AYA SHALKAR

Aya Shalkar (Kazakhstan/US) is a Kazakh conceptual multimedia artist currently based in Los Angeles. At the age of 17, she moved to France to study Visual Arts at the University of Strasbourg. She later transferred to the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria, where she received Masters in Graphic Design in 2020. Shalkar is the co-founder of Studio Oneki, an experimental design studio based in Kazakhstan. Shalkar’s artistic practice is rooted in her Central Asian background and Kazakh visual and material culture, with many of her works addressing cultural identity and gender roles. Her artistic universe, The World of Peri, merges indigenous Kazakh culture with elements of science fiction and fantasy, reclaiming the underrepresented female warrior archetype. A traditional Kazakh-style archer, Shalkar does not just depict her warrior characters—she embodies them. Her practice is deeply immersive, bridging artistic creation with lived experience. Shalkar’s creative approach, which she describes as future archaeology, combines artistic practice with historically accurate research on ancient Turkic culture. Beyond textile techniques such as embroidery and patchwork that are predominantly practiced by women, she delves into artifact reconstruction, reimagining lost relics of the nomadic past through the lens of a speculative, magical world. By recreating weapons, adornments, and ceremonial objects, she breathes new life into traditions that have been overlooked or forgotten. Shalkar’s vision is influenced by her graphic design training and passion for sci-fi. Her artistic universe is a place where Central Asian heritage meets science fiction and fantasy. Further, Shalkar pulls from her modeling and acting experience in order to incorporate her own body and image into her artistic projects. Her digital work has organically found its place in Web3 as successful NFTs. Her weapon sculptures—daggers, swords, and other ritual objects—serve as both historical reconstructions and futuristic talismans, blending craftsmanship with mythmaking. Shalkar has been featured in magazines such as Nowness, i-D Magazine, Elle, Sleek, Blood, Forbes, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her work is part of the Brown University Collection(Providence, RI).