Gulnur Mukazhanova is a Kazakh contemporary artist who combines Central Asian felt with other media to examine the interaction between ancient textile culture and contemporary issues. This solo exhibition showcases diverse creations from across her career, including felt paintings, felt sculptures, patchwork installations, photography and video.

Felt making is a laborious process that demands both physical strength and mental focus – wool fibres are repeatedly squeezed, kneaded and pounded into a densely matted textile. Mukazhanova blends traditional techniques with bold colours and experimental collages, taking Central Asian felt beyond its everyday uses and cultural significance for freer, more open and more emotional expressions.

Much of Mukazhanova’s work responds to the tension between the rapidly changing globalised world and traditional ways of life and values. She uses the metaphor of the dowry to explore the complexity of tradition from a female perspective – at times a source of pride and hope, at others a symbol of pain and oppression. Audiences are invited to reflect on the meaning of cultural inheritance: Where do we come from? What’s the soul of our culture? What have we inherited, and what do we hope to pass on?