Inga Lace

This week as we start small rotations of works in ‘Qonaqtar’ I wanted to share the installation images of the first version we installed for the opening of the @almatymuseumofarts ‘Qonaqtar’ is the exhibition from the collection of the Almaty Museum of Arts that looks at hospitality, rituals and traditions surrounding life in Kazakhstan as depicted in the collection works, where reference to nomadic traditions take center stage especially for the artists from the generation of the Sixtiers. The title Qonaqtar (Қонақтар), meaning ‘guests’ in Kazakh, stems from the Turkic root ‘qon-’ (‘to stop for a night’). It embodies the deep-rooted tradition of welcoming guests with warmth and respect. The exhibition also invites to notice the migration processes taking place in Kazakhstan across the 20th century, visible as subtle threads in the artist biographies. Hospitality then was not always voluntary, neither being a guest. From granting Kazakh pasturelands to the settlers from the European parts of the Russian Empire – from the 19th century onwards – to the mass displacement of Koreans and other groups to Central Asia in the 1930s and the exile of Soviet dissidents to the Karaganda and Akmola regions, these histories have left lasting marks on the region’s society and art. While many people arrived in Kazakhstan as outsiders, generations have since made it their home. An important curatorial position of ‘Qonaqtar’ was to move beyond the division between ‘Kazakh’ and ‘international’ art, and to show Kazakh art as already international - shaped historically by circulation, education, migration, and hospitality. A different kind of internationalism than New York or Paris but an important one nevertheless. I worked on this exhibition for the last two years in conversation with the museum founder and his wife Nurlan and Madina Smagulov, museum’s artistic director @miko_keiko exhibition coordinators @60bayevamarzhan and @fatgarlriri and many people involved in research @maryamgul.yesken @lee___alen Photos: Alexey Naroditsky #qonaqtar #almatymuseumofarts #almaty #kazakhstan

Almaty Museum of Arts opening in Summer next year with a retrospective solo show of @almagul.menlibayeva curated by @jeab_project304 and a performance programme curated by @annedavidian as well as a group show ‘Qonaqtar’ stemming from the collection of the museum, bringing together thinking around hospitality and migration curated by yours truly. Working with amazing colleagues @miko_keiko @60bayevamarzhan @waffelnleka @heyarys @towardsanidealplace @ev_sm @k_venture @lyaxey and many more 💕 thank you also @umamimarii 💕 Building designed by @chapman_taylor_architects Link in bio! @almatymuseumofarts #almatymuseumofarts #almaty #kazakhstan

Sharing some installation images of @survivalkit.lv festival ‘Long-Distance Friendhips’ that ended last week in Riga at the Vidzemes market @vidzemestirgus looking at the shared histories of Africa and Eastern Europe through individual stories of friendships and anti-colonial resistance. It was an immense pleasure to work with my co-curator Alicia Knock, the team of the @lcca.lv and group of such dedicated artists, who went on this research journey with us. It was also very important to build bridges across Eastern Europe’s establishing collaboration with sister exhibitions - the current edition of @kaunasbiennial and Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts organized by @mglcljubljana emphasising our commitment to alliance-building on personal and institutions levels. Photos: Kristine Madjare. #survivalkit14 #survivalkitfestival #riga #latvia #vidzememarket #longdistancefriendships

