PANA

Pana, 2025

Collaborators: Ancient Futures collective

The Pana (shelter, refuge) project tells the story of four generations of Central Asian women: the Kyrgyz kelin, the Uzbek ayel, and the Kazakh apa and qyz.

In the vast steppe, the transmission of knowledge has largely taken place through the maternal line – through myths, crafts, traditions, and an understanding of how humans interact with natural resources. The artist resonates with this method of preserving heritage and invites the viewer to literally step inside the artwork, immersing themselves in a space of continuity, trust, and warmth. However, the essence of this work lies in its impermanence: unlike other artworks in the Cellophane Painting series, Pana is ephemeral.

While conventional plastic takes 100 to 500 years to decompose in nature, the bioplastic used in this project – made of 70% biodegradable polymers – will dissolve within a few months. Though this technology is already widely used in logistics, packaging, and consumer goods distribution, its application in art is experimental and serves as a statement. Day by day, as external conditions affect the material, the faces of the women will gradually fade – until they disappear entirely, mirroring the way memory erodes over time.

The shift in material transforms the very nature of the artwork: whereas traditional plastic preserves, archives, and suspends time, bioplastic resists memory and is not conceived as a “”permanent”” artistic medium like bronze or stone. The artist presents us with the idea of vanishing art – a deliberate choice to create something that will not outlive the duration of the exhibition, and is unlikely to become an object of ideology, a commodity or a museum exhibit..

Saule Suleimenova’s project is immersive. When visitors step inside the installation – bathed in light and air, surrounded by four generations of women depicted on translucent panels-they experience a shift in perception. The artist creates an atmosphere akin to a sacred ritual, where one cannot help but feel both insignificance and vulnerability, as we, too, will one day fade away. Yet, amid the fleeting nature of existence, there is an undeniable awareness of its value. And within this realization, one truth remains: transformation through future generations is the only way to persist in infinity.