Programme: Orbitals – Open Call
Travel Dates: April 19 – May 3, 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed)
Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Deadline to Apply: January 20, 2026
Organiser: Mophradat
Cost: Flights, travel insurance, accommodation, per diems, and visa cost reimbursement provided
Programme Overview
The updated Orbitals programme invites participants to travel together and explore an artist’s practice as a vehicle for learning about a broader cultural and political context, while deepening understanding of that practice through direct engagement with place. For this first edition, artists and researchers are invited to learn with and about the work of Uzbek artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova, whose practice weaves myths, rituals, dreams, and everyday life to explore the layered cultural memory of Central Asia. Her work foregrounds women’s narratives and spiritual practices in the post-Soviet context through archival film, craft traditions, and oral histories.
Structure of the Programme
Four invited participants will travel to Tashkent for two weeks to spend time with Saodat Ismailova and her work, engage with the feminist curatorial and research collective DAVRA, and research the broader Uzbek art scene. The programme is co-curated by Palestinian artist and filmmaker Noor Abed, who will accompany the group throughout the journey. Participants are expected to take part in all programme activities before and during the trip, and to share reflections afterward in written, recorded, visual, or other formats assigned by Mophradat.
Key Themes
Saodat Ismailova’s work is particularly relevant for artists, curators, and researchers engaging with themes such as craft as a living practice, women’s embodied knowledge, landscape and nature as cultural beings, social relations as modes of artmaking, and the ways colonial narratives have attempted to erase local cultural forms and histories.
About the Artist
Saodat Ismailova is an Uzbek filmmaker and artist who came of age in the post-Soviet era. Her work, often grounded in oral stories and suppressed systems of knowledge, moves between visible and invisible worlds. She graduated from Tashkent State Art Institute and Le Fresnoy, National Studio of Contemporary Arts in France, and works between Paris and Tashkent. She initiated DAVRA in 2021 and participated in both the 59th Venice Biennale and documenta fifteen in 2022. Her work is held in major international collections including Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, V&A London, and others.
About DAVRA
DAVRA is a feminist research collective founded in 2021 to connect and develop the Central Asian art scene through public programming, research, commissions, and education. Its activities include publications, essay films, collective installations, curated film programmes at major institutions, and ongoing research on ecology and water politics in the region.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be from or living in the Arab world; must be curators, contemporary art researchers, and/or artists whose practice extends into public programming; must have at least five years of professional experience in contemporary arts and demonstrate prior international collaboration; must be engaged in a specific project under development; and must show a genuine interest in Saodat Ismailova’s work, DAVRA, and their wider community in Uzbekistan. Applications must include a CV, a portfolio documenting three previous projects, and a completed application form.
Selection Process
All applicants will receive a response by February 5, 2026. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online conversation on February 2, 2026. Selected participants commit to attending two to three preparatory online meetings in February and March, as well as contributing reflections during the trip in formats such as a diary, podcast, or essay. Due to the volume of applications, individual feedback cannot be provided. Applicants are explicitly asked not to submit AI-generated answers.
