Food Happening with Saltanat Shoshanova (Adiba) and Kanykei kyzy

In their cooking intervention, Kanykei and Adiba will prepare oromo/orama, a traditional Central Asian dish, and use the act of preparing it together as a queer reimagining of gendered cooking practices. Kanykei will lead a cleansing ritual of Alas, and Saltanat will host a tea ceremony that invites guests to slow down and be together.

Saltanat Shoshanova is a researcher focusing on queer feminist art, memory, and decoloniality in Central Asia. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Regensburg within the project “Light On! Queer Literary Cultures under Socialism.” Her work explores intersections of gender, sexuality, and national identity through artistic practices.
In her artistic practice under the alias Adiba, Saltanat explores themes of Central Asian identity, queerness, trauma, and ancestry. Through food-focused happenings, she navigates the intersections of personal and collective memory, using culinary practices as a medium for storytelling and healing.

Kanykei kyzy is a trans activist from Kyrgyzstan and a co-founder of the transgender initiative “MyrzAyim.” She is a political refugee and currently lives in Berlin. She is also part of the Berlin-based teams “Nomads” and “Slaystans”.