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Kylie Knott

Kazakh artist Gulnur Mukazhanova’s large-scale installation soaring above the entrance of The Mills, in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong, is a dazzling display of traditional Central Asian textiles.
Stretching three storeys high above the atrium of the cultural space – converted from former cotton mills – the clusters of irregular-shaped, brightly hued fabric, called False Hope or Moment of the Present, exemplify the power of perspective.
From ground level, the work floats overhead like a brilliant collection of clouds. But the colours truly shine when seen from the third floor.
It is from this viewpoint that Berlin-based Mukazhanova explains her creative process of cutting, deconstructing and reassembling fabric, of which 90 per cent is material from Kazakhstan.

“In celebrations like weddings, coloured fabrics are often given as gifts as a dowry to women,” Mukazhanova says.
“It is inherited from our ancestors. By dowry, we mean all our heritage, both positive and negative aspects, including historical traumas.”
Memories, she says, are woven into the fabric, but over time, these textiles lose their practical value, and gift-giving has become increasingly formalised.
Much of Mukazhanova’s work responds to the tension between the rapidly changing globalised world and traditional ways of life.
Also in the mix of materials are fabrics from the Middle East and other parts of Asia. Visitors to the Hong Kong exhibition might recognise the traditional Chinese print comprising vibrant red and pink peonies, the flower symbolising wealth and honour.

Mukazhanova – whose work has been exhibited from Moscow to London and at the Central Asia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale – says that her choice to include fabric that reflects the place where the installation is showing is intentional.
“I add pieces that relate to the place where I am showing, so I can create a dialogue with the audience. I want people to have an emotional connection, to have a reflection on their own past,” she says.
From a distance, the work resembles an idealistic, dreamlike promise, but take a closer look and cracks appear: some of the fabric is held together with pins.
“The pins suggest the fragility and instability of that hope, and the possibility of collapse. It represents a place where beauty and harmony coexist with anxiety and unease,” she says.

The impressive installation, on display until November 30, kick-starts Mukazhanova’s solo show “Dowry of the Soul”. The rest of the exhibition, which takes place at Chat (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile) – the textile culture museum on the second floor of The Mills – begins on November 14 and will feature more than 100 meticulously crafted textile works.
These works include old and new creations by Mukazhanova, including paintings and sculptures made with felt produced through a traditional, laborious technique.
Curator Wang Weiwei says the solo exhibition continues Chat’s exploration of Central Asian culture and contemporary art.
“Gulnur’s work allows us to experience the rich layers of interaction between people and textiles. Through textiles, we can study history, observe society and reflect on heritage,” Wang says.

Preserving cultural identity is a theme woven into much of Mukazhanova’s work. The subject is close to her heart.
Mukazhanova grew up under Soviet rule – Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991, the last of the 15 Soviet republics to do so.
For most of her youth, she saw first-hand not just the loss of traditional craftsmanship but an erosion of the Kazakh way of life.
“Language is an important part of one’s identity, but at one point I was even thinking in the Russian language and not my own Kazakh language,” she says.
For Mukazhanova, art is healing, in particular when working with felt, a material she says carries energy. “It speaks to me … I have a strong emotional connection with it.”

She adds that art also plays a role in honouring important events.
That is what she has done with the 82 works of paint and felt on show at Chat. The aim, she says, is to eventually make 262 of them. That is the number of people killed in 2022 by Kazakhstani security forces, who opened fire on protesters demonstrating against a rise in the cost of fuel.
“Some of those killed were as young as 15, 16. It was an innocent, peaceful demonstration,” she says.
For those interested in exploring Central Asian culture, Chat is also hosting a free live concert by an independent Kazakh musician known as Samrattama (Samrat Irzhassov) on November 13 at 7pm.

The museum is also hosting workshops, including one for making felt masks on November 15. Participants’ creations will become part of Mukazhanova’s new installation, Eternal Renewal (2025).
“Gulnur Mukazhanova: Dowry of the Soul”, Chat, 2/F, The Mills, 45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, 11am-7pm, Wednesday-Monday, closed on Tuesday, November 14-March 1; The artwork “False Hope or Moment of the Present” will be on view in The Hall, The Mills, until November 30.


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Kazakh fabric artist’s Hong Kong exhibition reflects on heritage and ‘historical traumas’

Kazakh artist Gulnur Mukazhanova stands beside her installation False Hope or Moment of the Present, at the Mills in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong. The piece, on show until November 30, kicks off her exhibition Dowry of the Soul, which runs from November 14 to March 1, 2026. Photo: Chat

False Hope or Moment of the Present, by Gulnur Mukazhanova, seen from below. Photo: Chat

Mukazhanova says that memories are woven into the fabric, but over time, these textiles lose their practical value. Photo: Chat

Mukazhanova purposely chooses fabric for her art that has a link to the place it is being shown. Photo: Chat

Gulnur’s False Hope or Moment of the Present seen from above. Photo: Chat

One of Mukazhanova’s pieces featured at the exhibition. Photo: Chat

Some of Gulnur’s works honour those killed in 2022 by Kazakhstani security forces. Photo: Kaelan Burkett

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Arts

The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope


The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope.


Kazakh fabric artist’s Hong Kong exhibition reflects on heritage and ‘historical traumas’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope

The Mills becomes Berlin-based Gulnur Mukazhanova’s canvas as she uses Central Asian textiles to explore perspective and question hope