Visual Culture of the Turkestan-Siberia Railroad Explored in ARTMargins Article
An article in ARTMargins Volume 14, Issue 2, pages 39-59, published on June 25, 2025, analyzes the visual representation of the Turkestan-Siberia Railroad (Turksib) and its impact on perceptions of infrastructure and environmental change. It examines Victor Turin's 1929 film Turksib alongside American maps, Soviet periodicals, and paintings by artists Victor Ufimtsev and Abilkhan Kasteyev. The study situates Turksib within global infrastructural imaginaries and Soviet kolonizatsiya politics, linking it to forced modernization, nomadic sedentarization, and environmental degradation. The article argues that this visual history aestheticized industrial expansion while desensitizing audiences to human and ecological costs, solidifying the railroad as a symbol of Soviet modernity. The content is available via MIT Press with a DOI of 10.1162/artm_a_00412, though access is subscription-only.
Key facts
- The article was published on June 25, 2025 in ARTMargins Volume 14, Issue 2, pages 39-59.
- It examines the Turkestan-Siberia Railroad (Turksib) through visual culture including film, painting, and print media.
- Victor Turin's 1929 film Turksib is a key focus of analysis.
- Artworks by Victor Ufimtsev and Abilkhan Kasteyev are discussed.
- The study connects Turksib to Soviet kolonizatsiya politics, forced modernization, and environmental degradation.
- It argues that visual representations aestheticized industrial expansion while desensitizing audiences to human and ecological costs.
- The article is available via MIT Press with a DOI of 10.1162/artm_a_00412, but access is subscription-only.
- Turksib is framed as a symbol of Soviet modernity within global infrastructural imaginaries.
Entities
Artists
- Victor Turin
- Victor Ufimtsev
- Abilkhan Kasteyev
- Anel Rakhimzhanova
Institutions
- ARTMargins
- MIT Press
Locations
- Kazakh steppe
- Soviet Union