Untamed Assembly: Backstage of Utopia Latvian Pavilion @labiennale ✨Opening on May 8 at 13:00 at the Arsenale! Untamed Assembly: Backstage of Utopia presents newly commissioned work by the interdisciplinary artist duo @mareunrols that has emerged in dialogue with the archives of Untamed Fashion Assemblies (UFA) – a series of experimental fashion, art, and performance events held in Riga between 1990 and 1999 that were initiated by alternative fashion designer @brunobirmanis Linking past and present, the exhibition highlights utopian thinking in times of transition, asking how collective imagination, desire, and visibility emerge amid shifting political and economic systems—and how futures and new forms of togetherness can be rehearsed behind the scenes rather than on centre stage. MAREUNROL’S installation rethinks UFA’s legacy from a contemporary perspective, conceived as a backstage—an in-between space of preparation, invisible labour, joy, improvisation and human connection. Curators: @lace.inga & @adomas.n Commissioner: @solvitakrese Architect: @livakrei Sound design: @kruminsilja & @r___p___s Latvian pavilion is: commissioned by @kulturas_ministrija Organized by @lcca.lv Created in collaboration with @rigastories Logistics partner: @dhlexpresslatvia Supporters: @signet_bank , Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, @vvfoundationlv , @cobaltlegal_lv , Poligrāfijas grupa MŪKUSALA, Kronus, @mccannriga , Dūrmuiža, @pro1stage , @followart.world , @latvijas_finieris , Antalis, Liepaja Music, Art and Design School , @madaracosmetics , SIA Gaismu cehs, @kate_mebeles , Steel Tech and @irve_latvija . #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys #riga #latvia

Логистическая история масштабной скульптуры «Перекрёсток» американского художника-минималиста Ричарда Серры. Многотонные пластины необработанной стали, сложная транспортировка и установка — всё это раскрывает закулисье организации экспозиции современного музея Алматы. Об этом рассказывает куратор Almaty Museum of Arts Инга Лаце в подкасте QALA VISION. Ссылка в профиле.

We’re almost ready to welcome you 👀 #behindthescenes ✨ Opening of the Latvian Pavilion Untamed Assembly: Backstage of Utopia on May 8 at 13:00 at the Arsenale! Artists: @mareunrols (new comission) & @brunobirmanis (founder of Untamed Fashion Assembly (1990–1999), archive) Curators: @lace.inga & @adomas.n Commissioner: @solvitakrese Architect: @livakrei Latvian pavilion is: commissioned by @kulturas_ministrija Organized by @lcca.lv Created in collaboration with @riga.lv & @rigastories Logistics partner: @dhlexpresslatvia Supporters: @signet_bank , Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, @vvfoundationlv , @cobaltlegal_lv , Poligrāfijas grupa MŪKUSALA, Kronus, @mccannriga , Dūrmuiža, @pro1stage , @followart.world , @latvijas_finieris , Antalis, Liepaja Music, Art and Design School , @madaracosmetics , SIA Gaismu cehs, @kate_mebeles , Steel Tech and @irve_latvija . ➡️ www.latvianpavilion.lv #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys

Картина Салихидина Айтбаева «На целине. Обед» — одна из тех работ, к которым со временем возвращаешься уже с другим взглядом. Сегодня её можно увидеть в Музее искусств Алматы на выставке «Қонақтар», куратором которой является гость подкаста Инга Лаце. Особенно поражает контекст: эпоха жёсткой цензуры и тотального контроля, и при этом — тонкие аллюзии, культурные коды, смелые художественные высказывания. Разве это не подлинная внутренняя свобода художника? Та самая свобода, которая не зависит от внешних рамок и всё равно находит форму. Чтобы глубже прочувствовать экспозицию и саму работу, советую послушать подкаст QALA VISION с куратором и искусствоведом музея. Без этого знания впечатления действительно могут быть неполными — а с ним открываются новые смыслы и детали. Ссылка — в шапке. Буду рада вашим комментариям и откликам. Иногда даже небольшой отклик запускает ту самую «цепную реакцию» — эффект бабочки. QALA VISION ждет вас!

Meet the curators of the Latvian Pavilion @untamedassembly at the 61st International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia - Adomas Narkevičius & Inga Lāce! ✨ @adomas.n is a Lithuanian curator and art historian based in London and the Founding Director of @upefoundation . He curated the 15th @kaunasbiennial Life After Life (2025) and from 2021 to 2025 he was curator at the @cell_project_space London, previously he worked at the @rupert.vilnius where he led the Alternative Education, Public and Residencies programmes. ✨ @lace.inga is Chief Curator at the @almatymuseumofarts , Kazakhstan. She was C-MAP Central and Eastern Europe Fellow at @themuseumofmodernart , New York (2020–2023) and has been a curator at the @lcca.lv (2012–2020). In 2023 she co-curated New Visions — @henieonstad Triennial for Photography and New Media in Oslo, as well as the @kaunasbiennial , the contemporary art festival @survivalkit.lv 14 and the @mglcljubljana . ✨Explore the concept they have envisioned for the @labiennale together with the artists @mareunrols & @brunobirmanis ➡️ www.latvianpavilion.lv #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys

