Exhibition in Bishkek to mark 110th anniversary of Urkun events

Bishkek will host an exhibition commemorating the 110th anniversary of the Urkun events, a pivotal and tragic period in Kyrgyz history. The opening is scheduled for August 27 at the Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts.

Organized as part of the University of Central Asia's project 'Memory and Monuments: Museums Beyond Walls and Borders,' the exhibition aims to shed light on the historical events. It will showcase artworks from the museum's collection that are themed around Urkun. Additionally, the exhibition will feature installations created from oral histories gathered during a research project, illustrating the historical events that have been preserved in the nation's collective memory and passed down through generations.

The Urkun, which occurred in 1916, marked a period of severe repression following an uprising. Thousands of Kyrgyz people fled to China to escape punitive detachments. Historians estimate that these events led to a nearly 40 percent reduction in the Kyrgyz population, with at least 120,000 Kyrgyz and other ethnic groups falling victim to the tragedy.

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Through them, the traces of historical events preserved in the memory of the people, as well as memories passed down from generation to generation, are revealed.