Marina View That We Love
Where do new ideas come from? The answer is simple: differences. Creativity comes from unlikely combinations.
Interweaving Climate, Water(s) and Communities
- ARTISTS:Almagul Menlibayeva
Aziza Shadenova
Artcom Platform
Madina Joldybek
Meruert Kunakova
Ingrid Pumayalla
Said AtabekovCURATORS:Aigerim Kapar and Indira Duyssebayeva - Ziyabek - OPENING:March 18, 6:00 PMPLACE:Exposed Arts Projects, 6 Drayson Mews, London W8 4LY
- SPEAKERS:Afsaneh Angelina Rafii
Assiya Baqdaulet
Bill Balaskas
Gisselle Giron
Maja and Reuben Fowkes
Aigerim Kapar - DATE:22 March, 12 pm - 5 pmLOCATION:Exposed Arts Projects, 6 Drayson Mews, London W8 4LY
- ARTIST:Madina JoldybekDESCRIPTION:Water shapes us, holds our memories, and connects us. In this workshop, we’ll honor the rivers, lakes, and oceans that have been part of our lives through collective storytelling and zine-making.
Materials provided | 10 spaces available
Book your ticket via link - DATE:23 March, 2 pm - 4 pmLOCATION:Exposed Arts Projects, 6 Drayson Mews, London W8 4LY
hidrosocial dynamics
socio-ecologycal systems
water cultures
integrity
social-natural environments
water knowledges
equitable forms
Exhibition “Interweaving Climate, Water(s), and Communities”
"Interweaving Climate, Water(s) and Communities" begins in the Steppes of Saryarka on the shores of Lake Balkhash, set within the nomadic cultural landscape of Kazakhstan.
Originally part of the International Water and Climate Forum "Balkhash 2024: Challenges and Solutions" organised by Artcom Platform and Care for Balkhash. The exhibition and the program now continue in London in collaboration with Ainalaiyn Space and the local community of artists and researchers.
Recognizing the impact of the global climate crisis, the exhibition and public programme serve as steps toward ecological solidarity and practices of care for Mother Earth’s ecosystems.
At "Interweaving Climate, Water(s), and Communities" artists explore the deep interconnections between local communities and biodiversity as guardians of collective memory. Bodies of water are reimagined as living archives, preserving rituals and technologies amid shifting socio-economic and climatic realities.
By embracing diverse perspectives, knowledge systems, and historical contexts that shape cultural landscapes, the exhibition and public programme invite a rethinking of socio-natural interactions. They encourage a deeper understanding of aquatic spaces and the evolving dynamics of hydro-social relationships. Through decolonial imagination, the project calls for a revaluation of strategies, offering new pathways toward sustainable futures.
"Interweaving Climate, Water(s) and Communities" begins in the Steppes of Saryarka on the shores of Lake Balkhash, set within the nomadic cultural landscape of Kazakhstan.
Originally part of the International Water and Climate Forum "Balkhash 2024: Challenges and Solutions" organised by Artcom Platform and Care for Balkhash. The exhibition and the program now continue in London in collaboration with Ainalaiyn Space and the local community of artists and researchers.
Recognizing the impact of the global climate crisis, the exhibition and public programme serve as steps toward ecological solidarity and practices of care for Mother Earth’s ecosystems.
At "Interweaving Climate, Water(s), and Communities" artists explore the deep interconnections between local communities and biodiversity as guardians of collective memory. Bodies of water are reimagined as living archives, preserving rituals and technologies amid shifting socio-economic and climatic realities.
By embracing diverse perspectives, knowledge systems, and historical contexts that shape cultural landscapes, the exhibition and public programme invite a rethinking of socio-natural interactions. They encourage a deeper understanding of aquatic spaces and the evolving dynamics of hydro-social relationships. Through decolonial imagination, the project calls for a revaluation of strategies, offering new pathways toward sustainable futures.
