopards using discarded wooden columns excavated from old demolished buildings. Snow leopards are incredibly resilient but endangered animals and a few thousands of them left in the remote mountains of Central Asia. As the Biennial come to and end we had to take the bee colonies that have been living in the belly of these snow leopard sculptures for a while. On Tuesday we had a performance, a blessing ceremony; working with 12 young students from Maktab No10, we took the frames of bees and honey and gave them to a young bee keeper to rehabilitate and to winter. For this important work, I am indebted to Bukhara Biennial commissioner @gayane_umerova for her incredible vision, curator @dhakadiana for groundbreaking work, as well as numerous unsung heroes for their tireless work and commitment we worked with including @timurzlt @adamondak @_kirillmarenkov @hamidaki @jasmin_wants_more photos by wonderful @timurzlt I would like thank organizer @acdfuz for their generous support and local wood carvers #shohnazarjumayev #firuzshamsiyev

Nomin Zezegmaa (@nominzezegmaa ) midst the powerful improvisational performance of an epic Mongolian tale.derived from deep immersion in shamanistic thought. The performance is titled “A drop of milk in the ocean” and takes place amidst fire burning, Mongolian juniper incense and Mongolian tea (expertly served by @timurzlt ) “The Epic” is programme I have curated convening poetry and performance, as part of the finnissage of Bukhara Biennial (commissioned @gayane_umerova artistic director @dhakadiana )

ON VIEW | Group exhibition 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 at @nika.projectspace , Paris
With @milabalzhi , @aryatsagan , @nominzezegmaa  & @slavsandtatars <Each of the presented artists>, in their distinct way, use words, letters, and symbols to disrupt power relations, reclaim lost knowledge, and address cultural and historical traumas. Tacit Tongues responds to a legacy of adaptation and erasure experienced by cultures and languages throughout the twentieth century—particularly in Mongolia and the culturally kindred Republic of Buryatia in Eastern Siberia. – Timur Zolotoev (@timurzlt ), Curator of the show 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 25 May – 19 July 2025

NIKA Project Space Paris at @komunuma 43 Rue de la Commune de Paris, 93230, Romainville 🎥: @balanovskaya

IMPRESSIONS from this week’s opening of 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 – a new group exhibition at NIKA Paris. We extend our sincere gratitude to all who attended — especially to our loyal visitors and collectors, to the artists and curator who made the journey to join us, and to @aldar_bashiev for his moving performance 🪕 Couldn’t make it to the opening? No worries — 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 is on view until 19 July, and we’d love to welcome you in the coming weeks. 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 With @milabalzhi , @aryatsagan , @nominzezegmaa  & @slavsandtatars 
Curator: Timur Zolotoev 25 May – 19 July 2025

NIKA Project Space Paris at @komunuma 43 Rue de la Commune de Paris, 93230, Romainville 🎥: @balanovskaya

ANNOUNCEMENT | @nika.projectspace is pleased to present 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴, a group exhibition curated by @timurzlt , featuring works by Buryat and Mongolian artists @milabalzhi , @aryatsagan , and @nominzezegmaa , alongside the Berlin-based collective @slavsandtatars . Opening on 25 May 2025 at NIKA’s Paris space, 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 brings together 15 works – spanning painting, textile, video, mixed media, performance and installation – that examine the fragility and resilience of language in preserving cultural memory, reclaiming identities, and disrupting established power relations. 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝘛𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 Vernissage: 25 May, 3–7 PM With a performance by @aldar_dashiev (countertenor, Buryatia)

NIKA Project Space Paris at @komunuma 43 Rue de la Commune de Paris, 93230, Romainville Find out more about the show via link in bio 🔗 Artwork: 𝘚𝘻𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘵 by @slavsandtatars , 2017. Courtesy of the collective.

For someone who grew up in Siberia, there is perhaps no place on earth more different and mesmerising than Hawai’i. Exploring this land, its nature, history and culture has been a mind-blowing experience. Huge thanks, @honebailey , for your generosity and hospitality and for sharing knowledge about Hawai’i and the many cultures of the Polynesian peoples. How fascinating it is to discover parallels and similarities in the stories of distinct Indigenous groups, from Siberia to Oceania🌊

I’m profoundly grateful to @vvkuklina for the invitation to attend the American Association of Geographers conference in Hawai'i and to engage in the conversation about art, science, and Indigenous knowledge. Presenting the work of the brilliant Buryat and Mongolian artists @aryunasong , @aryatsagan , @milabalzhi , and @nominzezegmaa and talking about the Dissolving Earths project (curated by @sophiejwilliamson , in collaboration with @julyset and myself) I was amazed by how receptive the geographers community is to artistic practices and Indigenous perspectives. It was a genuinely enriching experience to meet different Indigenous scholars, practitioners, and activists and learn about their work and opinions. I look forward to expanding these conversations and learning more in the process🤲✨

We're thrilled to have presented the final commission of the Dissolving Earths project at COP28 in Dubai this past weekend ✨ In her new video work media artist Aryuna Bulutova @aryunasong turns to Indigenous practices and epistemologies in a quest to heal our relationship with the world beyond the human. Inspired by Lusuud, a Buryat Shamanic ritual honouring the water deity, Bulutova’s video artwork interweaves ancestral knowledge with climate awareness.  It premiered at COP28 as part of the event ‘Western Academia and Nomadic Culture Collaboration to Address Climate Change’. You can watch the video on Dissolving Earths, link in bio. The artwork was commissioned by Frozen Commons: Change, Resilience and Sustainability in the Arctic @artslink_in_arctic @vvkuklina (with support by @nsfgov ) and Dissolving Earths. Sound design by @eugeen_rhymes Dissolving Earths is curated by @sophiejwilliamson , curatorial team @julyset and @timurzlt . It is a project by @undead_matter and released in partnership with Nieuwe Instituut (Rotterdam), TBA21 (Madrid), documenta Institut (Kassel), and Mimosa House (London). Design by @kseniabela9 Images сourtesy of @aryunasong

It's been a great pleasure to co-curate "The Endless Knot" at @lkham_gallery in Ulaanbaatar. Bringing together works by artists from Mongolia and Buryatia, the show explores the imaginaries formed by shared culture and spirituality. Drawing inspiration from one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the entangled nature of our world. Through their unique perspectives, the artists delve into the notion of interconnectedness and the endless cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Huge thanks to @natmgmangal and @smartglossy_ for this opportunity and to artists @aryunasong @baatarzorigbatjargal @bulgaa.art @bold.nomin @nominzezegmaa @odmaauranchimeg for their trust. Special thanks to the amazing @b.ariuna without whom nothing would have been possible! Photos by @nima_pht Graphic design by @mariyamor Баярлалаа!🤍🙏 The show is on view until Feb 28.

Demeter