Karipbek Kuyukov
Illustration — Kuyukov in 2016 • Illustration — Kuyukov in 2013 Karipbek Kuyukov (pron) is a Kazakh painter born without arms as a result of exposure to nuclear radiation from Soviet nuclear testing in Eastern Kazakhstan. Kuyukov is a global advocate for the cessation of nuclear weapons testing and worldwide nuclear disarmament. He is the Honorary Ambassador for The ATOM Project.
Karipbek Kuyukov
Nestor 8998 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 1968 · Yegindybulak.
- Nationality
- Soviet Union · Kazakhstan
- Occupation
- painter · activist
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wikidata · Q54862554 · wikipedia · Karipbek Kuyukov
In this article
Early life
Early life
Kuyukov was born in the village of Yegindybulak, just 60 mi from where the Soviet Union conducted more than 450 nuclear weapons tests from 1949 to 1989 on where is today the territory of Kazakhstan.
Painting and artwork
Painting and artwork
Kuyukov paints holding brushes with his teeth and toes. He has dedicated his artistic life to painting impressions of the environmental and human devastation caused by nuclear weapons testing.
Other activism
Other activism
Kuyukov was appointed Honorary Ambassador of The ATOM Project at its launch in 2012. As the ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador, Kuyukov addressed on September 6, 2018 a special session of the UN General Assembly commemorating the International Day against Nuclear Tests. During his address, Kuyukov delivered a plea to the world and countries possessing nuclear weapons to act to legally ban such testing. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kuyukov said that he was denied a British travel visa in 2013 with the explanation that his 'fingerprints are of poor quality'. After media reports of the incident the British consulate in Almaty apologized to Kuyukov and issued a visa.
Awards
Kuyukov received the Nuclear-Free Future Award in Salzburg, Austria, on October 24, 2018. Receiving the award, Kuyukov announced that he intended to spend the prize money on preserving his home village of Yegindibulak, just 100 km from the nuclear test site.
Karipbek Kuyukov, Kazakh artist and Honorary Ambassador of the ATOM Project, at the opening of the ATOM Project Exhibition in the Vienna International Centre on 28 October 2013
The Official CTBTO Photostream · Karipbek Kuyukov, Kazakh artist and Honorary Ambassador of the ATOM Project, at the opening of the ATOM Project Exhibition in the Vienna International Centre on 28 October 2013
Karipbek Kuyukov, Kazakh artist and Honorary Ambassador of the ATOM Project, at the opening of the ATOM Project Exhibition in the Vienna International Centre on 28 October 2013
The Official CTBTO Photostream · Karipbek Kuyukov, Kazakh artist and Honorary Ambassador of the ATOM Project, at the opening of the ATOM Project Exhibition in the Vienna International Centre on 28 October 2013
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Karipbek Kuyukov, revision 1317080249 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS, 29 AUGUST. ctbto.org.
- 2.Karipbek Kuyukov. The ATOM Project.
- 3.CNN. My experience of the nuclear horror.
- 4.Karipbek Kuyukov. icanw.org.
- 5.At UN, ATOM Project’s Kuyukov urges eight states to act on nuclear testing ban. astanatimes.com.
- 6.Armless Kazakh Artist Says 'Poor-Quality' Fingerprints Cost Him British Visa. RadioFreeEuropeRadioLiberty.
- 7.Kazakh anti-nuclear activist receives 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award. astanatimes.com.
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 24 August 2026.
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