Requiem for a Dollar is an exhibition that exposes how the capitalist system is built upon inequality. With the recent Covid 19 epidemic, its flaws became more prominent than ever and inspired Ikhtymbayeva to address questions regarding its core idea: money. She develops the concept of ‘souvenir’ currency to explore society’s shift towards digital currency. This change will render physical money as merely a souvenir from the past; nothing more than a piece of paper which humanity valorized.
The exhibition will be on show at BIKINI BERLIN from 19 November to 9. December 2021.
BIKINI BERLIN, Galerie SLP at 1st floor, Budapester Str. 38-50, 10787 Berlin, S-/U-Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten
Vernissage including live DJs and refreshments on Friday, 19 November 2021, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
then daily except Sundays from 11:00 am to 08:00 p.m.
Admission is free.
Aziya was born in 1988 in the USSR. She received her first Bachelor Degree in Visual Arts in State University of New York Empire State College in 2010 and second Bachelor Degree in Media and Communications from University of New York in Prague in 2013. She then went on to complete her Master Degree in Professional Business Communications from La Salle University in 2013. In 2020, Aziya participated and received certifications in various fields from the Interaction Design Foundation and Yale University. Aziya sees the role of the artist as an independent observer, visualising current trends and phenomena that affect the world we live in. This guides her aim on addressing the prevalence of popular culture in everyday life and relevant issues. The artist’s portfolio consists of 10 artworks that convey different views on capitalism and money. "In my work, I observe and narrate the idea of capitalism throughout norms by the means of colour palette, symbolism, and text." says Aziya.