Kazakh Artist Gulnur Mukazhanova Reimagines Marco Polo at Ca' Giustinian
The second stop of the special project 'È il vento che fa il cielo', commemorating the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, opened at Ca' Giustinian in Venice. Curated by Luigia Lonardelli, the exhibition 'Gulnur Mukazhanova. Memory of Hope' runs until February 10, 2025. After the first leg in Hangzhou, China, the project now focuses on Kazakhstan through Mukazhanova's textile art. The artist, born in Semipalatinsk in 1984, creates a monumental installation using wool, silk fibers, and antique textiles without weaving—layering fibers to evoke Eurasian steppes. The work critiques globalization and post-Soviet identity, incorporating industrial fabrics from China and the USSR. A concurrent installation by Cevdet Erek, 'Amfibio', provides a modular space for workshops. The project will continue in Istanbul in autumn 2025.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Memory of Hope' by Gulnur Mukazhanova at Ca' Giustinian, Venice, until February 10, 2025.
- Part of the special project 'È il vento che fa il cielo' for the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death.
- Curated by Luigia Lonardelli.
- First leg was in Hangzhou, China, with exhibition 'Il sentiero perfetto' until January 10, 2025.
- Mukazhanova was born in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan in 1984.
- The installation uses wool, silk, and antique textiles without weaving, layering fibers.
- Materials include ikat fabric now mass-produced in China, and Soviet-era textiles.
- Cevdet Erek's 'Amfibio' installation is a modular space for workshops, with sound featuring Central Asian percussion.
- The project will continue in Istanbul in autumn 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Gulnur Mukazhanova
- Cevdet Erek
- Luigia Lonardelli
Institutions
- Archivio Storico della Biennale
- Biennale di Venezia
- Ca' Giustinian
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Hangzhou
- China
- Kazakhstan
- Semipalatinsk
- Berlin
- Germany
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Central Asia