Mythoecologization of Artistic Subjects and Themes in the Tapestries of Raushan Bazarbayeva

Abstract

Mytho-ecologization of tapestry subjects and themes in contemporary textile art is one of the most important trends in the future development of this art type. The masters of contemporary Kazakh tapestry imbue their works with the content that does not only depict one-dimensional beauty or ugliness of the environment but also transmit such meanings as the everlasting value, uniqueness, necessity, fragility and the vital need to reconsider human place in these circumstances. This paper provides an art historical analysis of the tapestries created by the famous Kazakh textile artist Raushan Bazarbayeva, whose work is characterized by the mythoecologization of compositional subjects, the poetic quality of her visual language and the veneration of beauty and promotion of a harmonious co-existence between humans and their environment. We demonstrate that the key to understand such works is to interpret them through the combined lens of rootedness in traditional past and sensitivity to current environmental challenges.