Aziza SHADENOVA

Aziza SHADENOVA

Aziza Shadenova is a Kazakh artist born in Uzbekistan who works in painting, photography, moving image and installation. Her art reflects her cultural upbringing during the post-Soviet period, exploring identity, memory and perception. Influenced by the 20th-century avant-garde and the ‘Theatre of the Absurd’, her works are often based around humour and absurdism in dysfunctional mental states, immigration and life perception. While untangling her roots, her expansive practice navigates the crossroads of Central Asian traditions and westernisation, highlighting observations of the past and present and reflections on the future.

Shadenova graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2011. She was featured in the Central Asian Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale (2013) and has participated in group shows at the Asian Art Biennial, Taiwan (2024); the Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2023); Sapar Contemporary, USA (2020); the Espoo Museum of Fine Arts, Finland (2016); the Moscow Biennale, Moscow (2014); and other exhibitions in the UK, France, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Kazakhstan, Russia, USA, Qatar and Argentina.