ALMATY.- From May 7 to June 28, 2026, the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, will host the second edition of Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale: Rites of Eternal Wind.
Dedicated to sound and listening, the Triennale creates a space for a wide range of sonic practices without restricting them by institutional boundaries. Over the course of two months, Rites of Eternal Wind will host sound installations and live events, listening sessions and soundwalks, hybrid lectures, discussions and workshops, somatic performances and explorations of sonic environments where sound is absent or even impossible.
Curated by Änuar Düisenbinov, Madina Sadybekova, and Sattar Stas Shärifulla, the Triennale approaches the relationships between sound and wind through a triplicity of perspectives: observing wind as an acoustic phenomenon in search of something to resonate; documenting attempts to control the uncontrollable; and sensing its presence through absence—by listening closely to the faintest sounds, like breath and whisper: “Most cultures of the Global Majority are inherently aural, which means that traditions of music-making and oral storytelling are vital for passing knowledge through generations”, says Düisenbinov, a poet and spoken word artist himself, whose curatorial practice also includes running Tselinny’s publishing outlet. “Using this idea as a stepping stone in our approach, we started by asking ourselves how this aurality is usually represented in the conditions we exist in today. For most of the Triennale participants, this is also a central question in their work”.
“Traditional instruments make a good example here”, joins Shärifulla, a Bashqort researcher and artist who also curates Resynthesising the Traditional, an ongoing research project at CTM Festival that explores how musicians can critically engage with their sonic heritage. “Every instrument is a true work of art, perfected over hundreds of years in the hands of masters, each having a unique sonic palette that reflects the material it is made from and the land it belongs to, always intertwining with the history of that land. Nevertheless, in contemporary art and music, their voices are usually masked with effects and electronics, because what is called tradition is generally framed as something obsolete. In these contexts, it can only exist in ‘fusion’ with something ‘modern,’ often presented as an exotic element to spice up a piece of music or a performance. This strips away the transformative potential that traditional music always has, and its impact on society. And this is something we deeply disagree with”.
“Central Asia, Almaty in particular, has become home to many diasporas, but on very different terms,” explains Sadybekova. “This collectiveness is underscored in various interconnections, sometimes painful, which cannot be reduced to colonial frameworks of friendship between nations. Historically, there were those who didn’t come here as friends, and there were also those who didn’t want to come, but had to. So we have been thinking about all these foreign winds that brought them here, and how they made this place their new home—and how to convey this thought in the Triennale”.
“Tselinny is a space where contemporary culture in Central Asia can be produced, not just presented. It is a site of experimentation, where artistic practices are not only shown, but developed through dialogue, research, and collaboration across disciplines and communities. Through projects like the Korkut Triennale, this approach becomes especially visible: it is not simply an exhibition, but a living environment for listening—to histories, to bodies, to landscapes, and to each other. It creates conditions where sound becomes a way of sensing, remembering, and imagining collectively.” —Alima Kairat, Tselinny’s Artistic Director.
The second Korkut Sonic Arts Triennale, Rites of Eternal Wind, will last for eight weeks. It will be accompanied by a thematic film program, a discourse platform hosting roundtables, artist talks, and lectures, as well as special collaborations to be announced later in April.
Triennale participants: Aisha Orazbayeva, Aldana Duoraan, Ayesha Hameed, Azadbek Bekchanov, Bilawa Ade Respati, Bint Mbareh, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, Cevdet Erek, Cinna Peyghamy, Dana Iskakova, Intizor Otaniyozova, Jacques Madvo, Jazgul Madazimova, Impossible Territories, Karina Utomo, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Lyazzat Khanim, Lovozero, Medina Bazarğali, Mieko Shiomi, Nazira Omar, Noor Abed, Nurbäk Batulla, Raushan Orazbay, Rami Harrabi, Rustem Myrzakhmetov, Saadet Türköz, Sainkho Namtchylak, Samrattama, Sojung Jun, Şüräle, Tañsulpan Buraqaeva, Yermek Qazmūhambet, Zhanna Tulendy, Ziliä Qansurá.
