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Biography
ORTA is an art group consisting of Alexandra Morozova (b. 1982) and Rustem Begenov (b. 1983), based in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
ORTA undertakes a rigorous examination of past and present, addressing fundamental questions of existence and the structure of the world while consciously rejecting established critical frameworks. Building on the legacy of Kazakh artist and inventor Sergey Kalmykov (1891–1967), they have developed the Theory of the New Genius, a practice through which they produce theater works, performances, installations, sound, visual and video projects, workshops, lectures, and large-scale Planetary Projects—inventing both the artistic forms and the language needed to explore and articulate the questions at the heart of their work.
ORTA’s work has been presented internationally across museums, biennials, festivals, and contemporary art platforms. Their projects and commissions have been realized at the 59th Venice Biennale (Kazakhstan National Pavilion), the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, La MaMa ETC (New York), Meyerhold Center (Moscow), Voices Festival (Berlin), NET–New European Theatre Festival, and other international venues. ORTA’s work has been documented and discussed in major catalogues and publications, including those of the Venice Biennale and Seoul Mediacity Biennale, as well as in e-flux Journal, Artnet News, The Art Newspaper, Elephant, The Telegraph, a.o.
Their current Planetary Project, The Great Atomic Bombreflector, confronts the enduring impact of 40 years of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan known as Atomic Inhumanity.
Performances
2025 The New Genius Experience of The Great Atomic Bombreflector — Berlin Iteration, VOICES Berlin Festival, Radialsystem, Berlin, DE
2025 The New Genius Experience of The Great Atomic Bombreflector — Seoul Iteration, 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, SAPY, Seoul, KR
2024 Spectacular Experiments on The Great Atomic Bombreflector, La MaMa ETC, New York, USA
2022 Spectacular Experiments in the Temporary Temple of the New Genius, Kazakhstan Pavilion, 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
2022 Sacred Expositions, Kazakhstan Pavilion, 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
2021 A Zen-extravaganza “The First Atomic Bombreflector”, NONAME Festival. Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2021 The First Visible Phenomena Reactor, Aspan Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2019 The appearance of the First volume of the novel in a thousand volumes, Almaty, KZ
2018 Svetoprestavleniye Sergey Kalmykov, New Drama Festival, Meyerhold Centre, Moscow, RU
2016 Pop-mechanical performance “Medea.Material”, NET (New European Theatre) Festival, Meyerhold Centre, Moscow, RU
Exhibitions
2025 The New Genius Temple of The Great Atomic Bombreflector, 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art), Seoul, KR
2022 LAI-PI-CHU-PLEE-LAPA Centre for the New Genius, Kazakhstan Pavilion, 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
2022 Temporary Temple of the New Genius, 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
2021 New Genius Kazakhstan, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2021 The First Visible Phenomena Reactor, Aspan Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2018 Svetoprestavleniye Sergey Kalmykov, Kuryokhin Contemporary Art Award Exhibition, St. Petersburg, RU
2016 Pop-mechanical performance “Medea.Material”, Kuryokhin Contemporary Art Award Exhibition,
St. Petersburg, RU
Curatorial Projects
2022 LAI-PI-CHU-PLEE-LAPA Centre for the New Genius, Kazakhstan Pavilion, 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, IT
2021 New Genius Kazakhstan, NONAME Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2021 New Genius Design, Aspan Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2018 A month of Sergey Kalmykov, Almaty, KZ
2018 Week of Heiner Goebbels, Almaty, KZ
Public Programs
2025 Workshop on the New Genius Experience, VOICES Berlin Festival,, Berlin, DE
2025 Panel discussion Culture Across Borders, VOICES Berlin Festival, Berlin, DE
2025 Workshop on the New Genius Experience, 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Seoul, KR
2024 Report on The Great Atomic Bombreflector, IMPACT24 international symposium, Essen, DE
2024 Workshop The Great Atomic Bombreflector: Creating the time-space bending projects, Aubakirova School, Almaty, KZ
2021 World Advertisement as a Spiritual Practice, NONAME Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2021 First International Congress on the New Genius, performative roundtable, Electrotheatre Stanislavsky,
Moscow, RU
2021 The Launch of the First Visible Phenomena Reactor, performative talk, Aspan Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2021 How to practice Genius, lecture, Artmeken Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2020 The New Geniuses of the First Rank, performative lecture, Tselinny Center, Almaty, KZ
2020 Basics of the New Genius, performative lecture, Kochi-Muziris Biennale foundation, Kochi, IN
2020 How to Practice Genius, performative lecture, Kerala Museum, Kochi, IN
2020 Open Experiments of the New Genius Institute, performative workshop, BULt, Almaty, KZ
2019 Workshop on the Fragile Orchestra, Almaty, KZ
2018 Interdisciplinary round-table Art and madness, Aurora Space, Almaty, KZ
2018 Being a contemporary artist, lecture, Vlast Update, Almaty, KZ
2016 Theatre Afterwards, roundtable, NET (New European Theatre) Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2016 Theatre: The new place of power, roundtable, Almaty, KZ
Radio
2021 7000 pyramids of Joseph Beuys, Radio Beuys project commissioned by the Goethe-Institut
2017- 2020 The New Geniuses of the First Rank, Radio Classic, Almaty, KZ
Filmography
2024 MASTERPIECE: The video-manifesto of the 8 laws of Sergey Kalmykov, 55 min, dir. Darya Jumelya.
2021 The Theory of New Genius, 50 min, dir. Taisiya Krugovykh. Official Selection: Message to Man International Film Festival, St. Petersburg, RU
2018 Zharyqopera Overture “Ñ. Ğ. Q.”, 2:37, dir. Rustem Begenov. Official Selection: Re-Fest, New York, US
Books
2022 Catalogue for the Kazakhstan Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale: The First New Genius Book: Sacred Expositions of the Great and Immortal LAI-PI-CHU-PLEE-LAPA. Milan: Foundation for Contemporary Art in Kazakhstan.
2022 Kalmykov, Sergey. A Guide to Sergey Kalmykov. Almaty: ORTA.
2019 Kalmykov, Sergey. The First Volume of the Novel in a Thousand Volumes. Almaty: Vlast.