Kazakhstan
Alexander Ugay:
We are from Texas

We are from Texas, photographs, Kazakhstan, 2002–2005/Texas, USA, 2010
 
The series consists of two parts. The first part was shot during 2002-2005 in the southern region of Kazakhstan, which, ironically, goes by the name of “Texas” among the locals. They call it "Texas" not only because of nature landscapes and oil pumps are reminiscent of Texas but also because the people there base their relationships on informal agreements and public spiritedness rather than the law. The second part was shot in 2010 in the U.S. state of Texas. The "East-West" discourse is the dominant debate in the globalization process. However, nowadays the axis of the border is between justice and injustice, natives and foreigners, "North/ South". As a symbolic gesture, I concluded the project in Houston in 2010 by getting a tattoo on my right shoulder which combines the two different symbols of one big community of friends.* (Alexander Ugay)
 
*The name Texas derives from the Caddo word 'tejas', meaning "friends" or "allies"; it was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo people themselves and to the region where they settled in East Texas.

Alexander Ugay
* 1978 in Kyzilorda, Kazakhstan. Lives and works in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
 
1997 Technical College, St. Petersburg Naval College. 2002 LLB, Kyrgyz State University. 2015 MA, Kazakh National Academy of Arts. Took part in numerous international exhibitions: 1th Riga Photo Biennial; 61th International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, “Balagan”; Momentum Worldwide, 6th Moscow Biennale, 2th Xinjiang Biennale, Busan Biennale 2014, “E-City”, “The future comes from all directions”, “At the crossroads”. Sotheby’s, “Lost to the Future”, Sharjah Biennial 10, “Between Heaven and Earth”, Asian Art Biennial 2011, “Promises of the Past”, Centre Pompidou, Architecture Venice Biennial, “Younger Then Jesus”, “Tanz auf dem Vulkan” Central Asia. His collections are in Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands and in Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.