Join Sara Raza, Artistic Director and Chief Curator of the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Tashkent, and Denis Maksimov in conversation about Sara’s book Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion. It explores the spaces and places associated with the former Soviet Union, focusing on the artists and ideas hailing from Central Asia and the Caucasus, which were long perceived as an extension, or “client” states, of the USSR. The theme of non-conformity and the punk rejection of state authority is a continuous thread throughout the book, which highlights changing and divided societies and their evolving norms in the post-Soviet period.

Thematically organised, Punk Orientalism presents a thoroughly researched and fascinating selection of contemporary art from a complex and multifaceted part of the globe, featuring diverse artists such as Lida Abdul, Babi Badalov, Ergin Çavusoglu, Taus Makhacheva and Erbossyn Meldibekov, who have challenged state and academic policies, mapped new territories, and formed new artistic movements.