Askhat Akhmadiyarov, one of Kazakhstan’s most prominent artists, was arrested after performing a shamanic ‘ritual of purification’ outside the country’s seat of government. Akhmadiyarov, whose CV includes the Venice and Singapore biennials, is well known for his political performances.
On 13 July the artist appeared outside the House of Ministers in Astana playing a drum and dressed in robes while a fellow protester waved a flag condemning the proposed construction of a hotel complex in the west of the central Asian country. In November 2020 Turkish investor Fettah Taminci announced plans for the resort on the Bozzhyra tract, a region as much famed for its biodiversity as the two rocky finger-like mountains that draws a smattering of tourists.
The Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan oppose the development, saying the resort will lead to an unsustainable mass of visitors, which could endanger wild sheep, gazelle and caracal wild cat populations that live in the area. Passing cars may also damage vulnerable soil beds. In December the government appeared to have taken on board criticism of the project and Magzum Mirzagaliyev, minister for ecology, geology and natural resources minister, announced that the hotel will be moved to beyond the Zhabayushkan reserve, within which the Bozzhyra escarpment stands. In January however builders started laying foundation just 500 metres from the original proposed site.
This is not Akhmadiyarov’s first brush with the law. In 1999 he was arrested over the performance Trans-Dialogue with Van Gogh in which, appearing naked in the centre of Shymkent city, the artist covered his body with batter and proceeded to roll in a pile of sunflower seeds whilst referring to himself as a Van Gogh-sunflower. The artist has long been interested in a near-spiritual mode of art making: his barefoot series of painting reference both his childhood helping his family apply the clay material to the walls of his family adobe house, and a desire for physical contact with nature and materials.
Under Kazakh law those intending to protest must first notify the authorities, whatever the size of the action. It is believed Akhmadiyarov did not do this.
In 2013 Akhmedyarov showed at the Singapore Biennale, and exhibited at Protagonists – Invisible Pavilion of Kazakhstan, during the 56th Venice Biennale in 2016. Other exhibitions include a solo show at Astana National Museum and his work was included in Post-Nomadic Mind at the Wapping Power Station in London in 2018.
