Art collaboration GUESS x Saule Suleimenova
Denim as a Language of Time: fashion, contemporary art, and cultural heritage are united in one project. At the center of the exhibition is the original artwork “When We Began to Be Seen”, created by Saule Suleimenova exclusively for GUESS in Kazakhstan using GUESS denim, plastic bags, and polycarbonate. For the first time, a GUESS art project will be presented within a museum setting, marking a new stage in the brand’s cultural initiatives in Kazakhstan. The project reinterprets denim – one of GUESS’s key visual codes – through the language of contemporary art and the practice of upcycling. Denim becomes both an artistic medium and a carrier of memory, entering into dialogue with Saule Suleimenova’s artistic technique.
Services:
- CREATIVE CONCEPT
- VISUAL IDENTITY
- ARTIST SUPERVISION
- INFLUENCE MARKETING
- MEDIA WORK
10At the core of the project is a collective image of a family inspired by an archival photograph from the second half of the 19th century.
The original image shows a large family of thirteen people standing in a line before the camera. They appear composed and rooted in their way of life—an image of dignity, integrity, and inner strength. Today their names are unknown, yet in the cultural memory of the steppe such figures remain present—as aruakhs, ancestral spirits whose existence continues to invisibly support us.
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The initiative emerged as part of GUESS’s strategy to localize the brand in Kazakhstan and develop cultural collaborations with local artists. The project’s concept and communication platform were developed by GLYPH, which for the second year has been advancing the brand’s art initiatives in the region.
30The City as an extension of the exhibition
The original work will be presented at the Almaty Museum of Arts' and will be on display for a month. Simultaneously, the project expands into the urban space: reproductions of the work will be displayed as banners in the design of official GUESS stores in four Kazakh cities—Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, and Atyrau. This gesture expands the boundaries of the museum exhibition and integrates art into everyday urban life.
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