Lyazzat Khanim - exhibitions

before I leave

March, 2023 — May, 2023

Aspan Gallery, Almaty/Kazakhstan

Aspan Gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of Lyazzat Khanim titled "before i leave.”

As a visual artist, Lyazzat Khanim explores the image and its transformations as it transitions from photography to painting, from the material to the digital, and back again. In her works, she captures excerpts from everyday reality and invites contemplation about what lies hidden behind them.

"before i leave" — what do we do before we leave, and what do we leave behind? The exhibition is divided into two parts: first, we enter the artist's personal space through details of her home interior, and then into the public realm — the familiar surroundings of the world, often paradoxical. An illusion of the artist's presence is created thanks to photorealistic, life-sized images. It's as though she guides us through the exhibition; here and there, we glimpse her reflections and shadows. Along with her, we confirm that the stove is turned off, the locks are closed, and on the windowsill, according to äje's (grandmother in Kazakh) behest, lies a knife. Through her eyes, we observe the preservation of what we leave behind.

Dana Iskakova