Kazakhstan debuts 'Qoñyr' at Venice Biennale

Kazakhstan opened its national pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia on May 9 with “Qoñyr: The Archive of Silence,” a show that ties contemporary art to Kazakh cosmology, musical tradition and historical memory. La Biennale lists the pavilion at Museo Storico Navale, Castello 2148, with free entrance from Tuesday to Sunday through Nov. 22. The exhibition is curated by Syrlybek Bekbota and commissioned by Aida Balayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and minister of culture and information. ### Why is “Qoñyr” the organizing idea of the pavilion? La Biennale describes “Qoñyr” as a key concept in Kazakh cosmology that refers not only to a color but also to a sonic register, the scent of earth and an attentiveness to faint vibrations, breath and wind. The official pavilion text says the curatorial inquiry begins with Äbiken Khasenov’s küy “Qoñyr,” a traditional musical composition used here as a way to approach historical trauma without monumentalizing it. (labiennale.org) The Biennale text says the exhibition turns toward an “Archive of Silence,” meaning forms of memory that do not harden into ideological narratives but continue through body, voice and landscape. That framing links the pavilion directly to the Biennale’s 2026 main exhibition, “In Minor Keys,” organized under the late curator Koyo Kouoh. (labiennale.org) ### Who is in the show, and how was the team chosen? La Biennale names nine exhibitors in the pavilion: Ardak Mukanova, Akmaral Mergen, ADYR-ASPAN, Anar Aubakir, Asel Kadyrkhanova, Smail Bayaliyev, Nurbol Nurakhmet, Mansur Smagambetov and Oralbek Kaboke. ADYR-ASPAN is the collaborative practice of Gulmaral Tattibayeva and Natalia Ligay. (labiennale.org) Canvas reported on March 20 that the artists and curator were selected through an open call, which it described as the first time a Central Asian country had chosen representatives for its national pavilion that way. The same report said the pavilion would present a joint exhibition under Bekbota’s curatorship at the Museo Storico Navale. (labiennale.org) ### What does visitors actually encounter inside the pavilion? The Astana Times reported on May 17 that the pavilion is arranged as a sequential journey through six halls. The report said visitors first enter through a sound-based installation and then move into a monumental felt installation centered on the horse, which it described as a sacred symbol in nomadic culture. (canvasonline.com) The Astana Times said one of the central installations, “Steppe Architectonics,” was made by Smail Bayaliyev, Akmaral Mergen, Gulmaral Tatibai and Natalia Ligai and combines horse figures, hoof sounds and steppe grass. Bekbota told the publication that felt, a material associated with yurts and everyday nomadic life, takes on monumental scale in the show. (astanatimes.com) ### How does Kazakhstan place this pavilion in a broader cultural context? The Astana Times reported that Kazakhstan is taking part in the official Venice Biennale program for the third time. Vice Minister of Culture and Information Aibek Sydykov said at the opening ceremony that the Biennale is a leading cultural platform and that Kazakhstan’s participation is a chance to add its voice to global cultural dialogue. (astanatimes.com) La Biennale said on March 4 that the 2026 edition includes 100 national participations and 31 collateral events. Kazakhstan’s pavilion is part of that national participation program rather than the list of first-time countries announced by the Biennale for this edition. ### Where is the pavilion, and how long is it on view? (astanatimes.com) La Biennale lists Kazakhstan’s pavilion at Museo Storico Navale, Castello 2148, in Venice. The institution says the pavilion is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., from May 9 to Nov. 22, with free admission. The 61st International Art Exhibition itself runs from Saturday, May 9, 2026, to Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, across the Giardini, the Arsenale and other sites in Venice, according to La Biennale. (labiennale.org) Kazakhstan’s pavilion remains on that schedule at the Museo Storico Navale through the close of the exhibition on Nov. 22. (labiennale.org 1) (labiennale.org 2)