On July 24, Tamyr Central Asia Art Lab launches Tamyr Art Scene, which is a new initiative aimed at developing the professional contemporary art community of Central Asia. The first event of the program will be the Community Day in Almaty (Kazakhstan), which will bring together representatives of the local art scene.
Community Day is a one-day meeting for artists, curators, researchers, art managers, gallerists, collectors, and art lovers, dedicated to networking, sharing experiences, and professional communication. The program features lectures, public talks, and workshops that will help participants build new connections and become part of the Tamyr Art Scene.
By the end of 2026, Community Days will also take place in Bishkek, Dushanbe, and Tashkent. In each city, the program is developed in collaboration with the local art community, taking into account its specific context, interests, and urgent topics.
Community Day / Almaty Program | July 24, 15:00-22:00
Address: Imagine Studios, 62 Abylai Khan Ave, 6th floor (access through the Lumiera cinema)
Room 1
3:30-6:00 pm Workshop "Self-Documentation and Self-Archiving as a Contemporary Art Practice" with Bermet Borubaeva, co-founder of the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art (workshop conducted in Russian).
How can you preserve your artistic practice so that it becomes more than just an archive, but a tool for research, memory, and future projects?
This is a practice-oriented session where participants will explore various formats of artistic documentation and the core principles of building their own archive.
Using the example of the Aralash zine publication series by the Bishkek School of Contemporary Art, we will examine how self-publishing became the foundation for self-archiving the collective's history. We will also look at how the Mobile Library: Kyrgyzstan initiative, a joint project with the Asian Art Archive (Hong Kong), compiles an archive of the region's art history.
During the workshop, participants will try their hand at creating their own art zines reflecting their artistic practices. Please prepare 5 to 10 materials in advance (photos, texts, sketches, notes) that can be used to create your zines.
Registration is required to participate; please fill out the form below.
Room 2
3:00-4:00 pm Lecture "Trans-Avant-Garde Without Avant-Garde: A Brief History of Non-Conformism in Kazakhstan" with Valeria Ibraeva, art historian and curator (lecture conducted in Russian)
Despite the widespread belief that the art of Soviet Kazakhstan was devoid of critical expression, history proves to be far more complex. Valeria Ibraeva will speak about the manifestations of artistic non-conformism in the 1960s to 1980s, how they were expressed through the form and content of artworks, and why this topic remains under-researched to this day.
Registration is required to participate; please fill out the form below.
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4:10-5:10 pm Public Talk "Tselinny: How to Archive Contemporary Art of Central Asia" with Tatiana Neuimina, documentarian at the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture (public talk conducted in Russian)
How does contemporary art find its way into an archive, and why does this matter for an artistic career? Tatiana Neuimina will explain how the Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture documents Central Asian contemporary art, how artists can submit their works to the digital archive, and the role archives play in the institution's research and exhibition initiatives.
Registration is required to participate; please fill out the form below.
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5:20-6:20 pm Public Talk "How Artists Can Work with Museum Institutions" with Inga Lāce, Chief Curator of the Almaty Museum of Arts (public talk conducted in Russian)
What do museums expect from artists, and how is cooperation built between the creator and the institution? Inga Lāce will talk about curatorial practice, exhibition preparation, and project selection criteria, sharing practical recommendations for artists planning to collaborate with museums and international institutions.
Registration is required to participate; please fill out the form below.
Main Hall
6:30-10:00 pm Presentation of Tamyr Art Scene
Registration is required to participate; please fill out the form below.