Saodat Ismailova at Berlinische Galerie

Saodat Ismailova is a member of the first generation of Central Asian artists to come of age in the post-Soviet era. In her works, she explores the complex cultures of this region, often interweaving myths, rituals, and dreams with everyday life and addressing social and ecological issues. The identity and emancipation of women is a recurring theme in her œuvre—due in part to their important role in the preservation of cultural and spiritual heritage, passing down stories and customs from generation to generation.

Two works by the artist will be shown at the Berlinische Galerie: “The Haunted” (2017, 23 min.) and “Bibi Seshanbe” (2022, 52 min.). “The Haunted” is an imaginary encounter with the extinct Caspian tiger, which fell victim to the colonisation of Central Asia. Today, the tiger lives on as a sacred archetype in the collective memory and dreams of local people.

Bibi Seshanbe Ona (literally: ‘The Lady of Tuesday’) is a widespread blessing ritual in Central Asia. It is performed in a small circle of women and involves cooking special traditional dishes, lighting candles, fortune-telling with flour, and telling a story with parallels to Cinderella. It is an example of the traditional rituals that accompany women’s lives from birth to death. In her film, Ismailova combines three elements: a fairytale narrative, the ritual as a contemporary ethnographic document, and the story of the modern-day ‘fairy godmother’ Bibi Sora Oripova who fights for the lives and rights of women who have experienced domestic violence in present day Uzbekistan.

at Berlinische Galerie
until April 28, 2025