Kazakhstan’s national pavilion to Feature QOÑYR: An Archive of Silence project at 61st Biennale
The Ministry of Culture and Information has announced the results of the curatorial competition for Kazakhstan’s national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale 2026, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the ministry, Syrlybek Bekbotayev’s project “QOÑYR: An Archive of Silence” was selected as the winner.
The 61st Venice Biennale will be held from May 9 to November 22, 2026.
The competition was held as part of efforts to establish a transparent and sustainable practice for preparing the national pavilion. Applications were accepted for one month. The selection process took place in two stages: expert evaluation of the materials and online interviews with the finalists.
Evaluation was carried out across three categories: Conceptual integrity (up to 25 points), Management and implementation (up to 20 points), and Experience, ethics, and sustainability (up to 20 points).
Each question was scored from 1 to 5, with the final result determined by the total sum.
The selection commission comprised local and international experts in contemporary art, theatre, and music, along with representatives from the academic community and state museums.
The competition was announced in November 2025. Its goal was to select a conceptually and artistically coherent project that reflects the theme of the 2026 Biennale, “In Minor Keys”, and represents contemporary Kazakhstani art on the international stage.
Curators and curatorial groups - citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan with curatorial experience - were invited to participate, with priority given to the candidates working and residing in Kazakhstan.
Syrlybek Bekbotayev, an artist and curator, lives and works in Astana. His practice engages with themes of memory and cultural heritage. In 2025, he graduated from the Eurasian National Gumilyov University with a degree in Cultural Studies.
