Ugay Alexander

Born in Kyzlorda, Kazakhstan in 1978.

Photographer, video artist and creator of “cinematic objects” within the experimental collective Bronepoezd (literally “armed train”) of which he is one of founders with Roman Maskalev. Alexander Ugay is currently one of the most active figures of new Kazakh art scene. Educated at St. Petersburg University  and at Bishnek University (Kyrgyzstan), he comes from a Korean family deported to Central Asia in the 1930s. Ugay is particularly interested in the question of memory – individual or collective (the work Anonymous archive consists of found amateur photographs and expansions of their fragments) – which explores the representations via the still or moving image (the video Bastion is about the Monument to the Third Tatlin International) with a predilection for the “historic” techniques related to each of these disciplines, including 8 mm. Full of history, recording equipment from the Soviet period that he uses are also holders of contingencies that are fully part of the final work. Present in the Central Asian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2007, he exhibited at the New Museum in New York in 2009 and has since participated in numerous biennials and other international projects.

Exhibitions:

2011
– Sharjah Biennial 10, Sharjah,

2010 
– Promises of The Past, Centre Pompidou, Paris
– Ground Floor America, Den Frie Udstillingsbygning / Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen
– Yeosu International Art Festival, Yeosu
– Around the World in 80 hours, Suwonartcenter, Seoul

2009
– The Generational: Younger Than Jesus, New Museum, New York, NY
– Tarjama/Translation, curated by Leeza Ahmady at the Queens Museum of Art, New York, NY
– Younger than Jesus, New Museum, New York

2008
– Tanz auf dem Vulkan, IFA gallery, Berlin

2007
– Muzykstan: Media-generation of Contemporary Artists from Central Asia, Central Asia Pavillion, 52nd Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
– The Paradox of Polarity: Contemporary Art from Central Asia, curated by Leeza Ahmady at Bose Pacia, New York, NY

2006
– Plug In, Vanabbemuseum, Eindhoven

2005
– The Netherlands and the 9th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul

WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF:

E.CITY ALMATY / KAZAKHSTAN: PROJECTED VISIONS – KAZAKHSTAN: 09 December 2014

E.CITY ALMATY / KAZAKHSTAN: RANDOM MEMORY MACHINE: 11 April 2015 – 17 April 2015

E.CITY ALMATY / KAZAKHSTAN: LIFE IS A LEGEND: 05 December 2014 – 08 March 2015