Sekretiki: Digging Up Soviet Underground Culture, 1966–1985
12 December 2019 - 24 May 2020
Sekretiki (“little secrets”) was a popular pastime for Soviet kids. Showing your friends your collection of pretty objects buried in the ground under a piece of glass was an early experience of forming a friendship group, and looting such collections was an invasion of personal space.
Employing this game as a metaphor, Sekretiki: Digging Up Soviet Underground Culture, 1966–1985 presents Soviet underground art as a form of secret knowledge shared by a circle of friends and collaborators and requiring protection from the outside forces of ideological control and censorship. During the Soviet period, such secret activities were not limited to art but also included spiritual practices, from yoga to esotericism and alternative medicine. Among artists participating in the exhibition Vyacheslav Akhunov.
Second Lahore Biennale Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi
26 January 2020 - 29 February 2020
LB02 will critically explore dissonances between humans and our increasingly strained relationship with the environment. With a focus on the Global South, where ongoing social disaffection is being aggravated by the emerging effects of climate change, LB02 will bring together artists from across the world to engage with these pressing issues using sites throughout Lahore. “Questions of identity, recognition, and difference are among the most urgent and globally resonant of our time,” said Hoor Al Qasimi, Curator of LB02. “In the Global South, colonial legacies and the rise of modern identities have hardened differences across ethnic, religious, linguistic, and national lines,” she added, pointing out that LB02 seeks to address this growing polarization by recuperating histories of coexistence, interaction, and solidarity in regions such as Asia. “The objective,” said Al Qasimi, “is to offer an expansive and generous vision of the future characterized by multiplicity and openness, rather than by homogeneity and closure.” Among the artists whose work will be shown in LB02 is Almagul Menlibayeva.
http://www.lahorebiennale.org
"Living memory" exhibition in Almaty Museum
28 November 2019 - 22 December 2019
Living memory is a project dedicated to the history, memory and overcoming of Stalinism in Kazakhstan. Collective monograph “Living memory. Stalinism in Kazakhstan: the Past, Memory, Overcoming ”edited by Zhulduzbek Abylkhozhin, Mikhail Akulov and Alexandra Tsai explores the history of the Stalinist repressions in Kazakhstan in the 1930s and 1940s, the memory of it and its understanding of modern Kazakhstani society. Among the artists participating in the exhibition are Said Atabekov, Bakhyt Bubikanova, Alexander Ugay.
"Shiryaevo Biennale: Central Russian Zen" exhibition in Berlin
27 October - 1 December 2019
Shiryaevo Biennale: Central Russian Zen transforms MOMENTUM into an artistic journey to Central Russia. Drawing from the photographs, videos, objects and installations of the Shiryaevo Biennale archive, this exhibition immerses audiences in an overview of the oldest active biennale in Russia and its creative evolution from the moment of its founding in 1999 until the present. Founded and run to this day by artists/curators Roman Korzhov & Nelya Korzhova, the Shiryaevo Biennale is focused around the principle of the "Nomadic Show", a processional exhibition through the ancient Russian village of Shiryaevo, on the banks of the Volga river. Over 180 international artists have participated in the Shiryaevo Biennale in the 20 years since its inception. Included in Berlin exhibition are artists Sergey Maslov, Rustam Khalfin and Yerbossyn Meldibekov.
A new series of exhibitions "The Missing Planet" has opened at the Pecci Centre in Italy
8 November 2019 - 3 May 2020
The Missing Planet is a new series of exhibitions that occur semi-annually, conceived by the director, Cristiana Perella and dedicated to developing the themes, time periods and languages of Centro Pecci’s collection, each time entrusting the curatorship of the exhibition to an invited curator. This time the exhibition curated by Marco Scotini is dedicated to Post-Soviet art and is entitled Visions and Re-Visions of 'Soviet Times' from the Pecci Centre's and Other Collections. Amongst artists participating in the exhibition are Vyacheslav Akhunov, Gulnara Kasmalieva & Muratbek Djumaliev, Yelena & Viktor Vorobyevs, Said Atabekov.
The fifth session of curator Viktor Misiano’s project "Human Condition", entitled "Biography: Model Kit", has opened in Moscow
13 November 2019 - 2 February 2020
The Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the National Centre for Contemporary art and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center present the 5th session of the large-scale interdisciplinary project Human Condition, curated by Viktor Misiano. This year the theme focuses of the biography phenomenon – its place and importance in the contemporary culture. The exhibition Biography: Model Kit features videos, photos, installations and objects by 14 international artists, including Yelena and Viktor Vorobyevs with their series Necessary Additions. Home Archive.
Astana Art Show
2 June - 10 August 2019
Astana Art Show will present three exhibitions: First Contact of young Kazahstani artists, Memories. Dialogues of Memory and an international show Racing the Galaxy.
This event will bring together about 70 artists - stars of world contemporary art from 20 countries. Among the participants of the festival are: Almagul Menlibayeva, Anvar Musrepov, Bakhyt Bubikanova, Gulnur Mukazhanova. The expositions will be held in the Palace of Independence, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, in the TSE Art Destination Gallery of Modern Art and in the house of V. Kubrin, several art objects will decorate the urban space of Nur-Sultan city as well.
"Blood and Soil: Dark Arts for Dark Times"
14 June - 18 August 2019
A group show of 22 international artists, titled Blood and Soil: Dark Arts for Dark Times has opened in Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The exhibition follows some threads in contemporary art, such as using painting and performance to tell multi-dimensional stories. It also speaks to the importance of the underworld—the “chthonic”—and darkness as a semi-conscious articulation of lingering trauma, not least in Lithuania: the Second World War with the Holocaust and their aftermath. Rustam Khalfin's Clay Project is presented in this exhibition, curated by Anders Kreuger and Julija Fomina.
"The Body: Digital Frontiers" exhibition in Moscow
7 June - 4 August 2019
A group show, titled "The Body: Digital Frontiers" has opened in Electromuseum in Moscow. This exhibition, curated by Aristarkh Chernyshev is dedicated to the relationship between the human body and technology. It features Anvar Musrepov's work "Fear of the Future".
REAL DEAL exhibition
29 May - 28 July 2019
REAL DEAL exhibition presents a duet of young Kazakhstani artists Anvar Musrepov and Nazira Karimova and the famous artist from French Guiana Tabita Rezaire.
Despite the obvious geographical and cultural differences, the works of Musrepov, Karimova and Rezare have much in common. Born in the Internet era, they explore the issue of spirituality and identity in the days of digital technology and the development of artificial intelligence, as well as the decolonial question that continues to penetrate and influence many aspects of our lives. This exhibition with the participation of Tabita Rezaire and Anvar Musrepov and Nazira Karimova is the third dialogue exhibition between Central Asian and foreign artists of non-Western origin, organised by Aspan Gallery.
REAL DEAL exhibition will be held in the EXPO, Villa Boutiques & Restaurants complex (Al-Farabi, 140a) from 29 May to 28 July 2019.