PRESS RELEASE Synchronized Photo Exhibition “The Last Shore”: Four Cities – One Story of a Dying Sea
2025-08-13 16:39
PRESS RELEASE
Synchronized Photo Exhibition “The Last Shore”: Four Cities – One Story of a Dying Sea
On August 12, the International Caspian Sea Day, four cities in Kazakhstan – Astana, Almaty, Aktau, and Atyrau – hosted the simultaneous opening of renowned photographer Ospan Ali’s exhibition The Last Shore. The event is part of the large-scale initiative High Caspian Week, organized by the global environmental movement Save the Caspian Sea from August 11 to 16.
The Last Shore is a deeply personal photographic narrative by Kazakh photographer Ospan Ali about the people living alongside a dying sea. His images capture faces, homes, daily life – and the silent presence of water that is disappearing. It is both a testament to an environmental catastrophe and a chronicle of a vanishing way of life bound to the Caspian.
Four cities, four parallel openings, one story told through the lens of a camera. Twice, Ali embarked on expeditions to the Caspian to collect material for the project. His photographs depict people, houses, animals, and the quiet retreat of the water. They bear witness not only to ecological disaster but also to the fading traditions and livelihoods connected to the sea.
“This is the most touching and personal exhibition I have ever created. In these photographs, I wanted to show how closely the destinies of the sea, people, animals, and birds are intertwined. I photographed dry land, empty boats, and a grim horizon not to frighten, but so that anyone looking at these images would feel that time is passing and the water is leaving. I want viewers to find themselves standing on the shore where, only yesterday, waves lapped. I want them to ask themselves: ‘What will we leave behind?” – Ospan Ali.
The simultaneous openings in four cities symbolize shared concern and solidarity in the face of the rapid shallowing of the world’s largest enclosed body of water. The Caspian Sea is not only an ecosystem but also a cultural, economic, and emotional anchor for millions of people.
The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks at the following venues:
Astana – Has Sanat Art Gallery, 14g Dinmukhamed Qonayev Street
Almaty – Union of Artists of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 92 Panfilov Street
Atyrau – Yemaa Center for Contemporary Art, 12 Kurmangazy Street
High Caspian Week is an international series of environmental, cultural, and media events aimed at drawing attention to the Caspian’s critical condition and fostering tangible, sustainable solutions for its preservation.