‘Petrichor: Writing with the Scent of Rain’ in Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, Kazakhstan

September 6th, Sunday, was a beautiful day of sharing, listening, and imagining at the esteemed Tselinny Center for Contemporary Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where I facilitated a creative writing workshop entitled “Petrichor: Writing with the Scent of Rain” as part of ARTBAT FEST SØZ, the 2026 educational and public program of the long-running ARTBAT FEST contemporary art festival, organised in collaboration with Tselinny. 

Thank you to the wonderful Tselinny team for hosting me, and especially to all the participants who generously shared their ideas and creative responses. It was particularly meaningful for me to experience these works across English, Kazakh, and Russian — a reminder of how art can create spaces for exchange across languages and cultures.

I am excited to carry these contributions forward, incorporating the outcomes of the workshop into future exhibitions and articles as part of my ongoing research and artistic practice.

Thank you, рақмет, and Спасибо for your generosity, curiosity, and imagination. Hope to see you all again soon! 💚

📸: Tselinny