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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.

‘Evermust’ (‘Everything Must’), 2017

Zoya Falkova • Art object. Faux leather, filling, paint. 5 × 45 × 40 cm. The ‘Bad Jokes’ exhibition in Astana. Curated by Valeria Ibraeva

Зоя Фалькова. «Evermust» («Всё должна»), 2017

Zoe Falkova’s art installation – the ‘Evermust’ punching bag, presented as a female torso – imitates a real Everlast sports punching bag. The artist’s project – a social sculpture – has been exhibited in Almaty, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Astana and Bishkek. The artist’s main aim is to draw public attention to pressing issues of gender equality in global society, as set out in the UN Charter. The ‘Evermust’ punching bag (which translates as ‘Everything Must’) offers only soft and light resistance when one attempts to use it for its intended purpose, which is uncharacteristic of a hard sports implement. ‘Can and should a woman’s body be a pear?’ asks the artist. This parallel between tactile sensations is comparable to gender stereotypes of behaviour: masculine and feminine interaction. The artist’s work, exhibited at the first Feminist Art Biennale – Feminnale, dedicated to the theme of violence against women and held at the T. Aitiev National Museum of Fine Arts (Bishkek) in 2019, was, like some works by other artists, ‘censored’ and removed from the exhibition. This action by the authorities was widely discussed within the international community. As a result of the debate, Falkova’s art installation was acquired by the ‘Museum of Forbidden Art – Museu de l’Art Prohibit’, founded by Tacho Bennet in Barcelona.

Photo: Batyr Aubakirov

Source: https://forbes.kz/articles/rabota_kazahstanki_popala_v_collection_of_the_Museum_of_Forbidden_Art_in_Barcelona