The opening of the “Enchanted” exhibition featuring the works of a young Kazakh artist Assel Sargaskayeva took place in a central London studio on Conduit Street right next door to the legendary Sketch restaurant. For her, this is the first solo exhibition in London. The name of the project conveys the meaning of the series of paintings presented at the exhibition — it is the exploration of the mystical beginning, the sacral role of female images in religion and culture, as well as the artist’s personal spiritual outlook.
Among more than 20 works presented at the opening night are “The Mystery of the Flying Woman”, a Diptych “Birth of a Family”, mystical “Pyramid” and other works. Assel Sargaskaeva notices the properties of signs, symbols and objects, explores her feelings, sensations and conveys them through artistic means. At the opening of the exhibition Assel shared her story about the creation of “Self-Portrait”— the painting that was started back in 2018 depicts a face made in black pencil, framed on almost all sides by coloured patterns-lines that createa“puzzle”— the inner world of the artist.
Working with the physical properties of materials and styles, the artist creates visual connections between her work and a viewer. In some ways, Assel’s magical worlds resemble the late works of the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. They radiate individual, bright energy, warmth and optimism. The artist herself calls her style “lyrical abstraction with elements of design.”
“All that unites them is the East, my homeland. Since childhood, my father, and then the whole family, called me Assel — the Star of the East. For a very long time I signed my paintings this way. I consider it important to spread the culture of the East and I want to bring its peculiarities to the West through my paintings. Each of the themes of the exhibition is consonant with my mission — to talk about the importance of balance in the relationship between a man and a woman, as well as to reveal the value of Kazakhstan’s culture abroad,” says Assel Sargaskayeva.
For Assel this exhibition is the second one I her life. Before that, she worked in finance for many years, but always dreamed of devoting herself to art. And the artist managed to do so — she created a truly memorable individual style. Simultaneously, Assel continues her entrepreneurial engagements. Today she lives between two countries — her native Kazakhstan and the USA, where she has started her own project in the Silicon Valley.
Assel Sargaskaeva’s debut exhibition took place earlier this fall in Kazakhstan. The artist will stay in London only for the duration of the exhibition. However, her nomadic lifestyle does not hinder her work: one can see that her paintings reflect the spirit of someone who has lived in different countries. She plans to hold further exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Sochi and Beijing. Assel refers to this around-the-world journey of her paintings “her very own silk road.”
