A contemporary Kazakhstani artist, member of the Union of Designers of Kazakhstan (since 1987) and the Union of Artists of Kazakhstan (since 2003). Her works include painting, graphic art, performances, installations, objects, photography, and video art. Key methods include expressionism, drama, poetry, fragility, ornamentation, and metaphor. Key themes are internal conflict, the search for self-identity, dreams, the subconscious, and the female experience.
The artist graduated from the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts (Faculty of Decorative and Applied Arts, specialising in graphic design, 1977–1982). After graduating, she worked as the head of the Graphic Design Department at the Kazakh National Academy of Arts named after Temirbek Zhurgenov (Almaty, 1982–1989).
G. Chagatayeva’s practice is based on objective reality: encountering it provokes viewers to relive their personal emotional experiences (“Surge,” 2004). The rhythm of composition and colour spots creates a distinct space that each person forms in their own way — in contact with their subconscious and imagination (“Tide,” 2008; “Blues I,” 2006). The artist reflects on the interaction between humans and their surrounding space with irony, offering them the role of submissive or detached observers of an hourglass (“Earth, Bow Down to Man,” 2006). In the same context, she explores the place of art, considering one of the ancient, fragile, and poetic forms of traditional Chinese art — origami (“Paper Sculpture,” 2020).
G. Chagatayeva’s artworks have been exhibited in Kazakhstan and abroad: the 1st Republican Exhibition of Contemporary Art (Congress Centre, Astana, 2000), the Biennale of Contemporary Graphics (Novosibirsk, 2001), the “Tengri-Umai” International Festival (Almaty, 2002), “We Are the People of Kazakhstan” (SCCA, Almaty, 2006), “Echo” (Ular Gallery, Almaty, 2014), “Bread and Roses: Four Generations of Kazakh Women Artists” (Berlin, 2018), “Eight and a Half” (Esentai Gallery, Almaty, 2020), and the “New Year’s Art Fair” and “Spring Art Fair” (Esentai Gallery, Almaty, 2023–2024).
Information about G. Chagatayeva is stored in the Documentation project collection — the archive of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art – Almaty (SCCA).
Photograph provided by Gainy Chagatayeva