ARUHAN (GAUKHAR BISSENGALIYEVA)
ARUHAN (GAUKHAR BISSENGALIYEVA)
is a metamodern artist from Kazakhstan.
Aruhan (Gaukhar Bissengaliyeva) is a metamodern artist from Kazakhstan. She began her career in the international music industry, collaborating with major global labels such as SONY BMG, EMI, and Toccata Classics, and organizing orchestral performances in the world’s leading concert halls: Carnegie Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), St James Church (London), Sumida Triphony Hall (Japan), and NCPA (India).
From 2003 to 2007, she participated in organizing an international violin competition in Uralsk. Her contribution to the music industry also includes recordings of successful musical albums, among them Venezia with Juliet Pochin ... read more
From 2003 to 2007, she participated in organizing an international violin competition in Uralsk. Her contribution to the music industry also includes recordings of successful musical albums, among them Venezia with Juliet Pochin ... read more
More artworks
More artworks
BIO
Aruhan (Gaukhar Bissengaliyeva) is a metamodern artist from Kazakhstan. She began her career in the international music industry, collaborating with major global labels such as SONY BMG, EMI, and Toccata Classics, and organizing orchestral performances in the world’s leading concert halls: Carnegie Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), St James Church (London), Sumida Triphony Hall (Japan), and NCPA (India).
From 2003 to 2007, she participated in organizing an international violin competition in Uralsk. Her contribution to the music industry also includes recordings of successful musical albums, among them Venezia with Juliet Pochin, as well as Tlep and Requiem in collaboration with Sir Karl Jenkins.
Today, Aruhan focuses on creating unique felt artworks that combine contemporary artistic approaches with ancient felting traditions. Her practice explores the philosophy of the steppe—a space of silence, matter, memory, and inner strength that shaped the worldview of generations of nomads.
Since 2024, she has been a founder-contributor to the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She conducted extensive research searching for archival photographic and film materials on the origins of felt craftsmanship and the life and everyday culture of her ancestors. The result of this research is an archive of photographic materials, audio documents, and a documentary film.
The artist’s works have been displayed in the collections of Wetherby Town Hall (UK), the International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Kazakhstan, as well as in private collections in the UK, Switzerland, and Italy.
Aruhan (Gaukhar Bissengaliyeva) is a metamodern artist from Kazakhstan. She began her career in the international music industry, collaborating with major global labels such as SONY BMG, EMI, and Toccata Classics, and organizing orchestral performances in the world’s leading concert halls: Carnegie Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), St James Church (London), Sumida Triphony Hall (Japan), and NCPA (India).
From 2003 to 2007, she participated in organizing an international violin competition in Uralsk. Her contribution to the music industry also includes recordings of successful musical albums, among them Venezia with Juliet Pochin, as well as Tlep and Requiem in collaboration with Sir Karl Jenkins.
Today, Aruhan focuses on creating unique felt artworks that combine contemporary artistic approaches with ancient felting traditions. Her practice explores the philosophy of the steppe—a space of silence, matter, memory, and inner strength that shaped the worldview of generations of nomads.
Since 2024, she has been a founder-contributor to the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She conducted extensive research searching for archival photographic and film materials on the origins of felt craftsmanship and the life and everyday culture of her ancestors. The result of this research is an archive of photographic materials, audio documents, and a documentary film.
The artist’s works have been displayed in the collections of Wetherby Town Hall (UK), the International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Kazakhstan, as well as in private collections in the UK, Switzerland, and Italy.
ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Creation of felt artworks using natural materials such as steppe grasses, wood, and seeds, combining a contemporary artistic language with ancient felting techniques.
By exploring the materiality of felt, the artist discovered a new volumetric and spatial perception of her works. Rays of light passing through layers of felt and natural materials create a new spatial 3D model, revealing the structure of fibers and the interweaving of different materials in space, making her works appear “transparent.”
Research conducted in the collection of the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan revealed a deep connection with the ancestors of the nomadic people. Through this connection, her works are imbued with memory, time, and respect for her roots.
Creation of felt artworks using natural materials such as steppe grasses, wood, and seeds, combining a contemporary artistic language with ancient felting techniques.
By exploring the materiality of felt, the artist discovered a new volumetric and spatial perception of her works. Rays of light passing through layers of felt and natural materials create a new spatial 3D model, revealing the structure of fibers and the interweaving of different materials in space, making her works appear “transparent.”
Research conducted in the collection of the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan revealed a deep connection with the ancestors of the nomadic people. Through this connection, her works are imbued with memory, time, and respect for her roots.
CV
Education and Professional Development:
Exhibitions and Festivals:
2025
Education and Professional Development:
- 2025 — Course in Cultural Studies, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
- 2025 — Participant of the Round Table “The Role of Women in Kazakh Steppe Culture,” Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings, Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- 2024 — Creation of the documentary film “Heritage of the Great Steppe.”
- 2024 — Research work in the фонд (collection) of the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents and Sound Recordings, Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
- 2024 — Course by Yulia Sysalova, “How to Build a Path to Success as an Artist,” Online Art Communication School.
- 2021 — Art masterclasses with artist Armat Bektas.
- 2021 — Training in felt clothing design with designer Kamila Suleimenova.
Exhibitions and Festivals:
2025
- Aruhan: “Felt and Light” — Solo exhibition at TSE Art Destination × Sheraton Gallery, Astana.
- Aruhan: “Felt, Memory and Silence” — Solo exhibition at TSE Art Destination × Luxury House Gallery, Astana.
- Solo exhibition “Heritage of the Great Steppe,” A. Kasteev State Museum of Arts, Almaty.
- Solo exhibition “From Steppe to the City,” Wetherby Art Festival, Wetherby Town Hall, United Kingdom.
- Solo exhibition “Transformation and Rebirth,” Sal-Seri Gallery, Astana.
- Participation in Inspire Fest, American Corner & Makerspace, supported by the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan.
- Arts Festival, Wetherby, United Kingdom.
- Group exhibition, Sh. Sariyev Regional Museum, Atyrau.
- Group exhibition, Sal-Seri Gallery, Astana.
- Joint exhibition with Marat Bisengaliev, Exhibition Center, Almaty.
Gallery of the Artist’s Publications and Exhibitions
Interview with Aruhan (Gaukhar Bissengaliyeva) about her solo exhibition and project “Aruhan: Felt, Memory and Silence”, presented at the Astana Art Destination gallery (Luxury House, Astana)