ASTANA – Kazakh artist Akzhan Ali and Austrian artist Gerald Florian Messner opened the 2025 exhibition season with their joint exhibition at Kazakhstan’s Presidential Center on Jan. 23, reported the center’s press service.
Photo credit: Kazakhstan’s Presidential Center
The vernissage, “We are not alone,” was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.
Akzhan Ali, a corresponding member of Kazakhstan’s Academy of Arts and an honorary member of the Union of Artists of Astana, specializes in fluid art and abstract painting. Born on Sept. 5, 1979, in the Korgalzhyn village, the Akmola Region, Ali has curated over 40 exhibitions as an art manager and has artworks in collections in Kazakhstan, Austria, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Morocco.
“I am honored to present here today my works that embody my thoughts and feelings. Each painting is my journey. Gerald Florian Messner and I have been working together for about three months now, and the aim of this exhibition is to show the works of artists from different countries and different generations,” she said.
Born in 1937 in Bad Eisenkappel, Austria, Gerald Florian Messner is renowned as a scientist, artist, musician, actor, and writer. His career covers theater, television, poetry, and music. Known for his protest songs in the 1970s, Messner has recently focused on visual arts. His works were exhibited globally, including in the United Arab Emirates, Austria, China, and Kazakhstan. Messner views art as an intersection of various forms, blending fine art, performing art, literature, and music.
The exhibition, featuring 25 works by Ali and 27 by Messner, will run until Feb. 24.
“I am very pleased that the first event in my activity was such a significant event, designed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between our countries,” the newly appointed Austrian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Andrea Bacher shared.
