Profile
Nazira Karimi is an artist and filmmaker based in Kazakhstan. Nazira's research-driven practice studies collective memory, grief, and the environmental transformations of the region, focusing on the aftershocks of colonization and war. Working across film and installation, she engages with oral histories, archival materials, and site-specific landscapes to uncover erased narratives and reimagine historical memory.
Nazira’s recent projects include "Hafta", a seven-part monumental video piece addressing the idea of extinction and how it can be translated through the continuous episodes of Central Asia’s colonization, which led to the endangerment and near disappearance of water resources, fauna, and local languages; and "Apat", a video essay combining found footage with Karimi’s family archives to examine post-colonial existence.
Her work has been presented internationally, including the 60th International Art Exhibition "Foreigners Everywhere" at Venice Biennale in 2024 and documenta fifteen, where she contributed to the public program of the DAVRA ResearchGroup in 2022. She has participated in multiple artistic residencies and exhibited her films and installations across Asia and Europe. Nazira studied scenography and painting in Almaty and earned her Magistra degree in Vienna in 2024. She is the director and co-founder of "Ruyò Journal", a member of Davra Research Group, and a founding member of Mata Collective.
