Rustam Khalfin
1949 - 2008
Born in Tashkent (UZ), died in Almaty (KZ).
Rustam Khalfin (1949 - 2008) is considered a pioneer of Kazakhstan’s contemporary art scene. After graduating from the Moscow Architecture Institute, he moved to St. Petersburg in the 1980s where he became involved in the circle surrounding Vladimir Sterligov – a close associate of Kazimir Malevich. Later on he broke off with their formative traditions and moved towards a more contemporary art practice, introducing performance art in Kazakhstan. Khalfin employed a variety of subjects in his work, including the history of Central Asia, the pre-Islamic history of Kazakhstan, nomad traditions, perception and the inner workings of mind, among others.