Venice Biennale, at Kazakhstan pavilion an exhibition chronicling the country's contemporary art

The Republic of Kazakhstan presents its second pavilion with the exhibition “Jerūiyq: Journey Beyond the Horizon” at the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale scheduled from April 20 to November 24, 2024. Commissioned by Aida Balayeva, Minister of Culture and Information, and curated by Danagul Tolepbay with co-curator Anvar Musrepov, the exhibition reflects Kazakhstan’s commitment to cultural heritage and artistic innovation. “Jerūiyq: Journey Beyond the Horizon” aligns with the main theme of the Art Biennale 2024 “Foreigners Everywhere - Foreigners Everywhere,” curated by Adriano Pedrosa, focusing on diverse cultural narratives.

The exhibition, staged at the Naval Historical Museum’s historic building, offers an interpretation of the ancient legend of Jerūiyq, inspired by Kazakh legends and the visionary journey of 15th-century philosopher Asan Kaigy. The word"kaigy" translates from Kazakh as"pain.“ Common expressions such as ”falling into Asan’s kaigy" use this name as a synonym for pain. The pain reflects traumatic encounters with the dark side of modernity: the tragic famine of the 1930s the craters dug by nuclear test sites in Semey, the drying up of the Aral Sea, and the scars on the body of the Kazakh land.

The exhibition is a chronology of key works of the utopian imagination of Kazakh artists from the 1970s, through works from the period of the emergence of contemporary art in Kazakhstan, to the present day, including works based on artificial intelligence. The artists project their vision of ideal worlds where spirits and mystical rituals meet, where nomadism is transformed into space stations, and where portals to look beyond the event horizon are revealed. Jerūiyq: Journey Beyond the Horizon presents a visionary future where human and nonhuman entities converge in a re-imagined utopia. The exhibition invites visitors to explore portals into imaginary worlds, space flights, futuristic rituals, and the intersection of topology and algorithms. The exhibition, featuring works by Kazakh artists since 1979, thus reflects the evolution of utopian thought, decolonial futurism, spirituality, Modernism and Cosmism.

Artists in the exhibition:

Kamil Mulashev, born in 1944 in Urumqi, China, is a versatile artist with a global presence. After studying in Urumqi and the Surikov Institute of Art in Moscow, he now lives and works in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Yerbolat Tolepbay, born in 1955, a key figure in Kazakhstani fine arts, lives and works in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Internationally celebrated, his masterful works are deeply connected to Kazakh heritage and have earned him the Order of the French Chevalier for Arts and Literature.

Saken Narynov (Esik, 1946- Almaty, 2023) lived and worked in Almaty, Kazakhstan, combining architectural and sculptural skills with his passion for science and philosophy. His innovative works continue to inspire.

Sergey Maslov (1952-2002), a central figure in Kazakhstan’s contemporary art scene, lived in Almaty. His unconventional methods and myth-soaked art have left a deep mark.

The2vvo, with Eldar Tagi, (b. 1987) and Lena Pozdnyakova (b. 1985), originally from Almaty, now a nomadic art duo based in Berlin. Their work integrates sound, visual arts and performance.

Anvar Musrepov, born 1994, an artist and curator based in Astana, works in new media, focusing on the future and identity. His contributions have significantly shaped new media art in the local contemporary art environment.

Venice Biennale, at Kazakhstan pavilion an exhibition chronicling the country's contemporary art

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