Art Basel Hong Kong

Sapar Contemporary presents a booth of two Central Asian artists exploring the themes of women warriors across ancient Asian civilizations and cultural traditions of shamanic Tengri of Kazakh and Mongol nomads, Tibetan Buddhism and Islam. Shalkar works at the intersection of archeology and speculative fiction, visualizing the Peri civilizations of female warriors and mythical beings. Dagvasambuu blends Mongol Zurag tradition and Buddhist iconography with surrealism and magical realism to envision contemporary women warriors - migrant women, mothers, travelers, and visionaries.

The World of Peri is a conceptual feminist-fantasy universe created by artist Aya Shalkar. Drawing inspiration from the ancient history of the nomadic Turkic tribes that once roamed the vast Eurasian steppes, the world envisions an alternate past where women held absolute power. Modern-day Kazakhs have preserved many cultural and lifestyle traits of their ancestors, despite centuries of colonization, war, and shifting societal structures. However, contemporary Kazakhstan remains a deeply patriarchal society, where women face systemic oppression. The World of Peri serves as an escapist yet empowering vision—a reimagining of what could have been if a matriarchal civilization had flourished in Central Asia. Through this world, Shalkar constructs a mythos that reclaims female power and agency, offering a symbolic refuge and a new archetype for Central Asian women. 

Period of Existence: Ancient to 11th century A.D. (with disputed theories of their continued survival) The Peri are a race of human-like warrior beings, all exclusively female. They inhabit vast regions of Central Asia, with their tribes stretching from the icy northern expanse of Siberia to the sun-scorched deserts and lush valleys of the Tien Shan mountains (referred to as “Tenri Tau” in the Peri language). The westernmost Peri live near what is now Alexandria, while the easternmost borderlands of their world reach into the mountainous regions of modern-day Korea. Their society is entirely matriarchal, structured with strict hierarchy and discipline. Some ancient records suggest that the Peri once coexisted with males but, over time, drove them to extinction, seeing them as unnecessary to their survival and a destabilizing force in their world. Others believe the Peri never had male counterparts to begin with, existing instead as a divinely created race.