In Quest of Oneself: Cultural Identity in Modern Kazakhstan Sculpture Space

Background: The article presents a culturological analysis of searching the cultural identity through the poetry of visual and artistic image in modern sculpture of Kazakhstan. Methods: The methodology of this study is based on the culturalhistorical and hermeneutic methods; it allows a deeper and wide-ranging looking at the problem of relationship of imagery language and socio-cultural landscape; axiological method is able to identify the value orientations of modern sculpture as a reflection of cultural identity. Findings: One of the important results of our study is the interrelation of work of sculpture with art material selected by the sculptor for it. “Iron” people-heroes of the 1950-70s were imprinted in metal, stone and marble; after the 1980s and especially the 1990s masters are increasingly turning to new materials for sculpture – plastic, glass, alloys, artificial stone, etc. We interpret this rather as a kind of reflection of the multiculturalism and multiple identities due to them, but not just as an attempt to diversify the arsenal of art. The problem of investigating the Kazakhstan experience about specifics of cultural identity searching on the example of the sculpture has never been studied either in foreign or in the Kazakhstan science. This socio-cultural context is considered for the first time. Now, despite the problems, characterized by the abuse of “national originality”, sovereign Kazakhstan has gained its unique cultural code and awareness of its own identity. Improvements: Freedom of imagery and expressive language (external) in the plastic art is directly proportional to the expansion of social and cultural horizons (internal) of the new generation of Kazakhstanis.