Interweaving Climate, Water(s) and Communities
Public Programme
Saturday, 22nd of March
12:00 pm - 17:00 pm
Exposed Arts Projects, 6 Drayson Mews,
London W8 4LY
12:00 pm - 17:00 pm
Exposed Arts Projects, 6 Drayson Mews,
London W8 4LY
12:00 – 12:10
Opening note
Indira Duyssebayeva-Ziyabek, co-curator, founder of Ainalaiyn Space
12:10 – 12:40
Rituals of care with Lake Balkhash
Aigerim Kapar, co-curator, initiator of Artcom Platform
Aigerim Kapar’s presentation explores the intersection of art, environmental justice, and women's leadership in Kazakhstan. Drawing from her experience curating the Care for Balkhash Lake initiative with the Artcom Platform community, Aigerim will discuss how grassroots, women-led art initiatives drive sustainable change and environmental activism in the region.
12:40–13:00
Nauryz Kozhe: Sounds and Flavours of Awakening
Assiya Baqdaulet, PhD candidate of Visual Cultures at Queen Mary University of London
Nauryz marks the rebirth of nature and the endurance of cultural traditions. At its heart is Nauryz Kozhe, a sacred dish of seven ingredients, reflecting how women’s food-making practices preserved national identity for generations. Its sounds fill my childhood memories—Saryarqa’s stirring melody, bubbling broth, the murmur of mothers at work, and the ritual of Nauryz bata. I invite you to experience this soundscape, savour Nauryz Kozhe, and celebrate the New Year, Kazakh-style.
Assiya Baqdaulet (Issemberdiyeva) is a PhD candidate of Visual Cultures at Queen Mary University of London. She holds a Collaborative Doctoral Award from the London Arts and Humanities Partnership. Her thesis explores the representation of Central Asian cultures in Soviet cinema.
Assiya Baqdaulet (Issemberdiyeva) is a PhD candidate of Visual Cultures at Queen Mary University of London. She holds a Collaborative Doctoral Award from the London Arts and Humanities Partnership. Her thesis explores the representation of Central Asian cultures in Soviet cinema.
13:00– 13:40
Cosmic Rivers in the Socialist Anthropocene
Maja and Reuben Fowkes, SAVA , University College London
The great rivers of the world have been turned into Anthropocene waterways, disrupting their cosmic existence and subjecting them to developmentalist agendas of fluvial control. However as climate disruption makes natural forces more extreme and less predictable, rivers are testing the limits of technocratic schemes to hydroform their flows. In this talk we will consider the resilience of riparian worlds, the unlearning of socialist modernity’s domineering attitude towards nature and the intersection of fluvial and collective struggles.
Maja and Reuben Fowkes are art historians, curators and directors of the Postsocialist Art Centre (PACT) at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University College London. They work on the twentieth-century art history of socialism from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and contemporary artistic engagements with ecology, climate and the Anthropocene. Their publications include Art and Climate Change (Thames & Hudson, 2022), Central and East European Art Since 1950 (Thames & Hudson, 2020) and The Green Bloc: Neo-avant-garde Art and Ecology under Socialism (CEU Press, 2015). Maja is Principal Investigator of the European Research Council (ERC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Consolidator Grant project on the Socialist Anthropocene in the Visual Arts (SAVA) (2022-27).
Maja and Reuben Fowkes are art historians, curators and directors of the Postsocialist Art Centre (PACT) at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University College London. They work on the twentieth-century art history of socialism from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and contemporary artistic engagements with ecology, climate and the Anthropocene. Their publications include Art and Climate Change (Thames & Hudson, 2022), Central and East European Art Since 1950 (Thames & Hudson, 2020) and The Green Bloc: Neo-avant-garde Art and Ecology under Socialism (CEU Press, 2015). Maja is Principal Investigator of the European Research Council (ERC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Consolidator Grant project on the Socialist Anthropocene in the Visual Arts (SAVA) (2022-27).
