Presented by ACAW in collaboration with the National Museum of Kazakhstan
Hosted by Mana Contemporary
Oct 14 – Nov 30, 2018
Curated by Leeza Ahmady with Assistant Curator, Vladislav Sludskiy
Main Exhibition Hall 307 (3rd Floor) Tea Room & Shaman Room (1st Floor)
Focus Kazakhstan–Thinking Collections: Telling Tales explores the concept of “artists as the first collectors” with an unprecedented survey exhibition of Kazakhstan’s most celebrated art collective, Kyzyl Tractor. Noted for their feverish experimentations in the mid 1990’s and early 2000’s, their work continues to chronicle Kazakhstan’s seismic socio-economic, ecological and political shifts in juxtaposition with their signature conceptual and aesthetic appropriations of the region’s nomadic, Sufi, and Shamanistic philosophical traditions. The exhibition will highlight founding member Moldakul Narymbetov, in addition to staging a monumental new work and live performances by collective members: Said Atabekov, Smail Bayaliyev, Vitaliy Simakov, and Arystanbek Shalbayev.
Focus Kazakhstan is implemented by the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in association with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan within the framework of the program, Ruhani Zhangyru. Head of the project – Leonid Kochetov, deputy director of the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the curator of Focus Kazakhstan is Roza Abenova, Head of Centre of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Mana Contemporary —888 Newark Ave, Jersey City

Thinking Collections: Telling Tales is open to the public through daily Mana guided tours Tuesday-Friday at 3pm and Saturday’s at 11am and 3pm. And by appointment from Tuesday-Saturday 11am-5pm. To make an appointment, please email ACAW Curatorial Assistant Sarah Sloan at sarah.acaw@gmail.com 12-24 hours in advance.

 

Caption: Moldakul Narymbetov, The Aral Sea, 1989, 83×105 cm, oil on canvas