Areej Ashhab is a Palestinian artist, architect and researcher engaging in community land practices and material ecologies. She’s a co-founder of Al-Block collective, documenting lost narratives of the Palestinian landscape through collective walking, and Al-Wah’at, a translocal collective countering anthropocentric and colonial narratives around arid lands and futures. Ashhab has contributed to projects Between Lime and Clay (2023-2024), The Absent Map (Riwaq Centre, 2021-2022), Souq Stories (Palestine, 2021), and Jerusalem Show IX (Al-Ma’mal Foundation, 2018). She has also taught at the Royal College of Art (London, UK) and the Arab American University (Ramallah, Palestine).

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From Donetsk to Mariupol to Kyiv, Ukraine, Diana Berg transformed her practice from activist to artist, curator, and cultural manager amidst war and displacement. Founder of Mariupol’s Platform Tu, she has been working with gender inequality and human rights issues through art, persisting in activism and cultural preservation after being displaced twice by war. Diana’s work exploring topics of memory and war has gained national and international recognition. At documenta fifteen, she coordinated the 3-day Ukrainian program. Diana is currently developing a project on the environmental crises in the east of Ukraine affected by Russian ecocide. She is committed to leveraging art for social justice and environmental awareness.

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Maka Chkhaidze is a cultural manager and curator. With a background as an actress, Maka’s primary interest lies in researching and using performing art as a tool in building relations between disconnected, underrepresented groups of society. In 2022, Maka founded the non-profit organization InForm – Platform for Inclusive Minds to advocate for and bring the disability narrative into the contemporary art scene in Georgia, and to link contemporary arts and disability communities. She formed an inclusive contemporary dance theater group of mixed ability dancers and actors with the goal of developing original and collaborative, local and international performing art productions, educational programs and inclusive arts community.

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Sabina Fattakh, a Kazakh artist, DJ, and activist, navigates her creative journey through a decolonial and feminist lens, challenging hegemonic narratives while celebrating her cultural heritage. Her DJ sets serve as a form of cultural resistance, blending traditional Kazakh melodies with contemporary beats, reclaiming spaces and narratives often silenced by colonial histories. Embracing her identity as a Qumalaqshi, she incorporates traditional nomadic divination practices into her performances, grounding her art in ancestral knowledge. Through her activism, Sabina advocates for decolonization and inclusivity, working towards a world where diverse voices are heard and valued.

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Olha Filonchuk is a multidisciplinary artist, theater set and costume designer, and art teacher. She is a co-founder of the immersive Baby Theater for children under 3 in Kyiv. Olha created around 50 performances in Ukraine and Europe. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Olha temporarily moved to Thuringen, Germany, in 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Currently, she focuses on visual, multidisciplinary art. Working with refugee communities, Olha explores the topic of forced migration, issues of national and cultural identity, and human-nature relationships using documentary data and oral history in installations, artbooks, and assemblages.

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Nabila Horakhsh is a contemporary artist, curator, and co-founder of Berang Arts from Kabul, Afghanistan. Her practice encompasses painting, drawing, and photography. After the fall of the government in Afghanistan, Nabila moved to Hamburg, Germany in February 2022 to continue her art activities in exile. In 2022, as an artist in residence at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg (HFBK), she created artworks that show the devastating effects of the political crisis on the people of Afghanistan, especially women deprived of their human rights. Nabila sees her artistic work as a medium of resistance. Through her art, she hopes to unite the people of the world to promote peace and unity and to support the people of Afghanistan against oppression, political machinations, religious extremism, and gender discrimination. Nabila’s work has been showcased in group art exhibitions in Afghanistan, Germany, the UK, Canada, India, Italy, Belgium, and the UAE. She studied Persian Literature and Language at Kabul University.

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Photo by Tim – HFBK

Zumrad Mirzalieva is a photographer and filmmaker from Uzbekistan, whose focus spans across agency, migration and identity. Her debut short film, “Autonomy” was screened at documenta fifteen and the GoEast film festival symposium in Wiesbaden. Zumrad’s documentary photography projects have been featured in publications like Its Nice That, Azeema, and Ruyo. She is a member of the Davra research group, initiated by artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova. Zumrad holds a master’s degree in Social Innovation from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she explored the transformative role of art in driving positive social change.

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Sartaroshxona series by Zumrad Mirzalieva

Altynai Osmoeva is a multimedia artist and activist. Her artistic practice is rooted in Central Asian nomadic heritage and is politically driven by social awareness and women empowerment. Altynai collaborates with diverse craftsmen, artists, and initiatives and exhibits her artwork internationally. Her artistic intentions are to bridge traditional and contemporary societies, challenge societal norms and foster positive change. Altynai is actively involved in local and international solidarity movements, advocating social justice causes. Defying the difficult socio-political situation and growing gender-based violence in the region, she currently focuses on creating images of free spirited women of Central Asia.

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Diana Rakhmanova is an artist, curator, art manager, researcher, and journalist. She is the founder of PF Cultural Center “Kuduk” in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Diana curates educational projects on eco-art, data-art and art management in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. She also creates installations, discussions and cooking-together happenings considering food as an art language of cultural exchange. Most of Diana’s work is autobiographical based on memories, search for herself, internal reflections, and the history of Tajikistan. Her work was exhibited in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and USA and included as part of the DAVRA collective at Documenta fifteen. She participated in art residencies in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia.

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Mátyás Tóth is a Budapest-based artist whose practice spans puppet experiments, theatrical performances and contemporary exhibitions worldwide, garnering major theatrical awards. His artistic vision frequently extends to tackling profound topics and breaking genre boundaries. Recent highlights include collaborating with the BBC, performing on Hungary’s largest stage as the protagonist, and creating an experimental puppet-movement exhibition about grief in Japan. Committed to social impact, Mátyás led participatory theater and played puppet performances for underprivileged youth and conducted workshops on social responsibility. He has a Master’s degree in Acting & Puppetry.

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