Labor Migration, Survival, and Enduring Traditions: Recent Photographs from Central Asia along the Silk Road

Press Release

Through photography and video, three artists explore the people, culture, and geography of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and the Chinese Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in an exhibition at the William Paterson University Galleries in the Ben Shahn Center for the Visual Arts from January 30 through March 17, 2017. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on February 12 and March 5 from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Sunday, February 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. A panel discussion with the curator and other William Paterson faculty is scheduled for Thursday, February 16 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Curated by William Paterson professor of art He Zhang, who was a recent Fulbright Scholar of this region in Central Asia, this exhibition presents the work of Valeriy Kaliyev, Elyor Nematov, and Kurbanjan Samat. These photographers comment on themes such as labor migration, economic hardship, and waning cultural traditions in Central Asia along the Silk Road. 

Valeriy Kaliyev documents labor migrants coming to Kazakhstan from neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in order to highlight the exploitation of migrant workers. He photographs his subjects at border posts, inside their residential quarters, and at work sites to show the vulnerability of labor migrants and the unfavorable conditions in which they live. While their labor is in high demand, migrant workers often risk being deported, exploited by their employers, or abused by local law enforcement. 

In his series “Father Comes Tomorrow,” Elyor Nematov addresses the absence of many migrant working fathers in Central Asia by focusing on the family members left behind, mainly women and children. While their loved ones are away trying to provide for their families, the children grow up without a father figure, and the women are left with the task of raising the children and assuming the duties that the men would typically perform, all the while uncertain of when the fathers will return. 

For nearly a decade, Kurbanjan Samat has been photographing ancient teahouses in the city of Kashi (also known as Kashgar), an oasis among deserts along the Silk Road. The city, with more than 2,000 years of recorded history, was a well-known destination for travelers along the popular trade route. Frequented by these visitors, the teahouses served as information centers and accommodations, but over time these historic dwellings have begun to disappear. Samat captures what remains of the ancient lifestyle of the Uyghur people. 

Elyor Nematov was born and raised in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. He studied graphic design at Bukhara College of Art (2004), philosophy at Bukhara State University (2008), and ethnosociology at Kuban State University (2011). He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally at Framer Framed, Netherlands (2016); Photoville, New York (2014); LOOK3, Charlottesville, VA (2014); French Cultural Centre of Victor Hugo, Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2008); Central Exhibition Hall Manege, St. Petersburg, Russia (2008); International Tashkent Biennale, Uzbekistan (2005); and he participated in an exhibition organized by the United Nations Development Program in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2006). Nematov has been the recipient of numerous grants and prizes, including from Artlink Fellows, Getty Reportage Emerging Talent, Audience Engagement Grant from Open Society Foundation, Open Society Foundation’s Documentary Photography Project, and The Central Asian Photo Contest organized by IREX. His work has been published by The Guardian, The Telegraph magazine, LE MONDE magazine, Getty Images, Open Society Foundation, HBO Sports channel, The Diplomat, Meduza, World Bank, UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, Global Voices, DCA Foundation, University of Central Asia, European United Photographers, Fast Company, Oximity, and Hyperallergic. He works as a freelance photojournalist and teaches documentary photography workshops, and is currently working in San Diego, CA. 

Valeriy Kaliyev was born in Saran, Kazakhstan and is currently based in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He studied at the Karaganda State Technical University (1992-1997) and has since participated in a number of photography and video master classes in Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, and Turkey. His work has been published in a number of regional newspapers and he has exhibited in Kazakhstan and abroad at the Kasteyev Museum, Almaty, Kazakhstan (2013); Nedelka Project, organized by UN Women, Almtay, Kazakhstan (2013); Chobi Mela Fotofestival, Dakka, Bangladesh (2011); FotoWeek DC, Washington, DC (2010); Desht-y-Art Center, Karaganda, Kazakhstan (2002); ACC Galerie, Weimar, Germany (2002); Soros Center of Contemporary Art, Almaty, Kazakhstan (2002); and Huas der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany (2002).  Kaliyev has worked as a staff photographer for a variety of newspapers since 1997. 

Kurbanjan Samat was born in Hotan, Xinjiang. Samat studied photography at the Communication University of China. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Photo Beijing 2014, and the Pingyao International Photography Festival. Samat won the Outstanding Young Photographer of the Year award at the Photo China Original International Photographic Exhibition in 2014. He also worked on the production of numerous documentaries such as Forest China, The Time, Silk Road –A New Starting Point of Dreams, The Fashion World, Yak, and A Bite of China II. He also directed and photographed the feature picture and book I Am from Xinjiang. Samat is a member of the China Uyghur History and Culture Research Society, cameraman for CCTV-9 Documentary, chairman and legal representative of Shanghai Jahangir Culture Investment Development Co., Ltd, art director of Dianyi Cultural Communication Studio, and a visiting professor. 

Curator He Zhang is a professor of art history at William Paterson. A specialist in comparative studies between Pre-Columbian American cultures and Asian cultures, and Chinese Silk Road art traditions, she grew up in a little but well-known town Hetian (Khotan) on the Silk Road in the Taklamakan desert in the northwest of China. Zhang was a Fulbright Scholar during the 2014-15 academic year, during which she traveled to India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan to conduct research on the icons and techniques used in carpets and tapestry in Central Asia in the fourth to seventh centuries. She has twice been awarded grants for her research from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Xinjiang University, a master’s degree from the Academy of Arts of China, a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. 

The exhibition is one of two on view concurrently in the University Galleries. In the Court Gallery, artists Nona Faustine and Joiri Minaya reclaim the representation of the female body as a political act in The Body as Battleground. Co-curated by Gallery Director Kristen Evangelista and William Paterson assistant professor of philosophy Stephanie Rivera Berruz, this exhibition features photography and installation art. 

This exhibition is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. The William Paterson University Galleries are wheelchair-accessible. Large-print educational materials are available. For additional information, please call the William Paterson University Galleries at 973-720-2654.