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Altyn Kapalova

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MOTHER'S NAME (UNBENDING)

Textile Installation: Fabric, threads, beads, mirrors, and branches

You enter the world just a newborn trying to survive, learning about the air, space, and touch. Everything is new, and you're fragile. But then comes the crushing blow: "we didn't want you." They didn't want you because you were a girl. Close relatives name you something so you don't forget you weren't wanted – Uulbolsun, Zhanyl, Burul, Uukelsin, Burulcha, Uulcha, Uultai, Toktoaiym, Myrzagul, Almash and so on. You hear it often enough that the name sticks to you your whole life. In the mirror, who do you see? Yourself, not someone's desire for a son. You're born to live your life, you are not a mistake of fate.

I am Altyn, the fifth daughter in my family, and I have a sister named Zhanyl. Despite my sister being named Zhanyl, I, too, defied the odds by being born a girl and surviving. I grew up, became a mother to three children, and passed on my name to them. For the past three years, I have been fiercely fighting for my rights and the rights of my children—the right to carry my name.

We can give names that welcome the birth of our daughters. Despite oppression and corrupt power. We can, and we do.