Alua Tebenova

I am a Kazakhstani artist based in Romania, and my paintings have been exhibited in both countries. My artistic practice focuses on the relationship between tradition and contemporaneity, with a sustained interest in the cultural heritage of Central Asia. Born and raised in Kazakhstan and later educated in Romania, my work is shaped by cross-cultural experience, academic research, and visual investigation. Through my doctoral research, Tradition and Contemporaneity: Culture in Central Asia, I examined the symbolism, ethnogenesis, and cultural continuity of nomadic societies—themes that continue to inform my artistic direction. Through my paintings, I seek to combine philosophical reflection with symbolic elements connected to the ethnogenesis of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. Questions of identity, memory, femininity, and cultural transformation recur throughout my work, including earlier projects such as Nomadic Woman.

My artistic expression is diverse; I alternate between classical realism and abstract expressionism, fusing the traditional with the modern. By integrating inherited cultural motifs into a contemporary visual language, I explore how tradition can be reinterpreted and given renewed relevance in the present.

2018 – 2025: PhD in Visual Art, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2016 – 2018: Master`s degree in Fine Arts, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2011 – 2015: Bachelor`s degree in Fine Arts Pedagogy, Karaganda State University, Kazakhstan.

PUBLICATIONS

Tebenova Alua, "The problem of space in contemporary painting" in The latest scientific achievements-2014, Volume 14, philosophy, «Byal GRAD-BG» OOD, Sofia, pp. 64-67, 2014, ISBN 978-966-8736-05-6.

Tebenova Alua, Manabayeva A.Sh., "Informational technologies in the disciplines of fine arts" in The Scientific Thought of the Informational Age-2014, Volume 16, pedagogical science, Przemysl Nauka i studia, Poland, pp. 90-94, 2014, ISBN 978-966-8736-05-6.

Tebenova Alua, Prof.Univ.Dr. Ioan Sbârciu., "Tradition and Contemporaneity: Art as Cultural Heritage" in the Global science and innovations 2020: Central Asia, nr. 5 (10) Culturology, Bobek, Kazakhstan, pp. 12-16, 2020, ISSN 2664-2271.

CONFERENCES

Participation at the “Art, Memory and Identity” conference with the “Art as Cultural Heritage” work, West University of Timisoara, April 10-11, 2019, Timișoara, Romania.

Participation at the national conference for PhD students with the “Identitatea cultu...

2019 February–March – Solo exhibition "La Femme Nomade", French Cultural Institute, La Cave Gallery, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2019 – Exhibition of contemporary artists from Karaganda "Spectrum", Urban Center, Kazakhstan. 2020 June – Group exhibition of Cluj-Napoca artists "-AiA- in the village", “Romulus Vuia” Ethnographic Park, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2020 September – Solo exhibition "Tradition and Contemporaneity: Central Asia", Embassy of Kazakhstan in Romania, Bucharest, Romania.
2020 November – Solo exhibition "STEPA. Arta în inima pustietății", Casa de Cultură a Studenților, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2021 November – Group exhibition "Leaving the Garden", National Museum of Art, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2022 April–May – Group exhibition "Mapping Frames", National Museum of Art, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2022 September – Solo exhibition "EXPO: Alua Tebenova", NTT DATA, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2023 – Solo exhibition “Threads of Time: Traditional Central Asian Headdresses”, Embassy of Kazakhstan in Romania, Bucharest.
2024 – Live video installation with Baksy ensemble during concert performance, Linz, Austria.
2025 – Live video installation with Baksy ensemble during concert performance, Osaka, Japan.