For Emre Erdur, Central Asia’s visual language begins with the vast horizons of the steppe, the horse, the yurt, felt patterns – symbols that have carried memory across generations. The Istanbul-born artist, designer, and author spoke with The Times of Central Asia about Kazakhstan, cultural codes, and why artists need to understand the meanings behind the images they use.
The Language of Visual Storytelling
TCA: How would you introduce yourself to readers who are encountering your work for the first time?
Emre Erdur: I was born in Istanbul, and since childhood, I have had a strong interest in drawing, visual design, and storytelling. Over time, this interest evolved beyond simply creating illustrations and developed into a multidisciplinary practice that combines visual communication, illustration, concept design, and narrative development.
Throughout my career, I have worked on a wide range of projects across different fields of visual design and communication. From illustration and architectural projects to product and game design, comic books, documentaries, and film productions. I have been involved in many areas where ideas require a strong visual language to be understood and communicated effectively.
TCA: You are an artist, designer, and author working with visual storytelling. How would you define the main focus of your practice today?
Emre Erdur: Today, I can no longer define myself simply as an illustrator or a designer. In reality, such definitions are often shaped less by the artist’s own description and more by the body of work they create and the way they work.
At the center of my work is visual storytelling. Whether through comics, film development, or cultural projects, my main objective is to make ideas related to history, culture, and collective memory visible through contemporary forms of expression.
For me, design is not an end in itself; it is a powerful tool for conveying stories, ideas, and emotions. In recent years, I have focused particularly on cultural memory, identity, historical narratives, and the shared cultural heritage of the Eurasian region.
The challenge is not only to interpret the past. It is also about building a new language for the future by understanding the memories and experiences that come from the past.
Kazakhstan as a Living Archive
TCA: In our previous conversation, we discussed your work, The Legend of Ergenekon, and the influence Kazakhstan has had on your creative practice. How has your understanding of this subject evolved since then?
Emre Erdur: Perhaps my core idea has not changed, but it has certainly deepened. At first, I viewed Kazakhstan’s influence primarily as a historical and visual source of inspiration. Over time, I came to realize that it represents something much deeper: a matter of cultural memory and, to some extent, a shared perspective on the future.
Anatolia is an extraordinarily rich and multi-layered cultural geography. For centuries, it has been home to different civilizations, empires, and cultures, creating a landscape where many historical layers coexist. This richness also shapes the way we view the past; it can sometimes lead us to romanticize certain periods or reinterpret historical narratives through contemporary perspectives.
My goal, however, is to get as close as possible to the original sources and cultural roots. If I had never set foot in Kazakhstan while working on The Legend of Ergenekon, I do not believe I could have understood and shaped the story with the same depth.
The geography itself, the people, the rhythm of daily life, and the ways in which cultural memory manifests in everyday experiences taught me many things that could never be learned from books alone.
Since then, I have followed developments in the region more closely, particularly through publications such as The Times of Central Asia. What interests me is not only the news itself, but also the social reactions, decision-making processes, and the broader sociological implications behind events.
These provide valuable insights into how people in the region think, what they value, and how they perceive the world.
For this reason, I no longer see Kazakhstan merely as a historical reference point or a source of visual inspiration. I see it as a window into a living cultural memory and an intellectual world that continues to influence my creative work.
Cultural Codes and Collective Memory
TCA: When did you first begin thinking not only about myths and history, but specifically about cultural codes?
Emre Erdur: I had been thinking about what we now call “cultural codes” long before I became familiar with the term itself. I sensed that within the behavior of societies, their collective memory, aesthetic preferences, and ways of perceiving the world, there were deeper patterns being passed down from generation to generation.
I do not necessarily approach this subject through the language of historical sociology or psychology. These disciplines are undoubtedly valuable, but my own field is closer to art, narrative, and visual memory.
Customs, traditions, and social practices can change over time; however, beneath them there are often deeper and more enduring cultural structures.
When I speak about cultural codes, I am referring to these deeper layers of collective memory that societies carry throughout history. One might compare them to a genetic code, though only in a metaphorical sense.
Just as humanity shares certain universal experiences, moral instincts, and aspirations, different nations and regions also develop their own distinctive forms of memory shaped by their historical experiences.
Understanding a society requires more than studying historical events or sociological data alone. To truly understand the people of a region, their memory, and their stories, one must also pay attention to their cultural codes.
Cultural Codes as a Practical Tool
TCA: Was there a moment when you realized that cultural codes were not just an abstract concept, but a practical tool for an artist, screenwriter, or designer?
Emre Erdur: Yes, I experienced such a realization, though it developed gradually over the years through my work.
I realized that cultural codes are not merely an academic concept, but an extremely practical tool for an artist, screenwriter, or designer. When telling a story or designing a product, it is essential to understand who that story or design is intended for, which society’s experiences it speaks to, and how people perceive the world.
A product may be technically flawless, but if it does not align with people’s habits, ways of life, and cultural expectations, it may fail to find a place in everyday life. The same applies to storytelling.
