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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 Legend of Love. Korpesh the Goat and Bayan Sulu, 2024. Tapestry, weaving. Source: https://www.ounce.group

Natalia Bazhenova

Баженова Наталья. Легенда о любви. Козы Корпеш и Баян Сулу, 2024 г. Гобелен, ткачество

This work is an example of contemporary textile art in which a folkloric narrative is transformed into a system of visual symbols and abstract signs. The artist does not illustrate the legend literally, but translates it into the language of metaphor, where emotional content takes precedence over the narrative thread.Compositionally, the work is structured as a multi-layered symbolic field. In the lower and central zones, stylised forms of eyes and fragments of faces can be discerned, which may be interpreted as signs of memory and presence. These elements create an effect of ‘layering’ within the image: the characters exist not as specific figures, but as traces of experience, fixed within the fabric of the tapestry. The central silhouette of the mazar serves as the compositional and semantic core. Natural motifs—the sun, birds, plant forms—introduce the semantics of life and movement into the composition. They are set against the motif of loss, forming a dual structure of ‘life–death’, ‘love–tragedy’, ‘the earthly–the eternal’. This contrast heightens the emotional tension of the work and emphasises its mythological nature.