Missing Member - Photo Book

Missing Member: Kyrgyzstan – A Country on the Move
by Louise Amelie

Text by Darja A. Nesterova, Mahabat Sadyrbek
Designed by Moritz Borchardt

Englisch, Russisch, Kirgisisch
144 S, 61 Abb., 23 x 30 cm, Hardcover

WHAT DOES MIGRATION MEAN FOR THOSE WHO STAY?
- Photo-documentary journey through Kyrgyzstan
- Artistic exploration of migration
- Solidarity and empathy

Louise Amelie's documentary series is an artistic exploration of the global phenomenon of migration and its many facets, which are often overlooked in the migration policy discourse in this country. Migration has existed since the beginning of human history and will continue to occur. However, migration is often portrayed as a deviation, while the existence of national borders is rarely questioned.

Although Kyrgyzstan may seem inconspicuous on the globe, nestled between Kazakhstan and China, on-site, the vastness and heights of its mountainous region seem endless. Contrary to the untouched nature, towering housing estates shoot up in the capital city of Bishkek. Here, a young and alert population confidently confronts the challenges of post-Soviet reality, defying the world. Through a collection of portrait texts and photographs that highlight the essence of the people, the book expresses solidarity and empathy, acknowledging that migration can simultaneously represent an opportunity and the painful loss of a beloved missing member.

The focal point of the artistic work of director and photographer LOUISE AMELIE (*1991, Berlin) lies in documentary photography. Her series created between 2016-2020 in the USA have been exhibited internationally and awarded, among others, the German Photobook Prize. Since 2021, she has been exploring post-Soviet identity and migration in Central Asia and spent two and a half months working on this project in Kyrgyzstan.