This written thesis examines how the formation of Kyrgyz national identity has been shaped by the intersection of cultural institutions, visual culture, and grassroots artistic initiatives. The research focuses on transformations of national discourse since Kyrgyzstan’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. It explores Soviet legacies in mediating the national imaginary through structures of knowledge and cultural production. By examining visual symbols appropriated in the project of national storytelling, the research draws connections between the creation of national myths and their physical manifestation in material culture. This project documents recent artistic and activist interventions in public institutions that aim to question the dominant discourses shaping national identity.