Qoñyr: The Archive of Silence

Kazakhstan's pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale Arte, responding to the Biennale's theme 'In Minor Keys.' Qoñyr is a Kazakh word denoting simultaneously a brown hue, a nostalgic sonic register, the scent of earth, and a dense, generative silence. The exhibition unfolds across six interconnected rooms, opening with Dübir, a sound installation by Natalya Ligay (ADYR-ASPAN) built from layered recordings of horse-hoof rhythms.

Nurbol Nurakhmet presents at this exhibition 8 pieces of digital collages “The Kitchen recipes”. Pieces describes a nuclear weapon polygon in Kazakhstan. Artists: Ardak Mukanova, Gulmaral Tattibayeva, Natalya Ligay (ADYR-ASPAN), Anar Aubakir, Asel Kadyrkhanova, Smail Bayaliyev, Nurbol Nurakhmet, Mansur Smagambetov, Oralbek Kaboke. Curator: Syrlybek Bekbota.

The first Central Asian country to select its pavilion curator and artists through an open call.