This demanded, in part, a reframing of what even constituted art. “In Uzbekistan, there are a lot of artisans, but they just see the traditional way of getting their work to people, for example, through fairs. They don’t really see themselves as artists. They only see themselves as makers.” She traces that sensibility back to the fall of the Soviet Union, when, “for all Central Asian countries, it was about self-identity,” and “everything which was contemporary or modern was seen as foreign.”
While Umerova acknowledges the value of promoting Uzbek crafts, from woodcarving to papermaking, she sees no reason why contemporary art and design can’t also thrive. In 2022, the ACDF formed a partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation, marking the first time a Central Asian country joined its Homo Faber Guide, a curated digital platform spotlighting master artisans and ateliers around the globe. Uzbekistan also sent its first representatives to the Venice Architecture Biennale and the Venice Art Biennale in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
A testament to Uzbekistan’s success in Venice is London-based Uzbek artist Aziza Kadyri, who combines suzani, traditional hand-embroidered textiles, with AI. She participated in the Uzbekistan National Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Art Biennale, and last year she was commissioned for the Bukhara Biennial. (Visitors to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London can see a site-specific installation in which Kadyri responds to the museum’s historic suzani collection until January 10, 2027.)
Venice’s Biennale model has long inspired Umerova. “It’s like a living city with art,” she says, emphasizing the convenience of having most sites within walking distance of each other. With restoration at the heart of the Bukhara Biennial (the Historic Centre of Bukhara was added to the World Heritage List in 1993), Umerova conceived a master plan to ensure that the art and the impending tourist boom would not harm the city, the most complete medieval city in Central Asia. The inaugural edition saw local artists, such as ceramicist Abdulvahid Bukhoriy and metal engraver Jurabek Sidikov, transform a prayer room in a restored historic madrasa (a center of Islamic education), while participating international artists ranged from Egyptian multidisciplinary artist Wael Shawky to British sculptor Antony Gormley.
