ICHCAP

From September 4 to November 2, 2025, the Special Exhibition of the Kyrgyz Republic, “Kyrgyz Kiyiz Kasieti: The Spirit of Felt”, is being held at the Special Exhibition Hall of the Cheongju Culture Factory during the Cheongju Craft Biennale.

This exhibition is one of the key outcomes of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) project “Promoting the Cultural Tourism Industry by Capacity Building for Production and Digital Marketing of Traditional Crafts in the Kyrgyz Republic (2023–2026)”, implemented by the Korea Heritage Service (Administrator Huh Min). It is co-hosted by the Korea Heritage Service and the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic (Minister Mirbek Mambetaliev), and jointly organized by the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP, Acting Director-General Gyuri Park) and the Cheongju Cultural Industry Promotion Foundation (CEO Kwang-seop Byun).

The exhibition title, “The Spirit of Felt”, signifies a reinterpretation of the essence and craftsmanship of felt—carried on for millennia in daily life and rituals—through a contemporary lens. Felt is not merely a material, but a vessel of intergenerational memory and a spiritual symbol of the community, remaining at the heart of Kyrgyz craft today.

Five Kyrgyz curators, recommended by the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy, directly participated in all stages of exhibition planning. Collaborative works created through the “Kyrgyz Traditional Craft Residency and Network Exchange Program” held in Korea in 2024 and 2025 are also presented. Thus, the exhibition goes beyond a simple showcase of craft objects, highlighting both the strengthening of traditional craft capacities and the potential for modern expansion, while embodying cultural dialogue and harmony between Korea and Kyrgyzstan.

The exhibition consists of three sections:

Part 1. The Spirit of Felt – exploring the historical meaning, social value, and symbolic significance of traditional felt works.

Part 2. Foundations of Harmony – presenting collaborative works from 2024, where Korean and Kyrgyz traditions meet and harmonize in a contemporary context.

Part 3. Dialogues Through Craft – showcasing collaborative works from 2025 that illustrate how the spirit of felt expands and evolves through encounters with diverse media.

The opening ceremony, held on Thursday, September 4 at 1:00 p.m., was attended by distinguished guests including ▲Eung-bok Lee, Director-General of Heritage Policy at the Korea Heritage Service (representing Administrator Huh Min) ▲Mirbek Mambetaliev, Minister of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic ▲Beom-seok Lee, Mayor of Cheongju and Chair of the Cheongju Craft Biennale Organizing Committee ▲Sabira Soltongeldieva, Secretary-General of the Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO, among others.

In addition, the five Kyrgyz curators who designed and prepared the exhibition, participating Korean and Kyrgyz artists, traditional craft stakeholders, and more than 50 domestic and international guests attended, celebrating the fruits of cultural cooperation between the two countries.

This special exhibition not only highlights the identity of Kyrgyz nomadic culture, but also serves as a symbol of the cultural collaboration Korea and Kyrgyzstan have built together, paving the way for future-oriented exchange. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the wisdom and symbolism embedded in felt, as well as its potential for expansion within contemporary craft.

The exhibition runs until November 2 and promises to deliver a profound resonance to audiences from Korea and abroad throughout the Cheongju Craft Biennale.