Shaarbek Amankul
Artist / curator, lives in Bishkek

Personal Information
Date of birth 26/09/1959
Place of birth Bishkek
Citizenship Kyrgyzstan

Mr. Amankul holds art and history degrees from Kyrgyz State College of Arts (1980) and Kyrgyz National University (1989) respectively. A member of the Kyrgyz Republic Union of Artists since 1991. He has participated in several educational programs and residencies abroad, to include the House of Art Foundation USSR (1989/90/91, Latvia), the Berkshire Artist’s Settlement (1998, NY), Artist in Residence Krems (2003, Austria), Summer Art Academy (2005, Austria), Vermont Studio Center (2005, USA), Domagk Ateliers (2009, Munich), Global Art Lab (New-York / San Francisko), Villa Waldberta (2011, Germany).

Additionally, he has participated in numerous symposiums and exhibitions throughout Asia, US, Europe like “World Contemporary Art’98” (1998, Los-Angeles), “No Mads Land”, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (2002, Berlin), “Transforma”, Centre d'Art Contemporain (2002, Geneva), “Project Kyrgyz_Stein” (2006, Liechtenstein), “Intersection” (2007, Ulan Bator), 2nd Singapore Biennale (2008), Kunsthalle/Spiegel, Lothringer13 (2009, München), “Biennale Cuvee”, OK Center for Contemporary Art (2009, Linz), “The View from Elsewhere”, Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (2009, Sydney), Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art Brisbane (2009, Australia), “New Silk Road” (2009, Bangkok), 22nd Les Instants Vidéo (2009, Marseille), Kunsthalle Exnergasse (2009, Vienna), Kunstverein Rosenheim (2010, Germany), 12e festival des cinémas differents et expérimentaux de Paris (2010), Visual Container TV (2010, Milan), Domagk Ateliers Halle 50 (2011, Munich), Internatonal Video Art Festival, (2011, Ramallah), “Contemporary Art from the Centre of Asia ", Gallery Calvert 22 (2011, London), International Fesival of independent cinema (2012, Tahskent), International Festival of Videoart “Reformat” (2012, Bishkek), “Contemporary Art from Central Asia & Caucasus”, Sotheby’s (2013, London), Ya Gallery (2013, Baky).

The curatorial practice Mr. Amankul start since 2001. His video film “Central Asia – Europe Art Dialogue” about the art projects (2001-2002) was shown in the Videoarchieve, Central Asian Pavilion at the 51st Venice Biennale (2005). The curator of the following art projects - Symposiums and Exhibitions in Kyrgyzstan: “Ring” (2005), “Transformation” (2005), “South Pole” (2006), “Transit-South Pole” (2007), Ashu Artists Retreat (2007), “Moving Nomad”, First Kyrgyz National Exhibition of Contemporary Art (2009), “Sculpture and land Art” (2011), “Nomadic Art Camp” (2011, 2012, 2013).
Since 2007 Mr. Amankul directs the organizational development and creative initiatives at ?’Art Contemporary Center in Bishkek and brings 14 years of project development experience and innovative collaborations. He has participated in public panel discussion at 10th International Istanbul Biennale (2007, “International Discourse vs. Local Vibrancy: Challenges and Opportunities in the Practice of Art in Central Asia”) and in CIMAM conference (2007, Vienna) and (2010, Shanghai).