On December 15, Kyrgyz multidisciplinary artist Chingiz Aidarov passed away at the age of 41 after a long battle with the repercussions of a stroke. He was known for pioneering a performance practice called “nabeg,” which involves taking over a public space. 

Born in 1984 in Bishkek, Aidarov created mordant paintings, illustrations, performances, and videos thematizing the sociopolitical conditions of post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, as well as the stories of migrant workers. He often drew on his own past living as a foreign laborer in Russia, portraying the monotony and repetitiveness of this experience through his 2021 performance project Snail (Spiral). The 10-minute footage of this performance shows Aidarov painstakingly turning and unfurling a mound of stitched mattresses in a forest. He produced this piece after working nonstop for three months as a loader at a confectionary factory, recalling how the drudgery taught him that “time and the experience of time transform; one loses the connection with time, and life is measured by the rolling and unrolling of the mattress.”

An alumnus of ArtEast, he was also a member of multiple artist collectives based in Kyrgyzstan, including 705, Zhonele emes, and Zamanbap art. 

After suffering a stroke in late 2022, Aidarov experienced paralysis on the right side of his body, affecting both his mobility and speech. Despite these hardships, Aidarov continued his journey as an artist with the support of his friends from 705, who helped him find a new home. Aside from using his home as a shop to sell 705’s artworks, the group also conceived the idea for Zamanbap art there. Inspired by Jerzy Grotowski’s experimental theater productions and Ramis Ryskulov’s playful approach to poetry, they staged satirical performances that simultaneously served as social commentary.  

Throughout his career, Aidarov participated in numerous art exhibitions worldwide, including “Spirit Labor: Duration, Difficulty, and Affect” (2021–22) at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, “Double Horizon” (2023) at Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing, and “As Though We Hid the Sun in a Sea of Stories” (2023–24) at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin. 

Minnie Chan is an editorial intern at ArtAsiaPacific.