The Pygmalion Gallery unites several generations of Kazakhstani artists, from masters who have influenced the art development in the Central Asian region to ultra-contemporary and young artists whose talents have strongly established on the local art scene. In 2024, the gallery's founder, made significant efforts to organize the Kazakhstan pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, acting as initiator and curator. The development and promotion of Kazakhstani art are core values of the Pygmalion Gallery. Increasing awareness and building bridges between modern and contemporary artists in Kazakhstan is a primary focus.
In its endeavor to showcase the chronology of the development of artistic language in Kazakhstani art, the gallery does not limit itself to specific genres or media, displaying modernist and expanded painting, video and sound installations, textile art, and many other directions that reveal the diversity and richness of Kazakhstani art.
The Pygmalion Gallery regularly participates in international art fairs such as Volta Basel (Basel, Switzerland), QIAF (Qatar), Asia Now (Paris, France), introducing unique works of art and new names of Kazakhstani artists to collectors, experts, and art enthusiasts. Artists represented by the gallery have been featured in publications such as Financial Times, The Art Newspaper, E-flux, Milk Decoration, Artnews, Art Asia Pacific, and others.
Almagul Menlibayeva, a graduate of the Art and Theatre University of Almaty, is recognized for her multidisciplinary practice, which spans video, photography, AI art, cyber textiles, and mixed media installations. Her work critically engages with post-socialist modernity, examining the intersection of environment, gender, and socio-political transitions within a globalized context. By rethinking local mythologies and traditions through a decolonial lens, Menlibayeva interrogates global narratives and systems. In 2017, she was honored with the prestigious Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. Her other accolades include Kazakhstan’s Daryn State Prize, the Tarlan National Award, and the Grand Prix Asia Art at the II Biennial of Central Asia in Uzbekistan. Additionally, she received the Main Prize at the International Film Festival Kino Der Kunst in Germany.Menlibayeva has collaborated with Louis Vuitton on a special project in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her work has been exhibited internationally at major biennales, including Venice, Sydney, Sharjah, and Thailand. Notable solo exhibitions include Transformation at the Grand Palais and M HKA Museum, as well as her curatorial debut Bread & Roses at MOMENTUM. In 2023, she premiered a significant installation on the Kazakh Famine, commissioned by the Sharjah Art Foundation at the Sharjah Biennale. Her most recent solo exhibition took place at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Currently, Menlibayeva is presenting a special project on cyber textiles, integrating photography and video installations.
Menlibayeva’s artistic practice encompasses a decolonial and nomadic aesthetic, situated within the dynamic context of contemporary post-socialist Kazakhstan. Through her photographic and video works, she explores the intricate interplay of these themes, drawing inspiration from enduring mythologies and geopolitics. This awakening is influenced by the post-Soviet experiences of the indigenous Kazakh people, who are re-establishing their identity after 80 years of Soviet domination and cultural genocide. Menlibayeva engages in dialogues with the transnational circulation of ideas in contemporary art, meticulously curating raw data and blending various media—documentary, staged footage, and the cyber realm—while exploring themes of memory and reality.
ALMAGUL MENLIBAYEVA
Yellow Butterfly
ink jet on archival paper
edition 3/5 + 2 A.P.
71 x 107 cm
2012
Red Butterfly is closely related to the video Butterflies of Aisha Bibi. This series is set in modern times but draws from the 6th-century legend of Aisha Bibi and her fiancé, Karakhan, ruler of the Karakhanid dynasty. Menlibayeva explores universal themes of unfulfilled yearning, unconditional love, and gender roles. The central female figure, wrapped in red drapery, stands against the ornate wall of the Aisha Bibi Mausoleum, a significant monument in Central Asia and an example of pre-Mongol architecture. The mausoleum's location in Taraz, near the Great Silk Road, also highlights the importance of this period in international trade and cultural exchange. By recontextualizing ancient mythology, Menlibayeva revives the rich heritage lost during the Soviet era.
