‘Adamdar’ Means People. Visual Art, Online Platforms and Activism in Central Asia

Author: Karina Gaibulina, University of Bolzano - Bozen Following the political independence, contemporary Central Asian authoritarian regimes seek to enforce a standard framework of collective identity and the nation, and to control artistic expression, reducing it to the medium of state propaganda. Alongside restrictions on creative expression and limited access to public spaces, the absence of conventional institutions like the Museum of Modern Art in Kazakhstan has led digital spaces to evolve into “online art museums,” replacing traditional museum settings and using culture as a networking device and an instrument of challenge and social change. The absence of an active civil society in Central Asia, along with the lack of genuine public spaces – understood as discursively constructed sites – has made art a means to conceptualise alternative social orders and various projects for imagining community. Contemporary Central Asian artists, independent of the state and its goszakaz (“the state order”), find themselves in a liminal state between private and public spheres, thereby occupying the role of the intelligentsia. Developed in the grey zone of semi-privacy, contemporary Central Asian art became a form of activism and dissent against authoritarian regimes and prevailing discourses. I argue that these artistic activities, characterised by their ambiguous messages, resulting from applying various visual means, can be seen as political actions due to their capacity to challenge the boundaries of what the regime deems acceptable. Through their work, artists influence debates and collective ideas on identity, tradition, nation, gender norms, sexuality, history, geography, and ecology. Young artists use tradition as a source of inspiration to oppose the radical form of patriarchy, focusing on the alternative “future,” while local authorities support “preservation” and “(re)invention” of traditions allegedly rooted in the precolonial past The online platform Adamdar is an artistic project in its own right and a form of orchestrating collective work that unites the voices of artists, journalists, photographers, activists, and independent lawyers, which will serve as a case study. This platform blurs the line between art production and its consumption. In these liminal spaces, beyond the private/public divide, one observes symbols, art, images, and digital artefacts intended to communicate ideas and emotions to those outside the network, including potential supporters and the public at large. Digital media transform art not only into expressive components of movements but also into essential organisational elements. In the authoritarian context of Central Asia, art serves as a tuning fork that resonates with the slightest shifts in political discourse. A close analysis of the platform’s content, including its visual elements, reveals a range of subtle artistic practices and their interactions with mini-publics through co-creative efforts. Examining the Adamdar platform from the perspective of its visual components may highlight the considerable potential of art and visual communication in the online space to drive social change. This could reveal an often-overlooked political power that typically receives insufficient attention in public discourse.