Art Connects Generations: A day visiting Tansykbaev's retrospective in Almaty.

Last week, Aselle and I had the opportunity to visit the retrospective exhibition of the artist Ural Tansykbaev, at the Abylkhan Kasteyev State Museum of Arts in Almaty.

The exhibition, which ends today, presented 78 works drawn from museums all across Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, covering all stages of the artists's career.

Tansykbaev, who died in 1974, is one of the few Central Asian artists who successfully captured the landscapes of this part of the world with a perfect blend of color and passion.

His vision, originating from Uzbekistan, looks uniquely Central Asian. It might sound cliché, but there truly is something extraordinary about these impossible landscapes and endless horizons—particularly in his skilful fusion of the region's artistic traditions and that unique way Soviet painters had of observing the world.

In short, it was wonderful. Here are some photos I took of Aselle at the exhibition.

Today, June 1st, is Children's Day in Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. A good moment to remind how important imagination and intellectual curiosity are for the education of future generations.

We sometimes overlook their importance. We shouldn't.

There’s an anecdote (apocryphal or not) that when Winston Churchill was urged to redirect arts funding towards the war effort during World War II, his reply was: “Then what would we be fighting for?”

Protecting and defending the arts is a critical part of our mission as a nation and as citizens.