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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.

Karshyn, second half of the 20th c.

Second half of the 20th century. Turkestan Region. Collection of the Central State Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Karshyn, second half of the 20th c.

Karshyn is a cover for chests. The decoration of this example is based on a carpet-like pattern, with a clear distinction between the central field and the border. The central field is formed by four diamond-shaped sharshy rosettes, composed of syngarmuyiz and qosmuyiz patterns. The horn motifs lend the composition plasticity and dynamism, whilst their symmetrical arrangement reinforces a sense of stability.In traditional symbolism, the sharshy (diamond/square) symbolises the earth, ordered space and fertility; the qosmuyiz (‘paired horn’) is one of the oldest zoomorphic symbols, associated with ideas of strength, abundance and prosperity; syngarmuyiz (‘single horn’) varies the same symbol, adding rhythmic flexibility to the composition.The border is formed by a combination of the itquiryk (‘dog’s tail’) and qosmuyiz patterns. The plasticity of the itquiryk pattern reinforces the ornament’s protective function, forming a defensive boundary around the central field.