The Institute of Fine Arts
Central Asia Initiative

Maryamgul Yesken

Maryamgul Yesken is a curator and researcher focused on contemporary and modern art of Kazakhstan. She was a research assistant for the opening exhibition of the Almaty Museum of Arts Qonaqtar (2025), curated by Inga Lace. She has also contributed to Almagul Menlibayeva’s retrospective exhibition I Understand Everything (2025), curated by Gridthiya Gaweewong, where she managed the documentation and labeling of the exhibition’s archival materials. Among her recent curatorial projects is the exhibition Baqsylyq (2025), which explored the connections between contemporary Central Asian cultural heritage and the historical and sociological concept of shamanism. The exhibition featured artworks by Moldakul Narymbetov, Saule and Alibay Bapanov, Almagul Menlibayeva, Bakhyt Bubikanova, Abdrashit Sydykhanov and others.