British Vogue: Land of Plenty
From architectural wonders to ground breaking contemporary exhibitions, Uzbekistan topped the art crowd's must visit list
Uzbekistan, the doubly landlocked Central Asian country bordered by five other nations, has for centuries held an almost mythical allure. Ever since it played a central role in the Silk Road – the ancient network of trade routes that connected China with Europe and the Middle East – the country has been the jewel in the crown of empire builders from Genghis Khan to Alexander the Great. That rich heritage, however, was long closed off to many travellers, first during the six decades it spent as part of the Soviet Union and then under a dictator, Islam Karimov, who died in 2016. Since then, there has been a gradual thaw under its current president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and visitors are once again flocking to its capital, Tashkent, and major cities such as Samarkand and Bukhara, to experience its distinctive melting pot of Greek, Turkish, Muslim and Russian cultures, where mosques, minarets and madrasas are mixed in with synagogues, Buddhist and Zoroastrian temples, and medieval caravansaries that once hosted Silk Road merchants.
A cultural renaissance is also afoot in the country, with a series of ambitious arts and culture events and major museum openings scheduled to take place over the next couple of years, largely initiated by Gayane Umerova, who chairs Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation. “We have embraced an opportunity to return to our history as a hub for exchange and showcase the country’s heritage,” she explains.
In Tashkent – known for its beautiful metro system, whose stations are elaborately decorated with chandeliers and the country’s signature green-and-blue mosaics (above) – the renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando has been working on designs for a new State Art Museum of Uzbekistan that is poised to become the largest exhibition space in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Umerova has also invited Studio KO – the French architectural firm led by Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier – to design a new Centre for Contemporary Art, due to be unveiled in Tashkent in October. Housed in a former 1912 diesel station and tram depot, it follows Studio KO’s approach of “making something new out of something old. Modernity with the heritage of time is at the heart of our practice.” This marks Studio KO’s second commission in the country: last year they curated Uzbekistan’s national pavilion at the Venice Biennale, working with architecture students from Tashkent’s Ajou University and local craftsmen to create a maze in the Arsenale based on pre-Islamic qala fortresses in the Karakalpakstan part of the country.
Things will come to a head in September when the city of Bukhara, once a medieval centre of Islamic culture and theology, will host the inaugural Bukhara Biennial. The debut edition, curated by artistic director Diana Campbell, with Wael Al Awar as creative director of architecture, will feature Uzbek artists, such as Oyjon Khayrullaeva, Daria Kim and Gulnoza Irgasheva, alongside international creatives, including Antony Gormley, Himali Singh Soin and Laila Gohar. “Bukhara was a place where people all over the world came to seek knowledge, both worldly and spiritual,” says Campbell. “We wanted to honour this enduring spirit of the city, inviting visitors to be part of building its future histories.”
With the concept and title of Recipes for Broken Hearts, the Biennial will span art, crafts, textiles, music and even culinary arts, with Uzbek and international chefs invited to showcase their cooking. As Campbell puts it, “After all, the closest way to connect two people who don’t speak the same language is through a meal.” This was a brief uniquely suited to the Egyptian-born artist Laila Gohar, known for her surreal food installations. Gohar was awed by her first visit to Uzbekistan last year. “Central Asia is so rich, so vast, so incredibly beautiful and diverse, yet many people aren’t as familiar with it because of the lack of representation in Western media.” For her contribution to the Biennial, she’s taking inspiration from the salt residue on the exteriors of Uzbek buildings and markets that sell traditional sweets made from rock sugar. “I’m building two sculptures – one out of salt, one out of sugar – that you won’t be able to distinguish between.”
One artist who epitomises the new energy surrounding contemporary Uzbek art is Aziza Kadyri, who represented Uzbekistan at the Venice Biennale last year and is also slated to present new work at the Bukhara Biennial. Born in Russia to Uzbek parents, raised in China and now living in London, Kadyri’s practice exploits the tension between traditional Uzbek craft, such as Suzani embroidery, with AI-generated imagery as a means to explore themes of decolonisation, migration and displacement. For her part, Kadyri is excited about the surge of interest in contemporary art in her home country. “We’re witnessing a trend of mutual support among artists and a shared commitment to building a thriving art scene,” she says. “There’s a strong, tangible desire to create and explore together.
