Cultural studies – Lecture 7.2 — Transcript

Lecture on contemporary art trends in Kazakhstan post-1991 independence, highlighting key artists and their experimental approaches.

Key Takeaways

Kazakh contemporary art is deeply tied to the country’s post-independence identity and socio-political changes.
Artists transitioned from Soviet state commissions to independent, experimental practices reflecting personal and national struggles.
New art forms like installations and performance became important for expressing complex historical and social themes.
Materials and minimalistic color palettes were used symbolically to represent marginalization and uncertainty.
Globalization and post-colonial themes continue to influence Kazakh artists’ work and perspectives.

Summary

Contemporary Kazakh art emerged alongside the country's independence in 1991, marking a break from Soviet-era censorship and state commissions.
Artists faced challenges adapting to a new market economy without government support, leading to experimentation with new styles and media.
The early 1990s art scene reflected societal marginalization and identity crises, depicted through symbolic and minimalistic works.
Sergey Maslov is highlighted as a key figure whose works express the transitional period through non-realistic and culturally infused themes.
Artists incorporated installations and unconventional materials such as car tires to explore new artistic expressions.
Performance art gained popularity as a medium to address historical, mythological, religious, and social issues.
Globalization and post-Soviet discourses became central themes in contemporary Kazakh art.
Soleimano is noted for using plastic bags in her artworks to comment on historical events and social issues in Kazakhstan.
The lecture emphasizes the role of art in reflecting Kazakhstan’s search for identity and freedom after Soviet collapse.
New artistic methods and materials symbolize the break from the past and the exploration of present realities.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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Second question: the main trends and directions of contemporary art in Kazakhstan. Now, I would like to talk about combat contributor art since your students know most of all how literature, music, cinematography is developed nowadays in Kazakhstan, but not

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all of you know what's happened and how art is developed from 1991. So, the most current art of Kazakhstan is the same age as independence. When the USSR collapsed at the beginning of the 90s, the country witnessed a powerful

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search of artistic energy which was constrained for decades by restriction of both censorship and corporate order. So, artists, most of all who were members of the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan, made an aesthetic and technological revolution which led to the creation

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of a new wave, new direction in the development of Kazakhstan art. And also, they invented and started to use new, generous new styles to represent their thoughts. But in the beginning of the 90s, in the beginning of our independence, it was

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a big collapse, big problems: how to apply, how to use their knowledge. Since artists, when they lived in Soviet Union time, they created different pieces of art by order from the Soviet government. So, in Soviet Union time, it was quite

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a successful wealth for people, artists, since they lived and made by orders for specific topics, for specific events. Here, they painted paintings, made statues, and so on. So, they always had the money. But in the beginning of our

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independence, many people faced the problems: how to be in the future, how to live, who I am, what I need to do, how I need to survive. So, artists also were in the same situation and they lost

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their stability. They lost their income, so they needed to start to earn money by themselves without our government. So, it was a big problem for them since there was no connection with other world, with the foreign countries, with the Western,

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Eastern countries. Yeah, so they started to make experiments. They used different methods, ways to represent, to reflect what they see, how they live, to represent their thoughts, their feelings, and so on. So, artists and peoples of the former

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USSR faced the task of self-determination according to the principles of citizenship, nationality, political and aesthetics. The mission of survival has also been prevalent in people's minds. Now, I'm going to talk and show and explain how some representatives of contemporary art

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in the beginning of our independence started to work and what they did and how they worked and so on. So, among them who was in the beginning of the independence, who I would say the late foundation of

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our modern country, emperor is our stamp halfing Sergey Maslov. So, in 13 slides you could see Rustam Hotel's works. There are two main paintings, but the most interesting, I think, in the middle that

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is situated here. You saw one figure of a person without head. Yeah, and the color is so many minimalistic, only three colors: white, yellow, and black. So, you could see like this person standing between two walls.

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I think that this picture, this painting represents that period of independence without head, like without thoughts, without brain, without different things. Yeah, so like this person represents people in nineties in Kazakhstan since in Soviet Union time it was

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controlled by government. The government made their goal for people, for society: what we need to do, where we are going, what we can achieve. Yeah, but when Soviet Union time, Soviet Union was split,

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it was a big problem for people to choose their own way, how to answer where they should go. So, they became like without head since they didn't know what to do as they had no thoughts, no future, nothing. So, it's

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like between two walls. It's like to be. So, the person is between two walls means like a marginal person, marginal person since I'm not here, I'm not there, I'm never like nowhere. So, since I don't know

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how to live, the past is passed but there is no future and also there is no present. So, like a marginal situation. Also, this painting describes the situation of people, most of people in Kazakhstan, like a marginal situation.

