The Kazakhstan Pavilion has revealed the details of its presentation for the upcoming Venice Biennale.
The Pavilion will showcase the works of Ardak Mukanova, Gulmaral Tattibayeva and Natalya Ligay (ADYR‑ASPAN), Anar Aubakir, Assel Kadyrkhanova, Smail Bayaliyev, Nurbol Nurakhmet, Mansur Smagambetov and Oralbek Kabokein a joint presentation entitled Qoñyr: the Archive of Silence, curated by Syrlybek Bekbota. The artists and curator were selected through open call, marking the first time a Central Asia country has selected representatives for its national pavilion in this manner.
Responding to the Biennale’s overarching theme conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, In Minor Keys, the theme of the Kazakhstan Pavilion’s exhibition will centre the concept of ‘Qoñyr’, a fundamental idea in Kazakh cosmology. ‘Qoñyr’ holds dual meanings, one being a word to describe the colour brown, while also signifying the smell of the earth, an acoustic range, or even a particular form of silence in which words are held in yet carry deep meaning. A qoñyr or küy is also a type of traditional musical composition originating in Kazakhstan, conceived by the composer Äbiken Khasenov in the twentieth century.
Drawing inspiration from the multilayered meaning of this singular word, Qoñyr: the Archive of Silence will be on view at the Arsenale in the Museo Storico Navale, inviting visitors to engage with the works of the artist, finding attunement in the everyday, in layers of memory and in the subtleties of what is spoken.
