A. Kasteev State Art Museum, Almaty, Kazakhstan
1998
A variety of black-painted objects were lying in disorder on a plastic cover. Above them, a tall tower, reminiscent of a shanrak (the round top of a traditional Kazakh dwelling), was only touching the ground with its "point", thanks to ropes stretched around it to hold it in mid-air. A large tambourine stood leaning against the tower. Snow-white wings, from a traditional Kazakh shaman's hat, circled the tower, driven by an unseen motor, among other debris. Opposite the tower was a door leading to a traditional Kazakh yurt. The door was covered in a mirror. There was music being played for the traditional Kazakh instrument, the shan kobyz, an ancient Kazakh musical tradition. The mirror transformed the yurt doorway into a canvas for a painting. This painting represents the world as it is known by humans, with the shan kobyz as a symbol of human life and interaction between people. The painting, with its black bottom and white top, was a representation of the life of humans and the interactions between people in the world. The shan kobyz was the centerpiece of the painting, and it represented the heart of human interaction. Or, the spiritual power of a shaman, whose image is associated with so many today, an artist who can restore harmony between the body and soul, the top and the bottom, and who can connect, so to speak, a broken thread in time. This power does not allow blackness to collapse into itself. The theme "Flying White" first appeared in the artist's work in a pictorial version in 1990. "Flying White: Palimpsest", oil on canvas, was created in 1990.
"Experiencing the collapse of identity from the collapse of socialism to the massive westernization of life, we have for the first time a real opportunity to have direct dialogue with representatives of other cultures and minds." When developing a strategy for collective identity, we face the challenge of understanding cultural boundaries, priorities, and foundations. "Eurasian Utopia" is a long-term art project that aims to address these issues from various perspectives. "Flying White" is one of the first major border heroes in the Eurasian pantheon, found in the ethnic name "Cossacks," the white goose, and in the works of Russian artists V.V. Sterligov, "White Angels," and Chinese calligraphers from the 3rd century using the calligraphic style "Fei Bai," or "Flying White."
In Basilov's book, "Shamanism among the Peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan", we read about a man wearing a swan-skin hat and wings, jumping around a fire pit. The wings moved up and down, and the man-made guttural sounds, perhaps depicting a bird. This passage forms the basis for our exhibition. The triune structure of the exhibition corresponds with the model of the ancient nomad universe and the model that defines the "here and now" position of contemporary art in the world.
The participants in the exhibition are Rustam Khalfin, Layla Turganbayeva, and Georgy Tryakin-Bukharov.
You can view the works and photos of the exhibition on our website by following the link.
