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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Nabila Horakhsh is a contemporary artist from Afghanistan based in Hamburg. She graduated from Kabul University with a degree in Persian–Dari Literature and began her journey into visual arts in 2008 at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA). Nabila has developed a multidisciplinary art practice, and her work has been exhibited internationally. Since relocating to Germany, she has completed a nine-month artist-in-residence program at HFBK Hamburg, supported by the Martin Roth-Initiative in 2022 and participated in HFBK’s annual exhibition 2023 as well as numerous group exhibitions throughout the country.

Nabila works across installation, painting, textile, sound, and video. She uses color, diverse artistic tools, traditional embroidery from different cultures, and materials available in nature. Through these varied media, her work promotes unity, harmony, and mutual acceptance while standing against injustice, prejudice, and division. Her artistic approach is deeply inspired by mystical concepts and the spiritual beauty of nature which shape both the visual language and philosophical foundation of her work.

In addition to developing her current exhibition project, Shared Fabric, in her community practice Nabila works with women and children encouraging creativity, healing through art, and inclusive artistic expression.

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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

Kseniia Opria, a Razom ArtsLink Fellow, is a curator, editor, and filmmaker specializing in documentary and experimental cinema. She explores communities, institutions, and the intersection of civilian and military realities during wartime. Based in Zaporizhzhia, Kseniia is currently completing her debut short documentary, The Right to Expression.

Kseniia is a co-founder and co-curator of PKHE! – Experimental Film Workshop, a not-for-profit collective that operates as a curatorial and research platform for artistic experimentation with moving images.

Kseniia serves as Editor-in-Chief at the NGO Docudays UA. Docudays focuses on human rights documentary cinema and includes several initiatives such as the International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Docudays UA, the Ukrainian War Archive, and a network of film clubs.

Kseniia is also the editor of the 7th Edition of the Electronic Catalogue of Ukrainian Documentary Films (2023–2025), a project presenting Ukrainian documentary cinema to global audiences. Published after the full-scale Russian invasion, the edition supports Ukrainian cultural diplomacy and professional exchange.

Kseniia studied sociology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Kseniia Opria’s Razom ArtsLink Fellowship is supported by Razom for Ukraine.

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Instagram PHKE! – Experimental Film Workshop

Altynai Osmo is a multimedia artist working across graphic art, textiles, artwear, jewelry, photography, video and installations. Altynai draws inspiration from the mythologies, traditions, philosophy and aesthetics of Central Asian nomadic cultures. She explores intergenerational connections, matriarchy, memories of ancestors, themes of identity and women’s empowerment. Altynai’s work delves into the intersection of traditional and contemporary societies and cultural norms, navigating the clash between the two, challenging preconceptions and fostering dialogue to provoke thoughtful reflection and contribute to positive social changes. Altynai Osmo’s artistic practice strives to be a catalyst for societal awareness and transformation, promoting empowerment, resilience, and a reevaluation of cultural and gender dynamics.

Having engaged in numerous international exhibitions, Altynai has been the recipient of prestigious awards, including recognitions like Vogue Young Talents (Italy, 2014), International Contemporary Crafts Biennale (China, 2014), Saga Furs (Netherlands, 2013, 2015), Creative Spark (UK, 2020, 2021), Felt, Fat and Fictions / Joseph Beuys at Goethe Institute Tokyo (Japan, 2021), Soros Foundation Stipend in Art (Kyrgyzstan, 2020, 2023), Arte Laguna Prize (Italy, 2023), Berlin x Bishkek Art Weeks (Germany, 2023), Larking Dawn fellow at Art Omi (USA, 2023), ArtsLink Fellowship (USA, 2026), and multiple UNESCO Award of Excellence Certificates. Altynai Osmoeva is a member of the World Crafts Council, ArtCity e.V. and the Artists Union of the Kyrgyz Republic. Her works are in the collections of the Brown University, Francis Greenberger Foundation, Alkanov Foundation and Center of Contemporary Arts and Heritage Felt.

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Mátyás Tóth is a is a puppeteer and interdisciplinary artist who received his master’s degree in puppetry in Budapest. His practice combines puppet experiments, new-media installations, and performances. His research focuses on digital manipulation and propaganda, and on how these shape reality and mindsets in society, especially within autocratic systems. Mátyás has developed art projects in Japan and Taiwan, and recently lived in Berlin for a year to create multiple works addressing anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda. Committed to social impact, Mátyás leads participatory theatre projects and workshops for underprivileged youth.

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Photo Credit: Forgacs Bea