Nov. 27, 2018, the National Museum of Kazakhstan opened the exhibition “Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum” at Suwon Ipark Museum of Art in South Korea. The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the museum. More than 100 works of 57 artists of the Soviet period and modern times are presented. The exhibition is the fourth and final in a series of foreign events of the Focus Kazakhstan international project.

Focus Kazakhstan is implemented within the framework of the Ruhani Zhangyru program and is part of a special project “Modern Kazakhstan Culture in the Global World.”

The curator of the Focus Kazakhstan project, Roza Abenova, notes that this project is an example of the first and successful experience in organizing a large-scale display of contemporary visual arts of Kazakhstan in the international arena. In four cities (London, Berlin, Jersey City, Suwon) about 400 works and archival documents of 94 artists were demonstrated. At the end of the project, catalogs will be published for each exhibition.

The Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum attempts to identify the narratives of Kazakhstan's art through a study of the creative work of artists of the Soviet period and modern artists, to show the continuation of artistic tradition and break with it, the birth of modern art in the period of independence of the republic and the appearance of new discourses and new media. The peculiarities of the national school of painting, the phenomenon of “local modernism” and art in the period of independence are the key themes of this exhibition.

The exhibition presents works Uke Azhiyev, Olga Kuzhelenko, Salihitdin Aitbayev, Zhanatay Shardenov, Eugene Sidorkin, Alexei Stepanov, Michael Kim, Boris Pak, Abdrashit Sydykhanov, Rustam Halfin, Sergei Maslov, Saken Narynov, Serikbay Alzhanov, Erbossyn Meldibekov, Elena and Victor Vorobiev, Alexander Ugai, Bakhyt Bubikanova, Alibek Mergenov, Saule Dyusenbina, Nurbol Nurakhmet and others.

Curators of the exhibition Eurasian Utopia: Post Scriptum: Sorokina Julia (Kazakhstan), Shin Eun Young (South Korea). Julia Sorokina highlights the phenomenon of local modernism, the artist’s understanding of the heritage of modernism and its connection with local practices. According to Shin Eun Yang, “Kazakhstan is historically closely associated with Korea, however, we know very little about the art and culture of Kazakhstan. And thanks to the first exhibition of Kazakhstan’s art, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn more about it.”

The Focus Kazakhstan project was organized by the National Museum and the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan. The exhibition will run until March 3, 2019.