European Art Residence «Ghost Expedition» opens in Astana
The project organized by the Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan in cooperation with the TSE Gallery, Mangistau Region Mayor Office and the Embassy of Switzerland to Kazakhstan will present the results of field research, during which a group of artists from Poland, Switzerland and Kazakhstan made an expedition to the "sacred places" of Kazakhstan, the official website of the Delegation of the European Union to Kazakhstan reads.
Artists:
● Gregor Vogel (Switzerland)
● Marek Mardosewicz (Poland)
● Grzegorz Demczuk (Poland)
● Nazira Karimova (Kazakhstan)
● Arman Sain (Kazakhstan)
● Anvar Musrepov (Kazakhstan)
Curator Anvar Musrepov
Ancient monuments of pagan cults, places of power, Paleolithic necropolises, medieval Islamic mazars and unique natural phenomena will reveal their voice through art and technology.
One of the regions, which became the object of artistic research is Mangistau. The name of the region from Kazakh translates as "one thousand winters". Ancient parking of nomads keeps on its land numerous monuments of the Paleolithic age, ancient burials, sacred places and necropolises of more than 362 Sufis. Some scientists suggest that Mangistau is the bottom of the ancient receding ocean. This region is also known for the fact that a quarter of Kazakh oil is produced here.
In the other direction, near the city of Almaty, the artists visited the Altyn-Emel nature reserve. The focus was the sand hill, known as the "Singing Barkhan". The phenomenon of nature is famous for the fact that in dry weather the movement of sand reproduces a sound resembling the sound of an organ. The sound of singing sands since ancient times has been shrouded in a multitude of myths. Some of the folk legends tell the story of the sound of bells from the buried city under the sand, according to other information - folklore tales say that here is the grave of Genghis Khan, and the sound of the mountain reflects his anguish.
Like the alchemists, the artists at this exhibition regard magic not as an archaic and an obsolete medieval concept, but rather as a force inaccessible to human consciousness, as a pure metaphysical substance, access to which can be revealed through resonance, space stimulation by sound waves, light streams or other experiments. The goal is to find the frequency at which the genius of the sacred space resonates.
The exhibition will be held in the framework of the contemporary art festival "Astana Art Show".
The exhibition will last until October 26.
Free entrance.