The Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale has announced its second edition, which will run from 6 September to 1 November 2025 at the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Titled Rites of Eternal Wind, the Triennale continues its exploration of the arts of sound and music, this time by taking the medium to the limits of what is currently found in institutional settings. With the relationship of sound and wind as its point of departure, the event will see visitors exposed to a wide range of artistic formats, including guided listening sessions, audio essays, poetry readings, choir performances, soundwalks and sonic events and situation, all with an experimental angle.
The place of sound and the tradition of oral tradition storytelling in Central Asian, Turkic, North Asian as well as other regions of the world, heavily influenced the Triennale’s structure, with the recognition that sonic practices have contributed to moulding perspectives and identities in these communities. Rites of the Eternal Wind, which seeks to showcase these traditions and reappropriate them away from Western ideas around sound and music.
Curators Anuar Duisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova and Stas Sharifulla invite visitors to discover the myth of Qorqyt Ata, the patron saint of poets and musicians and a 10th-century akyn (bard-improviser), who played the kobyz to create beautiful music as well as a means to keep death at bay. According to the legend, Qorgyt created the first version of the kobyz, a traditional Kazakh instrument which can imitate the sound of the wind and holds important cultural significance in Kazakhstan.
The Korkut Triennale will take place at the new Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture, due to open in April 2025. The center’s permanent location will provide a unique international stage for local artists, with a robust programme of publications, performances, symposia and exhibitions which will take place both internationally and in Kazakhstan. Designed by Asif Khan, the center aims to provide a link between institutions and the public, with Kazakh identity as a focal point for its upcoming projects.
Artist list (as of announcement):
Yara Asmar
Nurbak Batulla
Medina Bazargali
Syrlybek Bekbotaev
Azadbek Bekchanov
Ivan Beketov
Bint Mbareh
Budhaditya Chattopadhyay
Cevdet Erek
Jolda
Kokonja Lovozero
Jazgul Madazimova
Sainkho Namtchylak
Aisha Orazbayeva
Raushan Orazbayeva
Intizor Otaniyezova
Cinna Peyghamy
Samrattama
Mieko Shiomi
Şüräle
Aina Zhekebatyr
The Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale runs from 6 September to 1 November 2025
