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Traditional and contemporary art of Kazakhstan

A Virtual Journey into the World of Kazakhstan’s Artistic Heritage

This Web Gallery presents the diversity of artistic practices in Kazakhstan, reflecting the continuity of cultural traditions and the dynamic development of contemporary creative processes. The virtual exhibition features works based on national images, symbols, and themes, as well as artworks by contemporary artists who reinterpret the country’s cultural heritage through contemporary artistic forms, expressive means, and modern technologies.

The selected works demonstrate the relationship between traditional and contemporary art, revealing the distinctive features of the national worldview, cultural identity, and cultural meanings. The presented materials allow viewers to trace how elements of historical and cultural heritage are reflected in contemporary artistic practice, while maintaining their significance and relevance in an increasingly globalized world.

The Web Gallery is aimed at promoting Kazakhstan’s artistic heritage, expanding public access to works of art, and fostering a lasting interest in national culture and art among a wide audience.

‘The Incarnation of Umai: Believe – Unbelief’. 2015 Mixed media.

Abulkhair Akmaral

Абулхаир Акмарал. «Воплощение Умай «Вера - Безверие». 2015 г. Смешанная техника.

The central image of the goddess Uma is regarded as an archetypal figure of a female deity associated with the functions of motherhood, protection and life-giving. From an iconographic point of view, the face of Umai functions as a solar symbol. The dominant golden colour marks the status of the image and refers to conceptions of divine light as a universal symbol of transcendence. The figure’s compositional setting, with its multitude of hands, forms the visual structure of a halo, which simultaneously fulfils apotropaic (protective) and expressive functions.The semantic organisation of the work is based on the binary opposition of ‘believe versus unbelief’, visualised through the colour contrast of gold and ultramarine. The colour structure takes on a symbolic and conceptual character, whilst the expressive brushwork and the multi-layered paint create an optical vibration, intensifying the dynamics of perception and emphasising the internal tension of the composition.