Kyrgyz Republic
Art-Residence
of Bishkek School of Contemporary Art
"Bulbul"
Bulbul is more than a space. It’s a breath. A pause. A place where time slows down and creativity stretches its wings.
About Us
The Bulbul Art-Residence was opened in 2023 in the village of Besh-Kungei, just 15 minutes from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The residency is curated by artist Syinat Zholdosheva and her husband, Ruslan Ismailov, together with the founders of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art (BiSCA).
Bulbul is an artist-run residency where artists work in close contact with local culture, nature, and the everyday rhythms of family life.
Space

The residency is located on the second floor of a family house and has a separate entrance from the terrace.

The resident area includes:

  • Two bedrooms (one queen bed, one single bed)
  • Shared bathroom
  • Shared kitchen
  • A terrace
  • A 50 m² studio with a separate entrance from the terrace

The studio can host small events, performances, readings, and live presentations. The house has Wi-Fi, heating, and is suitable for long focused work periods.

Photo by Jacob
Photo by Leio
Photo by Jacob
Photo by Shifaaz
Photo by Mike
Photo by Jason
Photo by Sven
Photo by Ed
Photo by David
Photo by Hal
What we offer
  • Accommodation
  • Shared Studio
  • Possibility to hold public events
  • Curatoral Support
Location
Besh-Kungei is located near the mountains, offering:
  • A cooler and more pleasant summer climate than the city
  • Much cleaner air during winter
  • Open fields, quiet surroundings, and mountain views
  • A safe, calm village environment perfect for concentrated work
  • Shops and basic services are within a short walking distance or a quick drive..
Our address is the Kyrgyz Republic, Besh-Kungei village, Ordobai uulu Karynbai Str 28/2
Location on 2GIS: https://2gis.kg/bishkek/geo/70000001079587063
Location on Google Map:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gaH3ZqAqe9UTAQdo6
Curators
Apply for Standart art-residency programme
Our Standard Art-Residency Programme offers artists, researchers, writers, and cultural practitioners working in any discipline a focused time and space for creative exploration. The standard residency includes accommodation, studio space, and basic organizational support.

Applications are accepted year-round. To apply, please fill out this form.

Apply for The FeltCraft Residency programme
The FeltCraft Residency Programme is designed to provide artists, designers, and makers with a focused and supportive environment to explore the art and craft of felt. The programme offers dedicated time and space to experiment with wool, learn both traditional and contemporary felting techniques, and develop new creative projects.

The residency includes accommodation, meals, studio access, cultural tours, master classes, and basic organizational support — creating the perfect setting for inspiration, learning, and artistic growth.
Our residents
  • Gluklya
    Netherlands / Russia
    Gluklya, also known as Natalia Pershina-Yakimanskaya, is an artist working in Amsterdam and various other places , for now in Bishkek .
    Her practice moves between performance, video, and social engagement — exploring how art can become a tool for care and gentle resistance.
    Gluklya is known for her concept of fragility — not as weakness, but as an invisible force that unites people in times of injustice.
    Through collective actions, she brings together artists, workers, and migrants to imagine new forms of solidarity.
    In her current project, Carnival of Monsters, developed in Bishkek, Gluklya collaborates with sewing workers to explore automation, fear, and the meaning of care.
    The women create textile sculptures and “inner dresses” — symbols of resilience, transformation, and tenderness amidst precarity.
    Her previous works include The Utopian Unemployment Union and The Carnival of the Oppressed Feelings, presented at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, and at the 56th Venice Biennale curated by Okwui Enwezor.
    Across all her projects, Gluklya invites us to listen — to the quiet voices of those who are rarely heard — and to dream of a world where care becomes a radical, collective act.
  • Sharareh Bajracharya
    Nepal
    Sharareh Bajracharya is an art educator and currently the Director of Srijanalaya, an organization that works in arts education. She looks for systemic ways for the arts to foster the curiosities and joy of young children, young adults, and communities around them. She teaches at Kathmandu University Department of Art and Design, leading the specialization in the MFA program entitled Arts, Pedagogies, and Public Engagement. She has a passion for editing/producing picture books as counternarratives that build community and dissent. She was the past Director of the nonprofit art exhibition Kathmandu Triennale 2077 which took place in 2022.

    Period of stay: 30 September 2025 - 5 October 2025
  • Gracey Zhang
    USA / Canada
    Gracey Zhang is an award-winning illustrator, author, and animator with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She received the Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award for her debut picture book, Lala’s Words. Her clients include The New York Times, NBC, NPR, VICE, and others. Gracey has also illustrated The Big Bath House, Nigel and The Moon, and The Upside Down Hat which was a recipient of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2022.

    Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, she has participated in artist residencies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Angoulême, France. Gracey is now based in New York where she can be found working from her Brooklyn studio.
  • Anton Karmonov
    Russia
    Anton Karmonov is artist and a multi-practitioner, living and working in Novosibirsk, Russia.
    He has an education in political science and philosophy and practices music and theatre. Karmonov studied in The Rodchenko Art School in Moscow and in the Chto Delat School for Engaged Art in St. Petersburg. He is the co-founder and member of the cooperative На дне [Na dne, the Lower Depths] in Novosibirsk and an adviser to the city council of Novosibirsk (Urban planning). Karmonov is a member of Unmapping Eurasia.
  • Anton Polsky (Make)
    Germany/Russia
    Anton Polsky (Make) is an artist and academic interested in street art and socially engaged art practices. He teaches Art History at the Russian State University for the Humanities and is a co-founder and editor at Partizaning.org.
  • sTo Len
    USA
    sTo Len is a genre-fluid artist working in printmaking, installation, sound, video, and performance. He experiments with Suminagashi and Gyotaku techniques, turning them into collaborations with nature and platforms for environmental activism. His projects include working with rivers, transforming public spaces, recycling waste, and performing at Superfund sites. Based in Queens, NY, with roots in Vietnam and Virginia, Len weaves their histories, politics, and environments into his work. He was the first artist in residence at AlexRenew and a Public Artist in Residence at NYC’s sanitation department.
    His work has been shown in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2004 he co-founded Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn, curating hundreds of shows and publishing zines. As a sound performer, he’s appeared at venues including MOMA PS1, New Museum, St. Marks Church, and Roulette in New York, as well as Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and Hanoi stages.
  • Oksana Kapishnikova
    Kyrgyzstan
    Oksana Kapishnikova is an art historian, artist, researcher, and curator of art exhibitions. She works in the field of new museology (participatory museum) and research exhibition practice. During her career, Oksana has realized more than 20 research, exhibition, and educational projects. She is a co-founder of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art. She is currently working as a curator at the Museum of Feminine and Queer Art. Since 2019, Oksana has served as the Executive Secretary of the National Committee of the International Council of Museums in Kyrgyzstan. Oksana’s interests include museums, art history, eco-art, cultural memory, and crafts.
  • Илья Сибиряков
    Russia
    Архитектор-художник, выпускник Академии Глазунова 2000 года.

    Педагог дополнительного профессионального образования.

    Тренер по коллективным архитектурно-абстрактным перформансам (созданию арт-объектов из любых подручных материалов и объектов, развитию фантазии, пространственного и конструктивного мышления у детей и взрослых)

    Призёр федеральных архитектурных конкурсов и участник выставок в области современного искусства. Проходил обучение в студии EDAS Владислава Кирпичëва. Персонаж и участник проектов Картонии с 2017 года.
Join US
Apply for a residency
Propose a workshop or collaboration
Host a gathering or retreat at Bulbul
Volunteer to support events or the library
Possibility to hold public events
Donate art-books, materials, or funds
Reviews
  • “Syinat and her family are the most welcoming of hosts. I initially intended to stay 1 month at their residency but found myself extending not just because I needed more time to work but I also found their company incredibly generous and kind. They were always quick to offer any assistance I needed in terms of resources, information, etc. The art residency space was large and spacious with lovely natural light to work with and located close but far enough away from the city to wake up peacefully. The residency was more than an art residency and embodied the spirit of Kyrgyz hospitality and was a cultural exchange I’ll always remember fondly. I hope to be back to visit Syinat, Ruslan, Sophia and Aidyn soon.”
    Gracey Jhang
    Artist, New York, USA
  • ‘I lived with Synat and Ruslan for the whole month of May in 2025. I came to Kyrgyzstan to study Russian so I wanted to live in a family where I would have full immersion. I believe it was a very good choice because they are a very friendly family who gave me lots of opportunity to practice, especially with their two children. If you come from Europe or North America, Kyrgyzstan can be a very unfamiliar place, but both Ruslan and Synat really helped me feel at home.’
    James Cetrullo
    Student, Italy
  • I loved staying with Ruslan and Syinat. They were both extremely helpful, warm, and friendly. I enjoyed my daily conversations during dinner with them and they were always open to chat. They helped me improve a lot and also taught me about the customs and culture of Kyrgyzstan. I would highly recommend you stay with them in Besh Kungei to get an authentic experience of Kyrgyzstan, improve quickly at Russian, and learn about the local culture
    Keshav
    Student, USA
News & Events
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Feel free to contact me
Phone: +996 705 530328
Email: syinatzholdosheva@gmail.com
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