Every month of the first quarter of 2024, works by 20 emerging artists from the countries of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were posted at the online gallery for the public to select the Regional Artist of the Month.
In March, Yigitali Sattarov, Uzbek artist concerned about global issues, humanity and its future, has become the last of the three candidates for the Artist of the Region and the 500 euros prize, alongside Guzel Zakirova (Kazakhstan) in January and Zhyldyz Bekova (Kyrgyzstan) in February.
Based on the amount of votes by the public and BE OPEN’s art community members, the February winner Zhyldyz Bekova, painter and digital artist based in Kyrgyzstan, has become the Artist of the Region for Central Asia. The artist will be offered a grant of 500 euro from BE OPEN.
Zhyldyz Bekova was born and raised in a family of artists in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She has two diplomas — in Architecture, Design and Construction from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, and in Decorative and Applied Fabrics from the Kyrgyz State Art School. She started painting in oil in 2020, and draws inspiration from the myths, customs and traditions of Turkic ethnic peoples of Central Asia. She loves to convey Kyrgyz national motifs and her unique cultural heritage.
Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina selected her own favourite among the Central Asian artists: Baurjan Aralov, an artist of Kazakh origin, also based in Austria. He was born in Almaty, now lives in Graz, Austria, studying Painting and Animation at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. His art shows incidental moments the artist experiences in his daily life.
On the 1st of April, the focus of the competition moved to the Middle East.