The exposition opens to viewers the warm and soulful world of carpets and tapestries, which have become a living reflection of cultural heritage. According to the organizers, they presented not just a collection of works, but a dialogue between tradition and innovation, past and future, material and spiritual.

"Felt-making and the creation of koshma are quite well developed in our country, but few people know about Kazakh carpet weaving. But the traditions of this art go back centuries and, unfortunately, may be lost. My goal is to hold this exhibition in the UK and France in the future. After Astana, we are already awaited in Almaty and Shymkent," - said the initiator, curator of the exhibition Sandugash Beisenbekova.

The very name of the exhibition is a play on words. SHE RUG is consonant with "ShyraQ", which means "light in the darkness". The exhibition seeks to illuminate the untold stories of the Kazakh steppes through carpets and modern tapestries. Guests are greeted at the entrance by the installation "ShyraQ". It is dedicated to the life story of one of the craftswomen named Aknur and her grandmother.

"Aknur started weaving carpets at the age of ten. However, her grandmother was categorically against her granddaughter's hobby and forbade her to be interested in this art. Aknur could not understand why her grandmother had an aversion to carpet weaving, until one day the secret was revealed. The grandmother tearfully told the story of how she was born into a large family and during the years of famine, at the age of seven, she was forced to flee with her father, brothers and sisters. Then the father had only two carpets and seven children in his arms. The border guard demanded payment from the father, insisting that he leave either the carpet or the seven-year-old girl. In those difficult years, the man had to leave the child in order to save and feed the rest of the children at the expense of the carpet. Aknur's grandmother could not forgive her father and read the fivefold prayer all her life. Only in her old age did she realize the hopelessness of the situation. In this installation, you can see the silhouette of a seven-year-old girl reading a prayer. Seven years - seven jainamazes. I want visitors to the exhibition to know such stories in the life of the people," - said the initiator, curator of the exhibition Sandugash Beisenbekova.

In the intricate patterns of each carpet, one can trace the origin of the nomadic spirit. They trace symbols and messages that speak of resilience and courage, freedom and enlightenment. The famous Kazakh collector Serzhan Bashirov presented several carpets from his collection at the exhibition, each of which has its own history.

"In fact, a carpet is the face of the people, which reflects all the important symbols and ornaments. Creating a carpet is a very laborious work, I admire the craftswomen. There are about 50 carpets in my collection. I used to find them in villages, bought them on the spot, but now it's the age of the Internet and you can get everything delivered. Unfortunately, few people know about Kazakh carpets. There is a Kazakh group of carpets in Azerbaijan, which is still valued. However, no one has particularly popularized our carpets and, unfortunately, they are disappearing. Previously, due to traditions, carpets were woven as a dowry, but now many synthetic carpets have appeared. I want to save at least what is in my collection. It is not so easy to revive, there must be a targeted program. After all, there are handmade carpets from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, where this art is well established," - said Serzhan Bashirov.

Sensitivity and warmth through textile works were conveyed by tapestry masters Kundyz Zhilybayeva, Malik Floberuly and Natalya Bazhenova. New facets of traditional art are revealed to viewers by Bauyrzhan Dosanov and Alibay Bapanov.

"One of my works is "Kairan Tulpar", which I created under the impression of events in different parts of the country, when horses were dying. For me, a horse is also a sacred symbol that is gradually losing its power in the life of the people. At the same time, carpet weaving in our traditions, unfortunately, is also disappearing. All these meanings are combined in this work. Here I also presented creations dedicated to myths, beauty. Now I am preparing for an exhibition in Berlin, where I will show my new works," - said Alibay Bapanov.

An important part of the exhibition was also rare carpets collected by such art connoisseurs as Tuyimekyz Rysbayeva, Saule Aumoldayeva, Asyr Beisenbekov. The exposition was also decorated with painting, full of the spirit of the time, performed by Natalya Karagoz.