Qonaqtar

Guests can also be of a different nature of course, and hospitality can be abused, which is where the exhibition nods at the often forced migration campaigns of the Soviet Union where the act of hosting for Kazakhstan and Central Asia wasn’t a choice, but happened nevertheless. Most notably, the Russian settlement in Central Asia in the nineteenth century, or the displacement of Koreans to Central Asia in the 1930s, and sending Soviet dissidents to Karaganda, stories that also, in one way or another, contributed to the society and art scenes of Kazakhstan. Moreover, hospitality nowadays plays a prominent role in attracting tourism, raising questions about its authenticity. How much of this tradition is preserved, and how much has been shaped or exploited by colonial powers?

​

The exhibition looks at these different threads of migration, and hosting. It explores the larger waves of movement, but also the micro-histories and encounters, friendships and love that often also make one move. Works from the 1960s form a significant part of the collection and therefore feature strongly in the exhibition. This period saw artists crafting a national artistic language that defined Kazakh identity in modern art. Their themes drew from local folklore, nomadic culture, daily rituals and celebrations while remaining open to global modernist influences, navigating both the pressures of Soviet restrictions and the rich, multi-religious artistic heritage of Central Asia, including Tengrism and Islamic art.