Ana Muiz (2025)

In this work, I delve deep into the heart of Kazakh traditional culture, exploring an element so integral yet so profound in its implications: the qoshqar muiz or the ram’s horn. This ornament, a cornerstone in Kazakh artistic heritage, symbolizes life force, grace, and prosperity.

My journey in understanding this cultural symbol led me to an epiphany. I was struck by how closely the shape of qoshqar muiz resembles the female uterus. This realization was a eureka moment, inspiring me to blend the traditional form with the unique structure of the uterus in my design.

This fusion is more than artistic expression; it’s a statement, a conversation starter on a topic often shrouded in silence in Central Asian society: women’s health and reproductive rights.

The stigma surrounding topics like menstruation is palpable in many families, treated as taboo, something shameful. Through my art, I want to show that there’s nothing disgraceful about these natural processes.