Biography
ORTA is a Kazakhstani art group consisting of Alexandra Morozova (b. 1982) and Rustem Begenov (b. 1983).
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), 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.
CV
Performances
2021
Exhibitions
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
Curatorial Projects
2021
New Genius Kazakhstan, NONAME Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
2018
MASTERPIECE, New Drama Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
A Month of Sergey Kalmykov, Almaty, KZ
Public Programs
2025
Workshop: The New Genius Experience, Voices Berlin Festival, Berlin, DE
Panel Discussion: Culture Across Borders, Voices Berlin Festival, Berlin, DE
Workshop: The New Genius Experience, 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art), Seoul, KR
2024
Report: The Great Atomic Bombreflector, IMPACT24 International Symposium, Essen, DE
Workshop: The Great Atomic Bombreflector: Creating the Time-Space Bending Projects, Aubakirova School, Almaty, KZ
2021
Lecture: World Advertisement as a Spiritual Practice, NONAME Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
Roundtable: First International Congress on the New Genius, Electrotheatre Stanislavsky, Moscow, RU
Performative Talk: The Launch of the First Visible Phenomena Reactor, Aspan Gallery, Almaty, KZ
Lecture: How to Practice Genius, Artmeken Gallery, Almaty, KZ
2020
Performative Lecture: The New Geniuses of the First Rank, Tselinny Center, Almaty, KZ
Performative Lecture: Basics of the New Genius, Kochi-Muziris Biennale Foundation, Kochi, IN
Performative Lecture: How to Practice Genius, Kerala Museum, Kochi, IN
2019
Workshop: The Fragile Orchestra, Almaty, KZ
2018
Roundtable: Art and Madness, Aurora Space, Almaty, KZ
Lecture: Being a Contemporary Artist, Vlast Update, Almaty, KZ
2016
Roundtable: Theatre Afterwards, NET (New European Theatre) Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow, RU
Roundtable: Theatre: The New Place of Power, Almaty, KZ
Books
Films
Audio Projects
2021
7000 Pyramids of Joseph Beuys, Radio Beuys project. Commissioned by the Goethe-Institut Kazakhstan
Selected Publications
Catalogue of the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale. Séance: Technology of the Spirit. Seoul: Seoul Museum of Art and Mediabus, 2025.
Goebbels, Heiner. A House of Call. My imaginary notebook. Berlin: Neofelis Verlag, 2022.
Catalogue of the 59th Venice Biennale. The Milk of Dreams.
Venice: La Biennale di Venezia, 2022.
Catalogue for the Kazakhstan Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale. Sacred Expositions of the Great and Immortal LAI–PI–CHU–PLEE–LAPA. Milan: Foundation for Contemporary Art in Kazakhstan, 2022.
Terzopoulos Tribute Delphi. Berlin: Verlag Theater der Zeit, 2022.
Nedlina, Valeria; Demiterko, Ekaterina. The Art of Light and Sound, issue 1. St. Petersburg: Russian Institute of Art History, 2021.
Selected Press