Kaisar Salykov

Kaisar Salykov, originally from Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, now based in Moscow, Russia, is a multidisciplinary artist making waves in animation and digital innovation. Named one of Forbes Kazakhstan's "30 Under 30" in 2023, Kaisar has built an impressive career at the crossroads of technology and art.

His animated works have earned accolades on the global stage, including the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at the Cannes Short Film Festival, an Award of Merit from the One-Reeler Short Film Festival in Los Angeles, and recognition at the USA Film Festival in Dallas. He's also a winner of the AMD Design Award 2021 and received top honors at the OPEN VISION FILM FEST in Moscow.

Kaisar's projects have been showcased at prominent venues like the Third Place art space in St. Petersburg, the CIPR exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod, and CES 2022 in Las Vegas, where he collaborated with Panasonic. Beyond exhibitions, he has worked on cutting-edge initiatives, including building a metaverse for the World Economic Forum in Davos and contributing to games and films.

Merging creative thought and technological precision,  Kaisar creates work that speaks to modern audiences and pushes the boundaries of digital media.

How are you?

Thank you, I am doing well! It is a pleasure to participate in this interview and share my experience.

How did you become an artist? Why did you choose this path?

I became an artist due to my passion for creating visual stories and the desire to convey ideas through images. It all started with an interest in computer graphics and 3D design. Gradually, I realized that I could express my thoughts and feelings through this art form.

What events or experiences have shaped your work?

My creative path has been greatly influenced by participation in competitions such as the AMD Design Award. This has given me the opportunity to rethink my vision and work on projects that challenge my creativity. In addition, working with international teams and directors has added to my professional experience.

Are there any themes or subjects that you like to explore in your work?

I am particularly interested in ecological themes, but not in the conventional activist sense—rather, as a way of rethinking the relationship between humans and their environment. I reflect on how nature is transformed under the influence of technology and how this transformation affects us—not only physically but also on the levels of perception, memory, and emotion. The modern world is filled with alarming signals—microplastics infiltrate soil, water, and even the human body; oceans are turning into repositories of waste; ecosystems are restructuring in response to human intervention.

But I do not see this as an inevitable catastrophe, because these processes are understood and, therefore, manageable—technology, science, and art are already offering ways to rethink and address them. Rather, this is a new bifurcation point, an opportunity to redefine the boundaries between the natural and the artificial. Art gives me a language to speak not only about anxieties but also about possible future scenarios in which humans and their environment enter into a more subtle, symbiotic dialogue. I am interested in finding not only threats in these changes but also new ways of sensing, remembering, and interacting with the world.

How do you continue to push boundaries and experiment in your work?

I try to learn new tools and technologies, take part in competitions and projects that are outside my comfort zone. I experiment with combining different styles and techniques.

Whose opinions on your art are important to you?

I value the opinions of fellow artists who can give constructive criticism, as well as feedback from people who are seeing my art for the first time. This helps me grow and adapt.

What topic in contemporary art do you find most interesting today? Are there any local or international phenomena that catch your attention?

Today, I am particularly interested in the intersection of gaming and other media. In this context, I find the exhibition "Worldbuilding: Gaming and Art in the Digital Age", curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, to be especially significant. It explores how contemporary artists around the world are adopting the aesthetics and technologies of video games as a form of artistic expression. This is the first exhibition of this scale to span multiple generations, demonstrating that gaming culture has long transcended the entertainment industry, becoming a powerful dimension of artistic thought.

Game mechanics are increasingly permeating artistic practice, offering new ways of engaging with the audience—ranging from immersive simulations to nonlinear narratives, where art exists not as a static object but as an evolving process. What fascinates me is the ability of games to construct alternative realities in which one can explore hypothetical futures, rethink history, or even cultivate empathy through digital environments. I am particularly interested in how artists use these tools not only to expand the visual language but also to experiment with perception of time, randomness, and authorship.

Tell me something funny about yourself.

I have a friend and collaborator, Artyom Krylovsky — we've known each other since school. Once, a long time ago, he jokingly said he had a musical education. He said it so convincingly that I believed him, and for some reason, that "fact" stuck in my head for years.

Many years later, we were working on an animated film together. The visuals were halfway done when I happily told Artyom that his musical education would finally come in handy. He didn’t even blink — just said, “Alright,” and agreed to write the music, even though he actually had no idea how to do it.

While I was finishing the visuals, Artyom somehow managed to become a beatmaker and sound designer from scratch. He did the entire soundtrack and sound design for the film all by himself. And I only found out he never had any musical education after everything was finished.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

Don't be afraid to try new things and make mistakes. Communicate with colleagues, look for inspiration in other people's work, but maintain your individuality. Constantly learn, analyze your achievements and find your niche.

Do you have any projects that you want to share with the public?

Yes, I am currently working on a short animated film that explores the topic of human interaction and technology. I hope it will be inspiring for viewers.

Thank you for taking part in this interesting conversation.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and thoughts! It was a pleasure to answer your questions.