Gallery Particulier is proud to share the work of Brooklyn-based artist and researcher Nozima Nurullaeva, who is building an accessible archive of the borough’s music preferences at a time when cultural memory is at risk of being lost.
The project began with something that sparked her curiosity. As Nozima recalls:
“This project started with me trying to figure out the story behind an abandoned bandshell in the park next to me. I found out that the bandshell was used to host free festivals and concerts a few decades ago. From popular artists of the time to cultural festivals, the bandshell was used as a way for people in South Brooklyn to get together and listen to music in an affordable way.”
That discovery sparked a reflection on her own history. Growing up as a child immigrant in Coney Island, Nozima was surrounded by friends who were both native New Yorkers and children of immigrants. Music was the common thread — a way to share cultural traditions, swap favorite tracks, and even experiment with making music together.
Today, those musical expressions feel increasingly fragile. As neighborhoods across Brooklyn are reshaped by gentrification, long-standing communities are displaced, creative spaces are diminished, and local culture risks becoming quieter, even commodified. In response, Nozima has set out to record what she calls “the music tastes and cultures of those at risk of displacement” — not as content to be consumed, but as a living archive that preserves and honors the borough’s sonic identity.
Her vision extends beyond documentation. Nozima ultimately hopes to create a mobile pop-up that can travel through different neighborhoods, reviving the communal experience of listening to and engaging with music in shared space.
At Gallery Particulier, we were honored to provide Nozima a platform to present this work, which resonates deeply with our mission of sharing art widely across communities. Her project reminds us that culture is not only seen but heard — and that preserving it is essential to maintaining the spirit of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods.
Nozima has been engaging with Brooklyn residents in parks, cafés, sidewalks, and community gatherings, conducting her inquiry: “What’s your favorite song?” The answers range from famous reggaes to underground hip-hop tracks, from timeless jazz to newly discovered TikTok hits. Each response tells a story — about identity, memory, migration, and belonging.
By archiving these musical preferences, Nozima builds a living portrait of Brooklyn. The project reveals how personal soundtracks can connect people across neighborhoods, languages, and generations, underscoring the borough’s cultural richness.
We can see the results of this inquiry on this map as she gathers her data.
She created a page on her website with research, images, links, and updated all in one location here where she can also be contacted for press inquiries and more.
This work invites us to remember that Brooklyn is an important visual creative hub (that’s our line of work at Gallery Particulier) and also a significant map of musical culture, one where every resident contributes their taste, their history, their unique humanity.
People are encouraged to participate in this important survey by clicking here to fill a short form.