The word is one of the oldest means through which humans have sought to understand and transform the world around them. Through words, people have given names, addressed the gods, spoken spells and prayers, passed on knowledge, and told stories. For a long time, poetry was not only an art form, but also a way of engaging with what lies beyond everyday experience.

What has happened to this function of the word today? And what remains of its sacred and metaphysical power in contemporary poetry?

At the lecture “Poetry and Metaphysics,” we will explore the history of world poetry and how our relationship with the word has changed — from ritual formulas and prayers to contemporary poetic texts. We will discuss how poetry has been connected to religious, philosophical, and cultural practices throughout history, and what role these connections continue to play today.

Lecturer: Ivan Poltoratsky is a poet, philologist, and teacher. He graduated from the Department of Philology at Novosibirsk State University in 2011 and worked at the Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He leads seminars on poetry and poetic prose at the Almaty Open Literary School (OLSHA). He is the author of several books of poetry and prose.

Participation is free with prior registration.

Language: Russian

The lecture is part of ARTBAT FEST, a contemporary art festival in Almaty. The theme of the 2026 festival is “Poetry as the Power of the Word.”

The lecture will take place at Atelier at 2PM.

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