‘The Story of the Great Mountains’ Exhibition Opens During Nomad Games

A major exhibition of Kyrgyz painting and sculpture has joined the programme of the VI World Nomad Games, bringing visual art into an event otherwise centred on sporting competitions.

“The Story of the Great Mountains” presents 45 paintings, while sculpture compositions have been installed at the Kurmanjan Datka Museum of Nomadic Civilizations in the village of Ornok. The works come from teachers and graduates of the Kyrgyz State Academy of Arts named after Turgunbai Sadykov.

The exhibition explores the country’s nomadic civilization through images of yurts, migration, horses, the komuz, hunting, equestrian contests, martial arts, labour and everyday life. The Culture Ministry said the aim is to show the history, culture, worldview and spiritual heritage of the Kyrgyz people through painting and sculpture.

Some works draw on the writings of Chingiz Aitmatov. Their themes include the mankurt, memory and human dignity, presenting the preservation of links between people, their community and their roots as a central concern. The World Nomad Games began in Cholpon-Ata and will continue until September 6, alongside more than 800 cultural events planned over six days.

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The main aim of the exhibition is to broadly reveal through painting and sculpture the history, culture, worldview and spiritual heritage of the Kyrgyz people, formed over the centuries.