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Many people became a marginalization status position in society. Next slide, you could see some works of Sergey Maslov. You could see that these two pictures, if deeply look at it, it's a strange topic, so strange depiction. It's like a

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non-realistic actually. After independence, the main different topics of non-existent, no realities appeared. Yeah, many people tried to discuss about other world that we couldn't see, other people. Yeah, so you could see here

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also that Sergey Maslov tried to express and depict reality where he lived. And also, on the left and right side paintings, you could see that it's quite connecting with our national culture. You see old person, old man who is playing

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on national instrument, kobyz, and he also like a mix of modern reality and also the past about Arwa. Yeah, so he also tried to show present times when he lived. As I said, artists tried to make

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experiments. Now, among them was multicultural. He used exhibitions and installation as a new type and methods to express their thoughts. So, he used rubber tires or car tires here to make exhibitions and installations as you see

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here. So, scarab beetle and also car is covered by car tires. Next slide, you could see his all the same mother called Naru Bit of painting. As you understood probably, it's called Three Bees. So, he depicted some historical moment

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of Kazakh, of Kazakhstan, but also you see the color and use of colors are also minimalistic, only three colors. He tried to use painting, sculpture, graphics being wholly imported into the steppe of Kazakhstan, whereas new technologies which

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were emerging at the same time have been the sign of freedom and non-engagement. Kazakh artists had taken the first steps which directed over demolishing the frozen system of celestialism and thus they searched for new ideas. It was a moment

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which replaced the dudley pictorial form by the live action of artiste. The performances of the first years of independence shocked public opinion. Another genre was popularized: performance. Yeah, by definition, presuppose sahara who most often becomes the artist himself, his

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body, custom, inductions. So, they try to translate it through performance not only the present days but also historical, mythological terms, religious and social problems, and other issues. In next slide, you could see your vocal militar works. Also, he tried to make a picture,

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photography, and also installation to show the collapse, the collisions of new world and also collapse of the Soviet Union. Gradually, this stressing of globalization processes, the post-Soviet post-colonial discourses is becoming one of the essential components of

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Kazakhstan art since artists continue to try to express their thought and think about what's happened and reflect what's happened in the past. Now, I'd like to talk a little bit about solely Suleimano's works. She is a modern

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painter, actress, lecturer. Her works are exhibited in different foreign countries. What's interesting is the materials that she used. Yeah, it was plastic bags. And here you could see the picture, your work here that connects this history of Kazakhstan. So,

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on the right hand, you could see the picture of piece of Carla and time. She used also the plastic bags. On the left hand, you could see also it's a hungry period in Kazakhstan. Yeah, in 1913. So,

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it's called Escort is Hot Kazakh. And next slide, connecting with the event that happened in 1986 in Almaty, you could see she used only black and white plastic bags material. So, she tried to show the students

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who took part in that time in December 1986. And recently, she has a new project. It's called Between Us Girls. So,

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she considered that the bad comments towards her works should be

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should be worked out, should be not ke

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colors yeah tengrian elements at nasa i think still is most nowadays widely used and leading nowadays in modern costume design and everywhere so nowadays culture is a sphere where ethnic ethnic traditions and national identity are indeed preserved art has generally and less

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expressive capabilities that can distinctly reproduce the spirit of whole culture today traditional aetna cultural codes are acquiring new and relevant forms

Topics:Kazakhstan contemporary artpost-Soviet artSergey MaslovSoleimanoartistic experimentationperformance artKazakh independenceinstallation artcultural identitypost-colonial discourse

Frequently Asked Questions

What challenges did Kazakh artists face after 1991 independence?

After independence, Kazakh artists lost government commissions and financial stability, forcing them to find new ways to earn income and express their identity without Soviet restrictions.

How did Sergey Maslov’s art reflect the post-independence period?

Maslov’s works used minimalistic colors and symbolic imagery, such as a headless figure, to depict the marginalization and identity crisis experienced by people during Kazakhstan’s early independence.

What new art forms became popular in Kazakhstan after independence?

Installation art and performance art became popular, allowing artists to explore historical, mythological, religious, and social themes in innovative and experimental ways.

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