Erbossyn Meldibekov was born in 1964 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan and graduated from the Almaty Theater and Art Institute and currently lives and works in Almaty. Meldibekov’s practice is informed by the post-Soviet situation and the “collapse of culture” in Central Asia , namely his native Kazakhstan where a system of political and social disarray exists between rivaling political and commercial tribes over the distribution of power and wealth.
He also examines the collapse of civility within a post 9/11 environment citing references from the on-going conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq and drawing on Central Asia ’s epic historical past and conquests that have accumulated a sea of “heroic” monuments throughout the region.
His ideas are deployed via a range of diverse mediums such as video, performance, architecture and installation offering his viewers absurd, heroic and humorous visual interpretations of human interplay
Sculptor, author of objects, video- and photo-artist.
Born in 1964 in Tulkubas railroad station, South-Kazakhstan Oblast. Currently lives in Almaty.
1987-1992
Almaty Theater and Fine Arts Institute, Department of Monumental Sculpture
Personal Exhibitions
1997
“Kazakh style kitch”, Kokserek Gallery, Almaty, Kazakhstan
2006
“Hipermuclim”, Gelman gellery, Moskow, Russia
“Pastan”, Nina Lumer gellery, Milan, Itali
“Pastan”, Folker Dill, Berlin, Germany
2007
“Centauromachy”, Soros Center for Contemporary Art – Almaty, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Major Group Exhibitions
1998
“Asia yesterday-today-tomorrow”, Benteng Vredeburg museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
First Annual Exhibition of the Soros Center for Contemporary art “Self-identification:
“25 Salon Mladin”, Zagreb, Croatia
“Chimeras”, Marat Guelman’s Gallery, Moscow, Russia
1999
“Tlen – I do not know such a country”, Directorship of Art Exhibitions, Almaty, Kazakhstan
2001
“Le tribu dell’ Arte”, City Gallery of Modern Art, Rome, Italy
“Art Moskow”, Guelman’s Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2002
“No mad’s land”, House of World Cultures, Berlin, Germany
“Politik-um. New engagement”, Prazhski Grad, Prague, Czech Republic
“Re-orientation”, ACC Gallery, Weimar, Germany
“Trans Forma”. Center for Contemporary Art, Geneva, Switzerland
2004
“Pueblos y Sombras”, CANAIA Gallery, Mexico-city, Mexico
“Privatisierungen”, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
“Ideas in Motion” Videodays-2, Cinema Flora Atelier, Florence, Italy
2005
“Contemporary Arhive” 51st Venice Bienalle, Central Asian pavilion, Palazzo Pisani, Venice, Italy
“The Tamerlan’s Syndrome” Palazzo dei Sette, Orvieto, Italy
2006
“Sztuka z Azji Centralnej”, Yazdovskyi Castle, Warsaw, Poland
“Contested Spaces of Post-Soviet Art”, Sidney Mishkin gallery, New York, USA
“Barrel.kz”, Ctnter for Contemporary Art-Almaty, Kazakhstan
2007
“Оттепель, или In the middle of the road. К 15-летию Галереи М. Гельмана”, Русский музей, Санкт-Петербург, Россия
“Time of the Storytellers” - Kiasma - Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
“Дневник художника”, Московская биеналле, ЦДХ, Москва, Россия
Awards
2000
First Prize of International Jury of the Second Annual Exhibition of SCCA “Communications:Experience of Interaction”
2008
«Halluzination» Kunstverein Rosenheim (Germany)
«ShContemporary 08» Shanghai (China)
«4 –ая Международная видеоАрт» биеналл, Израил.
«The Asian Contemporary Art Fair New York» New York, USA
«Allucinazione» Galleria Nina Lumer , Italy, Milan
2009
« Halluzination », KnollGallerieWien, (Wien, Austria)
« Lille 3000 Tri Postal », (Paris, France)
