Aïda Adilbek


Aïda Adilbek is a multidisciplinary artist and curator based between Akjar and Duman (Almaty, Kazakhstan). She graduated her BA in Art History at Kazakh National Art Academy in 2016 in Almaty and her MFA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London in 2020 in London. After returning to Kazakhstan she and her colleagues co-founded Almaty-based artist collective MATA in December of 2020, in 2021 she became a part of a research group initiated by Saodat Ismailova DAVRA for her project “Chilltan” at documenta fifteen.

Aida’s works and films were presented at festivals like documenta fifteen (2022), goEast23 Film Festival (2023), Qara Film Festival (2023). In 2023 she became a laureate of Sound Art Residency at Musée du Quai Branly in Paris and won the Prince Claus Fund’s Seed Award. Her main mediums are performance, photography and film. She currently combines curatorial, artistic and research practices.

website: sepkil.com

contact: aida.adilbekova@gmail.com

instagram: @aida_ae

Related Projects

  • DAVRA and Beyond: Videos of Central Asian Artists

    March 21-30, 2024 | JOAN, Los Angeles

    This program is part of the exhibition, Saodat Ismailova: Other Time and DAVRA research collective on view at JOAN through March 30. On the occasion of this exhibition, DAVRA invited Sorokina to curate a selection of films by young Central Asian artists working with moving image, which will be screened from March 21-30 within the installation space.

  • DAVRA Suhbat

    13 August 2023 | Almaty, Dom 36

    DAVRA Suhbat’s goal is to set up a transgenerational and multidisciplinary bridge amongst experts in culture and arts of Central Asia. Through dialogue and conversation we would like to empower the bonds between our countries, art scene and practitioners of different disciplines.

  • DAVRA texts

    February, April, June 2023 | Eye Museum Magazine

    Within the framework of Saodat Ismailova’s solo show ‘18,000 worlds’ at Eye Filmmuseum, DAVRA has prepared a series of texts specifically for the institution’s website.

  • Central Asian Moving Image

    Central Asian Moving Image

    April 26 - May 5, 2023 | goEast Film Festival 23, Wiesbaden

    For the 23rd goEast Film Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany DAVRA’s short films screening from Central Asia was presented in Mumau cinema. Screening was followed by Q&A with artists Aïda Adilbek and Zumrad Mirzalieva and the discussion “Post-, neo- and de-colonial Central Asia: human rights activism and collective filmmaking”.

  • Chilltan/Winter Chilla

    Chilltan | Winter Chilla

    December 25, 2022 - February 5, 2023

    On the 19th of December, 2022, we started our Winter Chilla mirroring public programme with a group show in Tashkent.

  • Fridzine

    Fridzine

    2022 | documenta fifteen

    fridzine - derived from Fridericianum zine - is a small publication that attempts to find answers to a simple and yet important question: what can we do in a museum?

  • Chilltan/Summer Chilla

    Chilltan | Summer Chilla

    June 25 - August 5, 2022 | documenta fifteen, Kassel

    During the 100 days of documenta fifteen the forty chilltans were introduced to the public via DAVRA collective‘s ongoing research.

  • Chilltan: Shapeshifting Eternal Spirits from Central Asia

    2022 | documenta fifteen

    Chilltans are shape-shifters, fluid sacred spirits that have essentially been present in spiritual traditions in Central Asia. In this publication by DAVRA Collective, research on Chilltans is presented through academic texts, prose, poetry, photographs, illustrations and collages.