"Damage to Culture". The Creative Intelligentsia Asks the President to Preserve the House of Artists

Анна Федорова • 19.03.2026, 21:01 • Society

An appeal from the Union of Artists, representing the collective and creative intelligentsia of Kyrgyzstan, has been sent to President Sadyr Japarov.

In this letter, it is emphasized that the Union of Artists of Kyrgyzstan has a long history spanning 90 years. The building known as the House of Artists is an important part of the country's cultural heritage. For many years, it has served as a center for the development of Kyrgyz visual art, a venue for exhibitions and cultural events.

Among the notable figures who have led the Union are such outstanding personalities as S. Chuykov, G. Aitiev, S. Chokmorov, T. Sadikov, and Zh. Kadyraliev.

“The building was constructed in the 1950s at the initiative of the government of the Kyrgyz SSR and is still under the balance of our public organization, holding the status of an architectural monument of republican significance. For decades, it has been the center of Kyrgyz art and continues to be a creative space for professional artists in the country, a venue for exhibitions and cultural events,” the appeal states.

To this day, issues concerning the fate of this building cause serious concern not only among the creative community but also among the broader cultural public.

The creative collective emphasizes that any change in the form of ownership or purpose of the building, especially its destruction, could seriously harm national culture, historical memory, and the spiritual upbringing of future generations, particularly considering that this building is an architectural adornment of the capital's center.

In this regard, the Union of Artists appeals to the head of state with the request to:

support the preservation of the House of Artists;
grant it the status of a cultural heritage site under state protection;
create conditions for the legal and continuous activities of the Union of Artists.

“We are confident in your policy of supporting national culture and hope that with your assistance, this issue will be resolved positively,” the appeal states.

It has been reported that the Bishkek city administration recently announced plans to transfer the land on which the House of Artists is located to the Office of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. Artists learned through social media that the agreement on the right to use the land would be annulled, and they would no longer have the House of Artists.

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