The exhibition titled "Another Landscape. Art, History, Ecology," which opened at the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev, invites viewers to journey from a romantic perception of nature to an awareness of the ecological losses associated with human activity. The exhibition represents not only a visual array but also a trace of time reflecting the consequences of human decisions.
The uniqueness of the exhibition lies in its combination of paintings and graphics from museum collections with works by contemporary artists and photographers. This allows for a tracing of the evolution of landscape representation in art from the 1930s to the present day.
The exhibition is divided into five thematic blocks that explore how artists from Kyrgyzstan have approached the genre of landscape during different historical periods. Contemporary authors complement works from museum collections, creating a dialogue between the past and the present.
A multitude of the presented works dates back to the 1950s-1960s and demonstrates significant growth and development of that time.
Artists captured various aspects of life on their canvases: from infrastructure to agriculture, from urban and rural landscapes to scenes of everyday life, which had a tremendous impact on the appearance of Kyrgyzstan.
The sections of the exhibition cover five areas of human activity: settlements, agriculture, water resources, industry, and works by women artists. In addition to painting and graphics, photographs and video works are presented, emphasizing the consequences of urbanization and industrialization, primarily the damage inflicted on ecology.
Contemporary artists are rethinking the role of humans in nature, depicting them not as creators but as destructors or silent observers of ecological catastrophe.
Faces of Mountains and the Diminishing Glaciers
Elmyra Khasanova, a participant in the exhibition and an experienced guide working in remote corners of the country, shares that participating in the project is a great honor for her. Alongside her guiding work, she engages in creativity and photography, focusing not only on landscapes but also on portraits of people.
"I am interested in people's stories and culture. I seek portraits in addition to landscapes," Elmyra says.
Photo 24.kg. Elmyra Khasanova
After the pandemic, when the flow of tourists decreased, Elmyra tried to change the direction of her activities but soon realized that she could not live without traveling through her beloved Kyrgyzstan.
The nature of the republic inspires her, as she sees character and mood in the mountains similar to those of humans. She prefers storms and changeable weather to sunny calm.
Despite having visited many places, there is always something new to discover. I never cease to be amazed by this.
Elmyra Khasanova
She also speaks openly about ecological problems, especially in popular tourist spots, where trash leaves a destructive mark even on the most beautiful landscapes.
"Often tourists take their trash with them because it is impossible to be in dirt," Elmyra notes.
Discussing climate change, she emphasizes that the human factor also plays an important role: dust from dried deserts, including Kazakhstan, settles on glaciers and accelerates their melting.
Currently, Elmyra is working on an ambitious project — she plans to traverse part of the route of the German traveler Gottfried Merzbacher and document the changes in glaciers over more than a century. Merzbacher paved the way to the foot of Khan-Tengri in the early 20th century, calling this sacred peak the "father of the heavens" in Turkic tradition.
After studying archival photographs of Merzbacher, Elmyra was shocked by the scale of changes in the glacial landscape.
"It was shocking to see how much we have already lost," she admits.
Humans as a Trace
The exhibition is the result of collaboration between the museum and art enthusiasts from Western countries and represents an experiment at the intersection of culture and ecology. Under the auspices of an ecological program, the exhibition combines documentary projects dedicated to the impact of humans on the environment.
Documentary photographer Danil Usmanov presented a series of landscape photographs created over different years. Despite the visual differences, all works share one theme — the presence of humans.
Photo 24.kg. Danil Usmanov
These are photographs of nature taken at different times. But they all share humans. Even if people are not in the frame, it is still the consequences of their influence.
Danil Usmanov
His photographs depict gold mining in riverbeds, destroyed bridges after glacier collapses, as well as the consequences of global warming. He recalls how he returned to the site after a glacier collapse to document the changes.
The exhibition also features photographs of the Toktogul Reservoir, where the water level has noticeably decreased — another testament to climate change. A separate block highlights the ecological situation in the capital, where images of smog coexist with one of the most saturated series — images of the city dump.
"Today there is already an incineration plant there, whereas before it was a place with life, rules, and groups. Homeless people, families, workers, resellers — a whole world," Danil shares.
This series, according to him, became not just a documentary fixation, but an attempt to show social and ecological realities without embellishment — as it was before its disappearance.
Landscape as a Witness of Time
The curator of the exhibition, Alima Tokmergenova, notes that the museum actively collaborates with foreign researchers. Specialists come for scientific work, including writing dissertations. As part of this collaboration, Stephanie Dvoretskas, a researcher from the Massachusetts and Chicago universities studying the art of Kyrgyzstan, visited the museum.
During the exchange of experiences between Stephanie, Alima Tokmergenova, and the exhibition's associate Meirim Emil kyzy, the idea of creating a new exhibition emerged.
We thought, what if we make an exhibition about landscapes and look at it from different angles — not only as an image of beautiful places but also as a witness to the changes in the landscape from the 1930s to the present?
Alima Tokmergenova
Unlike artists from past eras, who often romanticized reality, contemporary authors strive to speak honestly — without embellishments. The curator notes that even in alarming documentary photographs, there remains hope for the future.
The exhibition includes works from museum collections — a collection of paintings and graphics that are usually kept in closed storage and accessible to the public only during exhibitions.
"Looking at these photographs, there is hope that people will think about nature and ecology," emphasizes Alima Tokmergenova.
The exhibition "Another Landscape. Art, History, Ecology" will be available to visitors until February 25.