13:50-14:30
Climate Storytelling
Afsaneh Angelina Rafii, Founder and Editor in Chief Icarus Complex Magazine
Afsaneh A. Rafii is the founder and editor of Icarus Complex Magazine + Media- annual print magazine and independent media non-profit about climate change. Rafii, whose work bridges compelling storytelling and visuals to make the climate crisis accessible, brings her expertise in sustainability and climate communication to this event. In 2019, realising there was a gap in climate coverage, she launched Icarus Complex, one of the first independent magazines on the climate crisis with the slogan “an in-depth look at issues surrounding climate change”. The idea was to
combine outstanding journalism with compelling visuals while making the climate crisis accessible to the general public by steering away from scientific jargon.
A little over five years since its inception, Icarus Complex has transformed from a magazine publication to an independent media company with the continued annual print publication, a digital magazine that provides solution-based articles, inspiring photo reportage and the production of short documentaries. 2025 will see the launch of its latest project: a podcast titled the Value Paradox.
combine outstanding journalism with compelling visuals while making the climate crisis accessible to the general public by steering away from scientific jargon.
A little over five years since its inception, Icarus Complex has transformed from a magazine publication to an independent media company with the continued annual print publication, a digital magazine that provides solution-based articles, inspiring photo reportage and the production of short documentaries. 2025 will see the launch of its latest project: a podcast titled the Value Paradox.
14:30-14:40
Break
14:40-15:20
Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good: Towards a Re-evaluation of the Soft Power of Culture
Dr Bill Balaskas, Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange, School of Arts, Kingston University
In October 2024, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water published its widely praised final report, which articulates the cross-sectoral transitions needed if we wish to protect water and make it a vital weapon in our fight against climate change. In his talk, Bill Balaskas will elaborate on his collaboration with the Commission, and on the role of contemporary culture as a catalyst for climate action.
Bill Balaskas is an artist, theorist, and educator based in London. He is Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the School of Arts of Kingston University,where in 2022, he founded the Centre for Practice Research in the Arts (CePRA). His exhibitions and lecture-performances include presentations at MACBA, Barcelona; BOZAR, Brussels; EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens; CA2M, Madrid; Transmediale, Berlin; Le CENTQUATRE, Paris; TENT, Rotterdam; Les Abattoirs, Toulouse; the British Film Institute, London; Tate Liverpool; University of Oxford; Sharjah Biennial; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His books include ‘Fabricating Publics: The Dissemination of Culture in the Post-truth Era’ (Open Humanities Press, 2021); and ‘Institution as Praxis: New Curatorial Directions for Collaborative Research’ (Sternberg Press, 2020). Originally trained as an economist in Greece (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Balaskas holds an MA and a PhD from the Royal College of Art.
Bill Balaskas is an artist, theorist, and educator based in London. He is Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the School of Arts of Kingston University,where in 2022, he founded the Centre for Practice Research in the Arts (CePRA). His exhibitions and lecture-performances include presentations at MACBA, Barcelona; BOZAR, Brussels; EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens; CA2M, Madrid; Transmediale, Berlin; Le CENTQUATRE, Paris; TENT, Rotterdam; Les Abattoirs, Toulouse; the British Film Institute, London; Tate Liverpool; University of Oxford; Sharjah Biennial; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His books include ‘Fabricating Publics: The Dissemination of Culture in the Post-truth Era’ (Open Humanities Press, 2021); and ‘Institution as Praxis: New Curatorial Directions for Collaborative Research’ (Sternberg Press, 2020). Originally trained as an economist in Greece (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Balaskas holds an MA and a PhD from the Royal College of Art.
15:30-16:30
Reflections of care, and loving singing for the equinox
Artist Ingrid Pumayalla in conversation with Gisselle Giron Casas, Assistant Curator, ESCALA, University Arts Collection, and Art Exchange
Gisselle and Ingrid will share reflections on care and the gentle welcome of a new era, inspired by the equinox. Their presentation weaves together fragments from Ingrid’s solo exhibition Where Did the Forest Creatures Go? (Lima, 2022) and her residency at the Bleddfa Centre in Wales, offering a contemplative exploration of transition and renewal within an ecosystem that embodies practices of care.
