Gluklya, a pioneer of Russian performance art, was invited by the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow to participate in artistic research on post-Soviet colonialism. Her film, Gulmira’s Fairy Tales (2022), is the collaborative result of the stories Gluklya gathered from female garment workers during her visits to Kyrgyzstan in 2021-22.

The compelling performance by actress Gulmira Tursunbaeva, who plays the role of a TV host telling feminist fairy tales, cuts to scenes of dance and street performance in Bishkek. Today, as there is no limit on work hours, which was not the case during the Soviet era, the emphasis shifts to efficiency and output, often at the expense of worker well-being. The stories in this film are based on the personal narratives of the seamstresses, materials from the human rights organization Open Line, and the Moscow Archive of Female Workers in the USSR.

Following the screening, Gluklya will be joined on stage for a discussion with CREES Director Elizabeth King, associate professor of health behavior & health equity and global public health; and CREES Faculty Associate Irina Aristarkhova, professor, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and Digital Studies Institute, U-M.

Photo credit: Serli Lala.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at crees@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.