This edition of Orbitals will take place in Uzbekistan. The 10-day guided research trip is for artists and researchers to learn with and about the work of Uzbek artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova. The program is co-curated by Palestinian artist and filmmaker Noor Abed who will accompany the group.
The participants will travel together to Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara in Uzbekistan to spend time with Saodat and her works, get to know the feminist curatorial and research collective DAVRA, which she initiated in 2021, as well as research the broader Uzbek art scene. Originally planned for April 2026, the travel dates have been reconsidered due to the situation in the Arab world and its impact on international travel, and should be scheduled for some time in the coming months.
The invited participants were selected from a pool of 70 applicants from the Arab world and beyond, following an open call in 2025, and are:
Asma Laajimi (b. 1999, Tunisia) is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Brussels. Working across film, photography, text, and installation, she develops poetic narratives where the intimate meets the political. Translating lived experience into fictions that examine overlooked everyday political realities, her practice engages with postcolonial perspectives, feminist thought, and urban imaginaries.
Mona Ayoub (b. 1995, Lebanon) is an environmental researcher and multidisciplinary artist who combines ecological agriculture with her artistic practice. Interweaving ecology, biology, community culture, and applied arts, her current research explores earth-based practices as models for care and cooperation between different living organisms. Her forthcoming publication is the first in a planned children’s book series dedicated to documenting endangered land practices and craft.
Sophia Alami Gouraftei (b. 1994, Morocco) is an architect and artist who focuses on the preservation and transmission of cultural practices. She works across diverse mediums including illustration, food, writing, and henna, and explores how archives can reimagine heritage and rituals today. Since 2025, Sophia has been co-managing Rue de Tanger, an artist-run space in Casablanca’s Medina.
Yaqeen Yamani (b. 1997, Palestine) is a photographer and artist who moves between photography, video, and text-based art. In her previous work, she explored themes of identity, rage, and grief. Currently, she is working on a long-term project about a water spring in her home city, Jericho, exploring myth and environmental loss.
Orbitals 2026 is partially implemented with support from the Teiger Foundation