Gisselle Girón Casas (Lima) is a curator and art historian working between the UK and Peru. She has contributed to collective projects such as the digital platform Gifggenheim and the artist-led space Oficina M20 - Hotel Savoy. Her recent curatorial projects include Taking a Bow. Haciendo una reverencia (2025) by Bryan Giuseppi Rodriguez Cambana at Art Exchange, Colchester; Hiato en el tiempo (2024) by Gianine Tabja at ICPNA San Miguel, Lima; Drama Shopping Center (2024) by Marisabel Arias at ICPNA Miraflores, Lima; and the digital exhibition Prisioneras del Amor y el costo de otras economías invisibles (2021) at Centro Cultural Universidad del Pacífico, Lima. She is currently Assistant Curator for the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) and the University Art Collections at the University of Essex, Colchester.
For a deeper look into her work—as well as glimpses into her daily life, music, and recommendations for living—visit gissellegiron.com
Gisselle Girón Casas (Lima) is a curator and art historian working between the UK and Peru. She has contributed to collective projects such as the digital platform Gifggenheim and the artist-led space Oficina M20 - Hotel Savoy. Her recent curatorial projects include Taking a Bow. Haciendo una reverencia (2025) by Bryan Giuseppi Rodriguez Cambana at Art Exchange, Colchester; Hiato en el tiempo (2024) by Gianine Tabja at ICPNA San Miguel, Lima; Drama Shopping Center (2024) by Marisabel Arias at ICPNA Miraflores, Lima; and the digital exhibition Prisioneras del Amor y el costo de otras economías invisibles (2021) at Centro Cultural Universidad del Pacífico, Lima. She is currently Assistant Curator for the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) and the University Art Collections at the University of Essex, Colchester.
For a deeper look into her work—as well as glimpses into her daily life, music, and recommendations for living—visit gissellegiron.com
16:30-17:00
Yunza, an offering for a joyous equinox season
Ingrid Pumayalla
Equinox chant and spoken words to acknowledge the beginning of the spring and the end of the dark time of winter. Making a prayer to prepare the land to cultivate and start a new season of life, growth and balance.
Ingrid Pumayalla (Trujillo, 1989) holds a BA in Photography from the Centro de la Imagen Institute, Lima (2012). She earned her MA in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, London, in 2015, where she was awarded the Daniel Ford International Prize. Pumayalla’s moving image and performance work have been exhibited internationally. She has participated in artist residencies, including Stokkøya Collaborative Residency in Norway (2019), Pilotenkueche International Arts Program in Leipzig, Germany (2019), Vera Mirodes Studio in Lisbon, Portugal (2023), and the Sidney Nolan Trust in the UK (2023). In early 2024, she collaborated with the IESA International Institute in Paris for a duo exhibition with Peruvian artist Les Egusquiza. Previously, she served as a photography lecturer at the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru, from 2019 to 2021. Her project Matoaka is My Name, Matoaka es Mi Nombre was shortlisted for the Contemporary Arts Prize from the American Peruvian Institute (2022). Her photographic installation Rastreando was featured in the exhibition Hilos que Resisten, Hilos que Subvierten, curated by Gabriela Germaná at the Peruvian British Institute in Lima (2022). Pumayalla 's first solo exhibition was held at the Museum of San Marcos, Lima (2022). Her film Where Did the Creatures from the Forest Go? Is part of the exhibition Tierra: Un Futuro Incierto at the Art Institute of La Habana as part of the 15th Biennale of Havana, Cuba, in January 2025.
