Nellya Dzhamanbaeva is a master's student of Cultural Heritage Management and Policy at the Central European University in Vienna since 2021. She is a curator, art manager, and an artist from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She holds a degree in Business Administration and graduated from ArtEast School of Contemporary Art in 2009. She studied at the Leadership Program for Art-Managers by CEC Arts-Link in the United States in 2010 and in Academy for Art Managers by Goethe Institute in 2020. Since 2010, she has curated exhibitions and educational projects in the fields of contemporary art, film and music. Among her projects are Trash-festival, Trash-festival II, First Youth Central Asian exhibition of Contemporary art in Bishkek “Vkl/Vykl,” Live Cinema, Cinema Camp, Advertisement Break, Eco Bashtyk, Future Shorts Festival, Global Art and Music Festival “Kol Fest”, Kyrgyz Documentary Film Festivals, Art Peace Cooking and Instructions for Actions. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: "Alga" Young Female Artists Hip-Hop Camp

Through Alga’s hip-hop camp, 13 young girls, ages 12 to 18, expressed their thoughts and views through rap and music, demonstrating the power of hip-hop to amplify marginalized voices in a society. As a result of this camp, the participants, with professional singers' guidance, created and recorded a rap song. The song, shared on 31 different music platforms, tangibly expressed the participants’ struggles and aspirations in hopes of inspiring future female artists to challenge societal norms through music. Well-known, local professional singers mentored and trained the participants on topics such as song recording, music creation, lyrics writing, production, and video clip creation. The project provided a platform for artists to articulate their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and opinions creatively and speak about their experiences, struggles, and aspirations. It has been a powerful tool for marginalized communities to assert their voice and identity in a society that often ignores or oppresses them.

 

Click here to listen to the project's produced song on Spotify

“This camp is a great opportunity for girls such as I... because we do not have such opportunities to develop in the art sphere. This rap camp gave me a chance to understand why I love music, how I want to create the music, and how I want to make my impact into the world. We had a great mentor, and the whole organization of the camp was amazing.” - Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Nellya was a participant in the IVLP Project Promoting Social Change through the Arts, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the Mississippi Consortium of International Development.

U.S. Communities Visited

Boulder, CO; Washington, DC; New York City, NY

Country: Kyrgyzstan

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