The extended weekend of December 15-18 is all about meditative contemplation of either art, plot, and history, or the combination of the three. In Astana, the Mambetov Theater troupe will stage an epic about the lives of Kazakh intelligentsia at the dawn of the past century. In Almaty, the indie music festival BALAMA is ready for the Japanese city pop vibes of Kate NV, while Karagandy will celebrate its extensive history of German, Russian, and Kazakh artists.
Check out this and more events in the list by QazMonitor below.
Astana
Nothing Serious (연애 빠진 로맨스, dir. Jeong Ga-young) screening
Nothing is going right for Ja-young, and after a nasty breakup, she decides to give up on dating. But that loneliness creep pushes her to create an account on a dating app, and just like that, she is back in the game! The question is, who will she meet on Lunar New Year's Day, and what will it take for her to finally open up?
NOTE: The movie will be screened in Korean with English subtitles.
Date: December 15, 4:00 p.m.
Address: Korean Culture Center, Imanov Street 13
Entrance: Free
Alash Zholy play
At the dawn of the past century, Kazakh intelligentsia has grown into a politically progressive force. It not only began advocating for autonomy within Russia but also addressed long-standing issues within patriarchal Kazakh society. The names of Alikhan Bokeykhan, Akhmet Baitursynuly, and Mirzhakyp Dulatov have been etched into the annals of Central Asia as progressive thinkers.
NOTE: The play will be staged in Kazakh.
Date: December 16, 6:00 p.m.
Address: Nomad City Hall, Mangilik Yel Avenue B2.3
Entrance: ₸1,500
Alpamys opera by Yerkegali Rakhmadiyev
The time has come for Mother Earth to bestow upon her son, Alpamys, a sword, blessing him for a journey to end the suffering of the land eternal. Now, he must save everything he holds dear from the cruel grasp of Taishik Khan.
NOTE: The opera will be staged in Kazakh with synchronized Russian and English surtitles.
Dates: December 16-17, 5:00 p.m.
Address: Astana Opera, Dinmukhamed Qonayev Street 1
Entrance: ₸1,500–₸6,000
Almaty
History of Beshbarmak: National Identity and Politics lecture by Aliya Bolatkhan
There's this dish we used to call beshbarmak, and it's quite popular around these parts… Wait a minute, ”used to call”, you say? What else could it possibly be called? This is the question that historian Aliya Bolatkhan will explore in her lecture on Kazakh cuisine, the colonial past, and the notion of decoloniality in Kazakhstan.
NOTE: The lecture will be conducted in Russian.
Date: November 15, 4:00 p.m.
Address: Center of Contemporary Culture Tselinny, Zheltoksan Street 137
Entrance: Free
BALAMA Showcase: Kate NV concert
This Friday, Kate NV will transport the Almaty crowd to the Japanese city pop scene straight out of the '80s. Get ready for a psychedelic trip accompanied by PS1 graphics, incomprehensible visual plots, and just a hint of indie rock.
Date: December 15, 9:00 p.m.
Address: Anklav Bar, Zenkov Street 24
Entrance: ₸9,000
JaQut exhibition by Zhakyp Kuttybek
Unique relief works on fur are a trademark of Zhakyp Kuttybek’s distinct style. His works are a perfect complement to modern interiors, even though they frequently explore themes from ancient nomad mythology and the scenes depicted on petroglyphs.
Date: until January 14
Address: Abylkhan Kasteyev Museum of Arts, Microdistrict Koktem-3, 22/1
Entrance: ₸200–₸700
Karagandy
Karagandy Artists' Exhibition
The Miners’ City artists will come together to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Artists Union, once again bringing to the forefront the works of Sergey Shchegolikhin, Aibek Begalin, Theodor Herzen, and many others. The city’s art life is a fusion of German, Russian, and Kazakh art influences, where realistic canvases are juxtaposed with modernist pieces rooted in pure color expression.
Last year, QazMonitor had the opportunity to interview one of the artists, Aibek Begalin, whose works encompass an impressive range of styles. The exquisite detail of still life in his works neighbors bizarre fantastical imagery reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch.
Date: until December 25
Address: Karagandy Museum of Fine Arts, Bukhar Zhyrau Avenue 76
Entrance: ₸100–₸1,000
