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Abstract

This paper explores the development of contemporary art in Kazakhstan as a unique cultural phenomenon shaped by overlapping historical, ideological, and aesthetic systems. Unlike the linear evolution of modernist and postmodernist movements in Western art, the Kazakhstani context integrates socialist realism, late-Soviet alternative practices, and post-Soviet experimental approaches within a single artistic field. This coexistence of incompatible visual and linguistic systems creates a multilayered environment where artists negotiate ideological constraints, cultural transitions, and new forms of expression. The paper argues that critical theory and art criticism are essential tools for understanding these dynamics.

Through the work of art historian Valeriya Ibraeva, the study highlights how subtle gestures and internal resistance within socialist realism prefigure contemporary artistic practices. Her method of “reading” paintings as multilayered texts reveals hidden meanings, individual agency, and cultural ruptures. In contrast, philologist Gazinur Gizdatov approaches art as language, emphasizing text, play, and trickster strategies, especially in the works of Sergey Maslov. His analysis shows how post-Soviet artists use linguistic and performative gestures to reinterpret reality, disrupt ideological narratives, and construct new cultural meanings.

By combining historical context with critical analysis, the paper demonstrates that contemporary art in Kazakhstan operates as both aesthetic practice and cultural critique, making art criticism central to its interpretation.