I realized this most strongly while working on The Legend of Ergenekon. If I had approached the subject merely as a romantic historical narrative, the result could have been superficial.
Once I began examining the societies of the period, their ways of thinking, their values, and their cultural codes, the story was placed on a much stronger foundation.
For example, while studying the relations between the Huns and the Han Dynasty, I tried to understand not only the historical events, but also how the two sides perceived the world. Yet understanding how they perceived the world was not enough on its own. The real issue was understanding why they possessed such a structure in the first place.
These characteristics, which emerged after many questions yet had no direct answer, were their cultural codes.
Image: TCA
Shared Memory Across Central Asia
TCA: Can we speak of a shared cultural code across Central Asia?
Emre Erdur: Of course, it is possible to speak both of a shared cultural code and of internal codes unique to each society.
There are deep layers of shared memory across Central Asia; however, upon this common foundation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan also possess original codes shaped by their historical experiences, ways of life, and aesthetic worlds.
There are different identities, traditions, musical forms, clothing styles, architectural approaches, and social behaviors. Yet when we lift the veil of this diversity, it becomes possible to reach a deeper shared field of memory.
For this reason, it would be incorrect to see Central Asia only as a single cultural bloc; it would be equally incorrect to see it as a collection of completely disconnected parts.
Soviet culture can be seen as a layer of concrete poured over these codes. In fact, Russian culture itself remained beneath that layer as well.
Soviet cultural design was deliberately constructed upon certain codes and, for a time, achieved considerable dominance. Yet the most significant mistake made by its designers was their failure to correctly understand a very deep layer of cultural code. For this reason, the system dissolved within the span of a human lifetime.
The Steppe, the Horse, and the Yurt
TCA: Which cultural images of Central Asia do you find the most powerful and recognizable?
Emre Erdur: One of the strongest and most recognizable images of Central Asia is the steppe and its horizon line. It is not merely a landscape; it evokes movement, distance, migration, homeland, and destiny.
The horse is not simply a means of transport, but a symbol of freedom, grace, status, and harmony between humans and nature.
The yurt is another essential image. It is more than shelter: it represents family, the center, the heavens, order, and a form of portable civilization. I sometimes think of it as an archive or capsule that carries knowledge, memory, and meaning while moving through space.
Felt, carpets, and geometric motifs are also profound cultural markers. In Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Turkmen visual traditions, they are not simply decorative. They carry ideas of lineage, fertility, protection, nature, and cosmology.
The Silk Road cities, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Panjakent, are equally important because they remind us that the region’s memory is not only nomadic, but also urban, commercial, scientific, and artisanal.
Novruz, too, remains a powerful symbol of spring, renewal, and shared Eurasian memory.
Yet beneath all these images are deeper codes: homeland, family, ancestors, women, children, warriorhood, and responsibility.
The Visual Logic of Survival
TCA: In your view, how do the steppe, nomadic culture, ancestral memory, and tradition shape the visual language of the region?
Emre Erdur: I see the nations of Central Asia making a serious effort to reflect their traditions in modern architecture and everyday life.
The steppe is a vast and open landscape, with an almost endless horizon and a sky that appears limitless. The perception of horizontal space, the sense of distance, and the presence of the wind all reinforce the concept of openness and space.
If we take Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva as examples, we can see structures that create a powerful visual impact even from a great distance, while at the same time using space itself as a meaningful and functional element.
At the heart of Central Asia’s visual language lies not decoration, but the ideas of survival and leaving a legacy behind.
In the design traditions of the steppe, one rarely encounters anything truly unnecessary.
Misreading Central Asia
TCA: Which elements of Central Asian culture are most often misunderstood or oversimplified in art, film, media, and design?
Emre Erdur: The most common mistake is reducing Central Asia to an “exotic nomadic decoration.”
Central Asia is often identified solely with nomadic culture. However, it is a sophisticated system based on seasonal movement, cyclical mobility, and a remarkable balance within the natural cycle of the world.
Everyone talks about sustainability now, but where was Central Asian culture producing waste?
There is often an emphasis on wildness. Yet when you look at historical artifacts displayed in museums, many of them are as elegant as a crane.
The yurt is often presented as nothing more than a tourist tent. In reality, however, it carries ideas about family, production, gender roles, craftsmanship, cosmology, and the philosophy of space.
Women Beyond Stereotypes
TCA: How are women in Central Asian culture often misrepresented?
Emre Erdur: The image of women is frequently reduced either to a purely traditional and folkloric figure or to a perpetual victim.
But even in the stories of Central Asia, women are often the ones who rescue their captured husbands.
With the film Tomiris, we finally began to move beyond this stereotype.
From what I have read and observed, women in Central Asian societies are both graceful and strong. They are certainly appreciated for their beauty and elegance, but they are not fragile. They fight on equal terms with men, and their strength does not diminish their elegance or refinement.
Image: TCA
Respecting Symbols
TCA: Where is the line between respectful engagement with cultural heritage and reducing it to a stereotype?
