Horse-ing Around 2

The Best In Central Asia

Manisha recommended I go to the Abikan Kasteev State Art Museum, and the art in there was some of the best I've seen for a long time, probably for this whole trip. And I've been to a lot of galleries.

This particular art museum is regarded as the best collection of works in the whole of Central Asia, and after being so blown away by the quality of the works, I'm pretty sure that's not an exaggeration.

This wonderful gentleman greeted me outside

The Kazakh coat of arms. The middle circle represents the traditional design of the top of a yurt, called the crown, and the figures on the left and right are stylised winged horses.

The first part of the museum is dedicated to Kazakh clothing, felting, carpet and jewellery design. Some of it is totally stunning.

The tall hat in the middle is a traditional wedding hat for a woman.

Here's a selection of the beautiful works.

Charyn Canyon. I visited this place a couple of times later on.

Stunning carpets, an important part of the yurt culture. As is the felt, which lines yurt walls.

Embroidered muso

A portrait of Kenesary Kasymov, a leader of the Kazakh independence movement in the mid 1800s. The local Kazakhs weren't keen on Russian rule even way back then. The artist is Abikhan Kasteev, after whom the whole art museum is named.

Mulling it over

Forced kidnapping of girls. Unfortunately, bride kidnapping and child marriage is still a thing in Kazakhstan, even these days, despite its illegality. It happens in other countries in Central Asia too, and appears to be increasing in some places. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, it's estimated that a whopping 30% of weddings are the result of bride kidnappings.

Incredible, but true.

Sometimes the kidnappings occur as a way of the groom's family avoiding having to pay the dowry to the bride's family, the "bride price," and the act sometimes has the tacit approval of the bride's family. Wedding costs are often unaffordably high, and this practice saves money for both families.

In the case of a genuine kidnapping however, traditionally the young woman does still have the right to refuse, if she can weather hours of haranguing by the groom's female family members, who attempt to make her wear a symbolic bridal headscarf. But often she'll succumb, fearing an implied shame (or worse) if she refuses, and the girl's family, once contacted, often pressure her to agree to the marriage.

Must be so much fun being a young woman here.

This bride has been purchased. Looks happy, doesn't she. I hope her leering older husband-to-be falls off his horse, which then kicks him smack bang in his nether regions, causing permanent limpitis.

Portrait of Zhambyl Zhabayuly, a famous Kazakh dombra player and folk singer. He apparently wrote lots of pro-Soviet songs, and even wrote songs praising Stalin. But some Kazakh researchers dispute that, and say that Russian poets actually created those works, and that Zhambyl was named as the author in order to persuade ordinary Kazakhs to support the Soviets.

How I feel after a particularly brutal day of cycling (but without a ballerina on my nose).

Steppin' through the steppe

All bottled up

The "Virgin" Mary with a fully grown baby Jesus

"Abandoned child"

Portrait of a young man

"Crossing the pass" by a Georgian artist

Soviet era works

I caught this guy steeling my bike

"Try not to worry too much daddy, we've still got loads of chooks."

You Ain't Nothin' But A Hound Wolf

Another beautiful depiction of the saukele, the bridal hat

No need for a stool to milk these beasts

Sittin' around jammin' and havin' a few quieties (of mare's milk).

Laundresses

Striking a rigid posture

Furry tales

Turkmeni women creating another mistresspiece

Uzbek work

There was a whole gallery of amazing manga works by Japanese artist Kaoru Mori, from her latest series, "The Story Of The Bride," which is set in Turkic Central Asia.

"What!! You want me to marry that old wrinkly guy??!! No bloody way!!! You can stick that idea right up yer Khyber Pass!!!"

"Oh alright then dad. I'll be a domestic and sex slave for some random old guy for the rest of my life. Just for you. Please don't beat me again though."

Sob, sob. "Why couldn't I just have been born in Japan, to become a single, independent hippy artist with loads of time to just hang around and play with my fingernails?"

Why indeed?

Life isn't fair, it's a puzzle. And a lottery, with quite poor odds for many people.

Aah, anyway, it was an absolute treat to walk around the art museum like a single, independent hippy artist, playing with what's left of my fingernails, and admiring the consistently high quality of the works.

I came out feeling pensive, and inspired, and felt I'd learnt so much about Kazakh culture.

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Go to Part 3