Ingrid Pumayalla (Trujillo, 1989) holds a BA in Photography from the Centro de la Imagen Institute, Lima (2012). She earned her MA in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, London, in 2015, where she was awarded the Daniel Ford International Prize. Pumayalla’s moving image and performance work have been exhibited internationally. She has participated in artist residencies, including Stokkøya Collaborative Residency in Norway (2019), Pilotenkueche International Arts Program in Leipzig, Germany (2019), Vera Mirodes Studio in Lisbon, Portugal (2023), and the Sidney Nolan Trust in the UK (2023). In early 2024, she collaborated with the IESA International Institute in Paris for a duo exhibition with Peruvian artist Les Egusquiza. Previously, she served as a photography lecturer at the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru, from 2019 to 2021. Her project Matoaka is My Name, Matoaka es Mi Nombre was shortlisted for the Contemporary Arts Prize from the American Peruvian Institute (2022). Her photographic installation Rastreando was featured in the exhibition Hilos que Resisten, Hilos que Subvierten, curated by Gabriela Germaná at the Peruvian British Institute in Lima (2022). Pumayalla 's first solo exhibition was held at the Museum of San Marcos, Lima (2022). Her film Where Did the Creatures from the Forest Go? Is part of the exhibition Tierra: Un Futuro Incierto at the Art Institute of La Habana as part of the 15th Biennale of Havana, Cuba, in January 2025.
Interweaving Climate, Water(s) and Communities
Waters We Carry
Zine Making Workshop
Zine Making Workshop
Sunday, March 23, 2 pm - 4 pm
Materials provided | 10 spaces available
Book your tickets here!
Exposed Arts Projects 6 Drayson Mews, London, W8 4LY
Materials provided | 10 spaces available
Book your tickets here!
Exposed Arts Projects 6 Drayson Mews, London, W8 4LY
14:00 – 16:00
Waters We Carry
Madina Joldybek, multidisciplinary artist and educator
Water shapes us, holds our memories, and connects us. In this workshop, we’ll honor the rivers, lakes, and oceans that have been part of our lives through collective storytelling and zine-making.
Bring photographs of water bodies that are dear to you - places that you’ve loved, visited, or longed for. Through art and reflection, we will explore our relationship with water, embracing the idea that to remember is an act of care. Let’s create together, cherish water’s presence, and reflect on how we can protect it for the future.
Madina Joldybek is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Jezkazgan (Kazakhstan) based in London. Her practice revolves around themes of bodily integrity, womanhood, multi-dimensional motherhood, and authoritarian regimes. Madina employs various mediums such as weaving, painting, sculpture, video and installation in her work. Selected exhibitions and public programs showcasing her work, both individually and as part of the DAVRA collective, include The Lahore Biennale 03, Biennale Matter of Art, Asia NOW, JOAN art space, Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile, documenta fifteen, Kingshill House, Slavs and Tatars’ Pickle Bar, and Aspan Gallery. Joldybek’s work is part of the public collection at the Kasteev State Museum of Arts, as well as private collections. She is the first recipient of the B. Bubikanova Art Prize and a member of the DAVRA, a research collective that fosters dynamic exchanges of experiences and knowledge to strengthen the Central Asian art scene.
Bring photographs of water bodies that are dear to you - places that you’ve loved, visited, or longed for. Through art and reflection, we will explore our relationship with water, embracing the idea that to remember is an act of care. Let’s create together, cherish water’s presence, and reflect on how we can protect it for the future.
Madina Joldybek is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Jezkazgan (Kazakhstan) based in London. Her practice revolves around themes of bodily integrity, womanhood, multi-dimensional motherhood, and authoritarian regimes. Madina employs various mediums such as weaving, painting, sculpture, video and installation in her work. Selected exhibitions and public programs showcasing her work, both individually and as part of the DAVRA collective, include The Lahore Biennale 03, Biennale Matter of Art, Asia NOW, JOAN art space, Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile, documenta fifteen, Kingshill House, Slavs and Tatars’ Pickle Bar, and Aspan Gallery. Joldybek’s work is part of the public collection at the Kasteev State Museum of Arts, as well as private collections. She is the first recipient of the B. Bubikanova Art Prize and a member of the DAVRA, a research collective that fosters dynamic exchanges of experiences and knowledge to strengthen the Central Asian art scene.