Almaty Museum of Arts: почему о нём все говорят? Куратор Инга Лаце — о своём пути из Европы в музей Алматы и выставке «Қонақтар» как исследовании темы гостеприимства и культурной идентичности. В выпуске — разговор о переосмыслении советского казахского искусства через работы Салихитдина Айтбаева и Абдрашита Сыдыханова, а также о том, как кураторская интерпретация влияет на восприятие художника. Отдельное внимание уделяем ключевым экспонатам и инсталляциям музея, включая работы Жауме Пленса, Йинка Шонибаре, Алисия Кваде, Ричард Серра, Яёи Кусама и Билл Виола. Тема “Жизнь после нефти»: что может привлечь мир в Казахстане и как культура может стать новой точкой интереса в будущем. Подкаст QALA VISION Ссылка в профиле

В этом выпуске QALA VISION мы говорим с Ингой Лаце - европейским искусствоведом и куратором зала «Қонақтар» в Museum of Arts of Almaty. Ее профессиональный путь пролегает через крупнейшие институции современного искусства, включая Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), а также ряда ведущих европейских музеев. Это разговор не только о выставках и институциях, но и о горизонтах: культурных, экономических и человеческих - включая развитие культурного туризма как важной части новой городской и региональной экономики. О том, как искусство помогает представить мир после нефти — и начать его строить уже сегодня.

Caminar desde el "MAMBEISMO " como una nueva corriente y pensamiento desde el arte contemporáneo, es caminar en la compañía y respaldo de voces que legitiman mi aporte a la resistencia cultural y vida de mi pueblo Murui Muina. Gracias a la curadora @lace.inga y @panosgnk ...por conocer de cerca cada una de mis creaciones y obras, que retratan la fuerza , la espiritualidad, la cosmovisión y el relacionamiento de los pueblos originarios con el medio ambiente. Así es como desde nuestra palabra, aportamos a la resignificación de nuestra vida cotidiana y enviamos un mensaje de cuidado a la madre naturaleza y las tradiciones. Con el apoyo de quienes se suman a este proceso,es como crecemos y nos integramos a la construcción de éste gran komuiyako (Maloka ). Comenta y comparte!! F+göra . 📷 @wuiwandra

This week’s Hot Coffee 🔥☕️ is with Inga Lāce, Chief Curator at the Almaty Museum of Arts, Kazakhstan @lace.inga @almatymuseumofarts “NC: As Curator at the Almaty Museum of Arts, how do you balance local artistic narratives with the demands of international visibility? How does that influence your curatorial choices? And what has been the most significant challenge for you as a curator for a brand-new institution? IL:I began thinking about how art from Kazakhstan is already international—but in a different way. It’s not “international” in the sense of global market visibility, like New York or Paris, but because of migration histories. For instance, Koreans were deported to Kazakhstan in 1937. Through labor camps, people from Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, and elsewhere arrived. This created a complex cultural fabric. People might identify as German, yet have grown up in Kazakhstan. So curatorially, I think of this as a different form of internationalism. Our task as a museum is to build bridges—ensuring that Kazakh and Central Asian art remains visible and center but in dialogue with what is conventionally called “international.” There are two approaches. One is theoretical—rethinking frameworks entirely. Instead of asking how to include Kazakh art in global narratives, we ask: what if Central Asia was never outside them? The second is practical: when working with international institutions, we don’t want to display masterpieces simply. That also has a place to be, but I want meaningful exchanges—dialogues between works, commissions, and shared themes. For example, how does Western Land Art relate to nomadic practices in Kazakhstan? Or how does Korean art from Korea relate to Koryo-saram artists in Kazakhstan? It’s about creating a generative, non-prescriptive dialogue.” Full text via HotCoffeeConversations.com