AFP reports that Kazakhstan’s government threatens U.S. oil major Chevron with a fine equivalent to $309 million for alleged environmental violations. This is not the first time an oil company faces environmental fines - and it’s not the first time for Chevron either. Although in most cases these charges do have enough grounds, sometimes […]

Roadsign to the Koshanai Village site of the Koshanai Cuttings, OilyWater Treatment Facility. (c) FOEE
Kashagan, Kashagan, Kashagan - it’s all over the news: Which additional stake will Kazmunaigaz be able to take over from the international consortium? Is Exxon going to continue playing its hardball tactics? Is ENI going to remain the sole operator?
Besides the […]

We have seen it before at Tengiz, and now it’s Kashagan’s turn. The Kazakh government yesterday threatened to revoke the license of the Eni-led consortium developing Kazakhstan’s biggest offshore oilfield in the Caspian Sea. And it’s of course the concern over the environment that is behind the government’s attack. The FT reports:
Just one day […]

Recently, you may have noticed a new addition to the weblogs called Artpologist.net. This blog documents the life of an art project that I’ve started working on with several artists and an anthropologist from Kazakhstan.
The project focuses on the studios and personal spaces of artists amidst the dramatic building boom influencing the daily […]

Recently I went to visit the Soros Center for Contemporary Art and witnessed the beginning of the destruction of this art community center on Tulebaev Street. They were already putting up the synonymous metal walls to hide the destruction.
The Soros Center for Contemporary Art has been housed in this humble constructivist building for almost […]