Art of Her

Famous street art artist Pasha Kas presented his new video work about desertification of Kazakhstan on Instagram, Art of Her reports.

Global climate change is one of the most relevant topics in the works of contemporary artists. These changes have not left aside the nature of Kazakhstan. Just 10 km away. from Almaty, in the Almaty region, the Moyinkum desert grows. The problem of desertification poses a serious threat to the well-being of all mankind.

Pasha Kas' new work is called "Angelos", which translates from ancient Greek as "messenger". In the video, the artist leaves a dangerous message in the sand, warning viewers about the impending problem.

"I used Google Earth Engine satellite images from 1984 to the present day to show how the desert is growing near Almaty near the Ili River. It's hard to believe, but life leaves the Earth, systematically, day after day, without days off and breaks. Climate change is not a phantom threat, it has already led to a catastrophe that is happening right before our eyes, on the threshold of our homes," Pasha Kas wrote on Instagram.

Today, desertification processes are taking place in all regions of Kazakhstan. Moreover, there is a tendency to accelerate them. Of the 272.5 million hectares of the country's territory, almost 180 million are subject to desertification.

"Climate change has not bypassed Kazakhstan either. Global warming is turning the country into a big desert: due to high temperatures and scant rainfall, plants are dying, and the wind blows away the fertile soil, leaving lifeless sandy plains. How much time is left to get out of the trap that we have created ourselves? For us, it could be several generations. For the planet — a matter of seconds," Pasha Kas said in a statement.

Pasha Kas — Street is an art artist from Almaty. Has an architectural education. The artist raises social problems in his works. Pasha's first project was "The Walls have Ears". His work entitled "Everyone's POH" brought him great popularity. The aim of the project was to show indifference to the problem of suicide. In 2014, the artist performed at the Manifesta European Biennale. His large-scale work is presented at the Street Art Museum in St. Petersburg. Pasha was nominated as the "Discovery of the Year" in Moscow. In 2020, he was included in the list of "30 Under 30" young leaders — entrepreneurs and artists — compiled by Forbes Asia magazine published in Hong Kong.