The opening of «In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors», a solo exhibition by artist Akylbek Tampiyev, will take place at the National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 19 August 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

Akylbek Tampiyev is a contemporary Kazakhstani painter, a member of the Union of Artists of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Centre of Designers of Kazakhstan, an Academician of the National Academy of Design, and a member of the «Tumar-Art» Association of Artist-Educators. He actively participates in the artistic and cultural life of the country.

After graduating from school in 1983, Tampiyev enrolled in the Faculty of Art and Graphic Design at the Abai Kazakh Pedagogical Institute, now Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University. After completing his university studies, he worked in design for many years while continuing to pursue painting. He currently teaches drawing at the private «Aizere» School of Arts in Almaty.

Tampiyev regularly participates in international, national, and city-level exhibitions, as well as various art projects. These include the international exhibition of teachers and professional artists «Continuity of Generations», the exhibition of art educators «Voice of the Ancestors», «Palette of the Universe», held from 2020 to 2022, the «World of the Artist» project dedicated to the 95th anniversary of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University in 2023, an exhibition and competition marking the 85th anniversary of the Zhambyl Region in 2024, and «Connection II» in 2026.

The artist has received numerous certificates and letters of appreciation for his contribution to the development and promotion of Kazakhstan’s national visual arts.

Akylbek Tampiyev’s work harmoniously combines the traditions of academic painting with the direct and vivid perception of nature associated with plein-air art. His principal themes include landscapes, national culture and traditions, and still life. The artist is distinguished by his deep respect for the traditions of realist art. Regardless of genre, his works are united by a desire to convey the world's inner harmony.

In his painting «Master of the Open Steppe», Tampiyev turns to the image of the horseman of the steppe, one of the key symbols of Kazakh culture. This image embodies freedom, strength of spirit, courage and national identity. The boundless steppe landscape emphasizes the grandeur of Kazakhstan’s natural environment and the inseparable connection between people and the world around them. The exhibition also presents a series of genre paintings devoted to Kazakh ethnographic traditions.

In contrast to the monumental composition of «Master of the Open Steppe», the painting «Tea at Mother’s Home» belongs to the more intimate genre of still life. In this work, the artist reveals the beauty of simple family traditions and the value of home and family life. Everyday objects become symbols of maternal care, family memory, and continuity between generations. For Tampiyev, such moments are a special source of inspiration, through which the simple details of domestic life reveal genuine human values.

Despite the diversity of their subjects and genres, the works presented at the exhibition are united by a shared artistic concept. Each painting forms part of a single narrative in which history, nature, national traditions and family values are presented as interconnected elements of the people’s cultural memory. Through his art, Tampiyev expresses his personal worldview and philosophical reflections on time and humanity’s place in the surrounding world.

The exhibition «In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors» brings together approximately 55 works in which the past becomes part of contemporary artistic interpretation. Through images of the Kazakh steppe, its people and traditional way of life, the artist demonstrates the enduring spiritual connection between generations. Respect for ancestral heritage is presented as a source of inner strength, moral guidance and national identity.

The exhibition will remain open until 1 September 2026.

Venue: National Central Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Address: Samal-1/44, Almaty. To contact: +7 (727) 264-46-50