SKY ABOVE ALMATY: QANDY QANTAR

Sky Above Almaty: Qandy Qańtar/Bloody January is part of Suleimenova’s ongoing Skies Over series exploring the construction of Kazakh memory, both collective and individual. The impetus to make the work was the fatal event of Bloody January (Qandy Qańtar), when grass-roots protest in Almaty in 2022 against the policies of the ruling regime ended with a shoot-to-kill order. It is reported that 238 civilians were gunned down in this consolidation of authoritarian power. This was followed shortly after by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. For the artist, these events led to a sensation of being “flooded” by blood. Some might recognize it is a red-tinged Republic Square, the scene of Bloody January where darkness has also thickened overhead-perhaps it is fog, smoke or even teargas. But Suleimenova deliberately leaves the image devoid of details or people, to make it less literal in this situation of multiple international crises.

plastic bags, hot silicone, polyethylene

2022

Şağylys collection, developed by the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture and M HKA