Emre Erdur: If you use a symbol only for its appearance, you move closer to a stereotype; if you try to understand the memory, context, and human relationships carried by that symbol, you are taking a respectful approach.
Using a kalpak, a caftan, a horse, an eagle, or a yurt in a story or design does not, by itself, create cultural depth.
However, when we begin to ask questions such as when the kalpak is worn, who wears it, and what ceremony, social role, or sense of belonging it represents, then the representation itself begins to gain depth.
An artist should absolutely use imagination. But imagination should be used to understand the past and help shape the future.
Reading Symbols Correctly
TCA: How can an artist tell whether they have truly understood a cultural code?
Emre Erdur: This is, first and foremost, a matter of educating one’s way of thinking and perceiving.
People remain human across centuries, yet they carry the codes of their geography, culture, and nation.
Take the goat as an example. In many Western traditions, it can represent evil. In Central Asia, however, it appears in the most honorable place, at the top of a headdress.
The goat is a creature of the earth, yet it climbs to the highest peaks, even in harsh conditions. For this reason, it became a symbol of endurance, strength, and leadership.
When an artist reads a cultural code correctly, a symbol is no longer just decoration.
Working Across Cultures
TCA: Is it possible to work with the cultural code of a country or region where you were not born?
Emre Erdur: Yes, it is possible. But you must either be able to read its cultural codes yourself or work closely with people who can.
For the past two years, I have been collaborating with a British director on a large period project rooted in English culture.
Animals are also important in the film. Horses, for example, are central to both our cultures. What interested me most was seeing a horse written not only as a romantic symbol, but as a real animal — with its beauty, difficulty, danger, and character.
Every culture deserves to be understood with care.
Kazakhstan and Cultural Renewal
TCA: What aspects of Kazakhstan’s cultural code have resonated with you most deeply?
Emre Erdur: Our source codes are the same. Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and others… We are all like different layers of the same great memory.
When I came to Kazakhstan, it felt as if one of the veils before my eyes had been lifted.
The Ruhani Jañğıru program made me think once again about how important and effective it can be to move toward the future while grounding oneself in cultural codes.
In Kazakhstan, I did not only see historical artifacts; I also witnessed a society’s effort to reconnect with its own cultural memory.
Visual Storytelling and the Next Generation
TCA: How can comics, animation, games, and visual storytelling help younger generations in Central Asia better understand their roots?
Emre Erdur: Visual storytelling has become one of the most powerful tools for transmitting cultural memory.
Today, schools are no longer the only force shaping young people. Social media, games, films, animation, television, and digital platforms have enormous influence.
If we do not represent our own cultural memory within these spaces, that empty space will be filled by the narratives of other cultures.
Japan, Korea, and China understood this early.
Culture as Industry
TCA: In your opinion, what is still missing for Central Asia’s visual culture to become more visible on the international stage?
Emre Erdur: What is created must reach the market.
Publishing, distribution, sales, and revenue generation must function together as a system.
Let us imagine a giant tree or a large pillar. Each level represents a different production layer within the entertainment industry.
Around that pillar are the teams and industry centers that produce these works. Beyond that are supporting industries, suppliers, and educational institutions.
Because an entertainment product is also an industry. A living industry.
Western societies recognized the power of culture in this regard. They transformed it into an industry and built the markets that supported it.
The primary driving force is visionary entrepreneurs, producers, and investors.
Advice to Young Artists
TCA: What is the main advice you would give to authors and artists who want to work with the cultural heritage of their region?
Emre Erdur: Do not romanticize your culture, but do not look down on it either. First, try to understand it.
My second piece of advice is to pursue meanings rather than symbols.
What keeps a culture alive is not only its clothing, motifs, or objects, but the memory that explains why they exist.
Learning your own cultural codes does not isolate you from the world. On the contrary, it helps you understand other cultures more accurately.
Meaningful work requires effort, discipline, technical knowledge, and the ability to develop one’s own potential.
Image: TCA
Why Cultural Codes Matter Today
TCA: Why is the subject of Central Asia’s cultural codes especially important today?
Emre Erdur: The world has changed very rapidly over the last hundred years, and it continues to change at an accelerating pace.
Thanks to technology, artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and global communication, people have become closer to one another than ever before. Yet this closeness can sometimes cause people to forget who they are.
I do not see the question of cultural codes as a matter of returning to the past or producing nostalgia.
On the contrary, I believe that in order to move confidently into the future, a person must first understand themselves.
Central Asia is a very special region because what exists here is not only the legacy of states or societies, but the traces of a very long historical memory.
For Central Asia, a once-in-a-century opportunity may have emerged today.
Our nations have never lived entirely within an imaginary world. Yet for the last hundred years, they have largely been forced to live within the dreams and visions of others.
That situation is beginning to change.
Artists have a very important role to play here. In reality, all they need to do is what is described in ancient stories: polish the mirror. Once the mirror shines brightly enough, whatever is meant to be reflected will reveal itself naturally.
