Born in the nuclear test area of the former USSR, Karipbek Kuyukov has no arms. According to news reports, thousands of children were born with similar deformities during the nuclear test program. Despite his disability Karipbek has become a renown artist, using his feet to hold the paint brush. His work was on display at the Carnegie Institute last year.
Kuyukov is also an outspoken activist against nuclear proliferation.As an honorary ambassador of The Atom Project, Kuyukov works to end global nuclear testing, hoping to limit the victims of radioactive fallout. He was expected to participate in an anti-nuclear conference in the UK this month. Unfortunately, as the BBC reports, he was denied a visa. The reason? He had no fingerprints.
The UK Embassy released a press statement that there was some miscommunication and that Kuyukov was not denied a visa.
In any case, this odd visa denial may do more to publicize both the art and the work of this man than any relatively obscure conference.
Read more at News.com.au; learn about The Atom Project here.
I continue to be amazed at how wide spread the inability to use & operate a ‘brain’ is. I know that ‘stupid’ can’t b fixed, but maybe if these suffering souls would exercise the gray matter a little more it would slow the progression some
Awhile back a friend of mine emailed me some of his work. With arms it is ‘good’, knowing about the artist made them GREAT!