Let's Forest 2026 Kazakhstan
: Ash to Art – Semey

An international art project that reinterprets the traces of wildfire-damaged nature through artistic language and explores the themes of destruction and recovery in nature.

Project

Project Overview

“Let’s Forest 2026 Kazakhstan – Ash to Art” is an international public art project created to record and share the memory of wildfire-damaged regions in Kazakhstan and the recovery of nature through art.

Expanding on the 2023 “Ash to Art” exhibition held at Seonyudo Park in Seoul, the project reinterprets wildfire-damaged timber as artworks and communicates the meaning of climate crisis and forest restoration in a public language.

Project Background

This project is connected to the “Restoration Project for Wildfire-Damaged Areas in the Abai Region of Kazakhstan (2025–2027)” promoted by the Kazakhstan Forest Committee, KT&G, and AFoCO.

The exhibition transforms materials left behind after disaster into public memory and sensory experience, helping citizens recognize forest restoration and the climate crisis in a more concrete way.

Project Theme

This project begins with the memory of wildfire as a disaster, reconsiders the relationship between nature and humanity, and carries a narrative that leads toward imagining the forest of the future.

The three thematic axes — Memory of Fire, Structure of Healing, and Future Forest — form a flow in which emotion, place, and public experience are connected within one exhibition.

Memory of FireA record of the event and a time of loss

→

Structure of HealingA sculptural device that reorganizes memory within public space

→

Future ForestA new possibility of coexistence imagined after passing through memory

The project carries a narrative that begins with the memory of wildfire, reconsiders the relationship between nature and humanity, and leads toward imagining the forest of the future.

Project Structure

The project is organized as an integrated structure within the city of Semey, connecting the indoor exhibition, the urban outdoor exhibition, and the forest restoration site.

Rather than a dispersed structure across multiple cities, it is now organized as an intensive structure that completes a narrative of memory, experience, and expansion within one city.

Abai Museum Special Exhibition HallThe indoor exhibition records the time and reflection after disaster as an exhibition of memory.

Semey ArbatThe urban outdoor exhibition is designed for citizens to encounter artworks and messages within their daily routes.

Forest Restoration SiteThe Forest Guardian Sculpture extends the entire project into long-term temporality.

An intensive structure that completes a narrative of memory, experience, and expansion within one city.

KT&G Corporation

KT&G and Kazakhstan

KT&G, one of Korea's leading companies, creates sustainable value where people and nature thrive together through responsible ESG management. As a global enterprise, KT&G currently operates in over 140 countries. Since entering Kazakhstan in 2023, KT&G has actively supported environmental stewardship and local communities, including efforts to restore forests affected by wildfires in the Abai Region. Just as this exhibition offers artistic inspiration for reflecting on our relationship with the environment, KT&G is committed to being a trusted partner in protecting Kazakhstan's rich natural heritage and building a more sustainable future together.

Building a Sustainable Future Together

KT&G has been at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis through initiatives such as achieving carbon neutrality, restoring forests, and conserving biodiversity. The company also actively supports disaster relief efforts around the world and contributes to the sustainable development of the countries where it operates. Furthermore, KT&G promotes global cultural exchange through a range of cultural initiatives, including the establishment of Korean Centers centered on K-Culture. By sharing artistic inspiration with local communities and celebrating Kazakhstan's beautiful natural environment, KT&G will continue to be a trusted partner in creating a prosperous and sustainable future together.

Ash to Art: Imagination Beyond the Boundaries of KT&G

Through its support for "Let's Forest 2026 – Ash to Art," KT&G seeks to honor those affected and remember the loss experienced by the people and forests of the Abai Region. Through this exhibition, we hope to commemorate the pain caused by an unexpected disaster and convey a message of hope: that damaged nature can find new life through art. Like a forest rising again from the ashes, KT&G stands together with the people of Kazakhstan to nurture new hope for a greener future where loss once stood.

Artists