"Tazqara" is a special public program dedicated to the study of the ancient history and traditions of the Kazakh people, past and future, the connections with the spirits of ancestors and the new generation.
Who are we? Where did we come from? Where did we go? The hope for freedom, the desire for self-knowledge, many questions and predictions, fear and determination of the people who were colonized, did not know their history completely, and lost the past, brought us to the present day. We are independent, but we have not yet completed decolonization, and there are many things we do not know. In order to get answers to our questions, we want to turn to the spirit of our ancestors and talk to our past in our own language and experience.
Tazqara is a sacred bird worn by our ancestors since ancient times. The body of the giant is black, and the head is white, so it can be seen from afar. Hence the name Tazqara. Since ancient times, Kazakh people have made arrows from the feathers of this amazing creature. This predator ignores any obstacle, and its stomach even digests the iron that has entered it's system. The image of Tazqara is the manifestation of Kazakh love for freedom, free soul.
A collective cultural platform for the study of the Kazakh present, past and future, any kind of post/decolonial reflection, it is an open space. Everyone will have the opportunity to turn to their ancestors, genealogy, respect and love, reflection on the experiences of the past or technological experiences of programming that bring them closer to the future.
Tazqara feeds on carrion. We, like this bird, are trying to collect the rest of our history and culture. But food is the main source and guarantee of the organism's continued existence. We invite you to our field of research, which is combined with the ancestral worship rituals of the modern space. This exhibition is a safe, non-hierarchical space for formulating questions and working collectively to find answers.
Artists:
Aida Issahankyzy
Aruzhan Zhumabek
Aysana Nurkadyr
damirvtow
Elaman Muktarkhan
Muratbek Kairjanuly
Kokonja
Saule Suleymenova
Sheker Shakir
Suinbike
exhibition curator/mediator: Medina Bazargali
organizers of the program: Aisana Nurkadyr and Medina Bazargali
Lecturers/poets/participants:
Saida Elemanova
Zarina Mukanova
edostan
Akjan Amanjol
Baurjan Maitai
Assel Karibay
Aysana Nurkadyr
Roza Aspankyzy
Tilek Irysbek
Anuar Duysenbinov
Aliya Bolatkhan
Elmira Kakabayeva
Aidana Sultan
Aida Kalieva
Natalia Papaeva (Buryatia)
Zhanar Sekerbaeva