Despite the fact that the Ular gallery of modern art has existed for nine years already, since 1993, it continues to enjoy the status of a "young" gallery - young in spirit, in the variety of its projects and in the variety of painters who exhibit here.

That first opening is important for an artist as his or her first confident step into the future, as a declaration of one's existence. It's the first solo
demonstration for one's "own" viewers, and it can change the artist and his work by providing inspiration and opening new opportunities, giving rise to new ideas or: to doubts. And of special importance here is the need to understand an artist, to help him or her find the right direction and maintain faith in his or her potential and ability. This is the role that Ular plays.

The gallery has discovered numerous young artists who took that first step at Ular. Among them are B. Bapishev, K. Bazargaliev, O. Katsyuba, S. Ledyaev, R. Nurekeev, E. Rudoplavova, O. Shangina and A. Schegolikhin, as well as Marat Bekeev, whose name is closely tied to Ular, and Yuri Zobak, whose first solo exhibition took place in the gallery.

The creation of any work of art, its adaptation to the world, merging with or rejection by the surrounding environment, is a complicated, unpredictable and multi-faceted process. And there are two important stages - taking that first step, and then establishing one's place in private or museum collections. The gallery is the link between these stages in the process.

The Ular gallery works in these two directions. It was the first gallery to show private collections and acquaint Almaty's viewers with the city's collectors. In the halls of the gallery the names and legends of collectors and artists acquired real features, embodied in works of art. Viewing a private collection allows one to understand and feel the inner world of a person, his character and the state of his soul. It also provides the opportunity to see new features of the creative activity of an artist.

In all eras, artists have expressed the spirit of their times. An artist is formed by the period in which he lives, and he, in turn, consciously or unconsciously, expresses the features of this period and its basic values.

The Ular gallery sees its mission in uniting three forces in mutual cooperation: the Artist, the Gallery, and the Collector.

The board of gallery is interested in cooperation in organizing of the joint progects in the field of modern art for the exchange or sale of produsts of artists and artisans from Kazakhstan and other countries.

Yuri Markovich, director
Nurlan Kunev, manager

We may be contacted at the following address:
Kurmangazy str, 29. House of Scientists, office 304.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

tel/fax 914-773
e-mail: ular_gallery@academset.kz