{"id":2140,"date":"2025-03-19T21:43:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/tashkents-cca-aims-to-anchor-a-new-era-in-uzbek-contemporary-art\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T21:44:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T21:44:02","slug":"tashkents-cca-aims-to-anchor-a-new-era-in-uzbek-contemporary-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/19\/tashkents-cca-aims-to-anchor-a-new-era-in-uzbek-contemporary-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Tashkent\u2019s CCA Aims to Anchor a New Era in Uzbek Contemporary Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CCA residencies are located in the historic Tashkent mahallas\u2014Uzbek for \u201cneighborhoods\u201d\u2014of Namuna and Khast Imom, in newly restored heritage sites. Photo by Andrey Arakelyan \/ Courtesy of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Tashkent, 2024.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the West might have only recently begun to pay more attention to the \u201c-istan\u201d countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, their culture and history stretch back centuries. These lands stood at the crossroads of ancient globalization, traversed by the Silk Road and enriched by a confluence of diverse civilizations. In his renowned travelogue, The Milione<\/i>, Marco Polo vividly described the region as a tapestry of ancient cultures, abundant resources and opulent kingdoms. Centuries later, celebrated Italian author Italo Calvino drew from the same spellbinding geography in his poetic romance Invisible Cities<\/i>, weaving the allure of these far-off lands and their thriving cultures into a dreamlike narrative structured as a dialogue between the Venetian explorer Marco Polo and the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. These literary masterpieces testify not only to the region\u2019s longstanding connection with the West but to its enduring fascination and profound impact on the Western imagination.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s where our conversation began with Sara Raza<\/a>, the recently appointed artistic director of the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. A globally recognized curator with a sharp focus on the region\u2014particularly its postcolonial and post-Soviet legacies\u2014Raza brings decades of curatorial experience across Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Europe and North America. She previously served as the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative curator for the Middle East and North Africa and has curated landmark exhibitions at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (she wrote about \u201cClapping With Stones\u201d for Observer<\/a>) and the International Center of Photography. Her critically acclaimed book Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion<\/i><\/a> reflects a long-standing commitment to the region, offering \u201can in-depth overview of contemporary art from the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus, focusing on themes of resistance, subversion and counterculture while challenging both traditional Western notions of Orientalism and state-imposed narratives in post-Soviet societies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CCA is set to reopen in September 2025 following a major renovation and expansion that will reposition it as a new arts and culture hub for Uzbekistan and the broader region. The transformation was made possible by an ambitious cultural investment led by the Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), which seeks to strengthen Uzbekistan\u2019s cultural ecosystem, stimulate its creative economy and offer new opportunities to practitioners on local, regional and international levels. As envisioned by the world-renowned French architecture firm Studio KO, the expansion establishes a thoughtful dialogue between the institution\u2019s historical architecture and its contemporary surroundings. Drawing on traditional building techniques and local materials, the design moves in bold and forward-looking directions, embracing a contemporary sensibility grounded in Uzbekistan\u2019s artisanal legacy and artistic heritage.<\/p>\n

Raza has worked in the region for over two decades, largely with international institutions, and her new post offers a rare opportunity to contribute directly from within the fast-growing artistic and creative ecosystem of both Uzbekistan and Central Asia. \u201cI\u2019ve always been somebody who has been sort of in between different worlds, creating these dialogs and these thematic relationships,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re not just geographical.\u201d Born in Iran, she has a personal connection to Uzbekistan, whose historical ties to Iran remain visible. The ancient cities of Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva, once part of the Persian Empire, preserve the extraordinary architectural legacy of that golden era.<\/p>\n

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Sara Raza\u2019s curatorial vision embraces interdisciplinary artistic exchange. Courtesy of ACDF<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even during the Soviet period, Uzbekistan maintained a remarkably active and flourishing creative and cultural scene\u2014despite the fact that it remained largely invisible to audiences in the United States and Europe. \u201cWhile Europe and North America were not aware of what was happening in Central Asia, it doesn\u2019t mean there was an activity,\u201d Raza explained. \u201cIf anything, it was a great moment for this east. East activity, South-South activity\u2014I mean by communication within the global south. There was much communication with Latin America and Asia during the Cold War, translating into several festivals and cultural exchanges.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Tashkent became a particularly dynamic meeting point. Yet due to Cold War-era divides, much of this 20th-century activity remained under the radar in Europe and the U.S. Raza herself brings nearly two decades of curatorial experience examining Central Asia and the Caucasus within the broader Soviet framework, paying close attention to how those relationships also extended to the Arab world, Turkey and Iran. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, each Central Asian country gained independence but entered a period of transition and cultural realignment.<\/p>\n

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SEE ALSO: Creativity in Context \u2013 An Interview with Photographer Alec Soth <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cArtists have always self-organized in Uzbekistan. They have their studios now, but this was something not really possible with the Soviet regime,\u201d Raza said. At the same time, the country has long upheld deep respect for artisanship and developed excellence across various forms of craftsmanship\u2014many surviving historic buildings still stand as striking testimony to this. Contemporary art, particularly in the more conceptual sense we recognize today, has often flown under the radar. Yet, as Raza notes, it has always been embedded in Uzbekistan\u2019s cultural DNA, which places great value on language and poetry. \u201cSome more contemporary conceptual expression somehow came out first in poetry, in other ways, where it could flourish, but in the visual arts, it\u2019s something very recent. The foundation, however, is very strong as they have an entire tradition in sculpture, painting, textile and other forms of craftsmanship. At the same time, because there is a strong foundation in poetry, which is already a very ambiguous language, there\u2019s poetic code manifesting within the artworks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CCA has launched a new residency program that invites international artists to engage directly with Uzbekistan\u2019s heritage\u2014its specific cultural context and its enduring artisan traditions\u2014while giving local artists exposure to broader global practices and aesthetics. \u201cWe just opened the residencies in January this year for the first cohort of international artists, and it will serve as a great exchange platform between the world and Uzbekistan,\u201d Raza said. Four residents working in contemporary art, design, crafts, architecture, culinary arts, moving pictures or sound art will work in the historic Tashkent mahallas\u2014Uzbek for \u201cneighborhoods\u201d\u2014of Namuna and Khast Imom, in newly restored heritage sites also designed by Studio KO. These spaces have a deep-rooted connection to the region\u2019s artisanal legacy, as it was once a madrasah, a school where local builders, carpenters and masons mentored younger generations of craftsmen.<\/p>\n

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Historic cities like Bukhara and Samarkand are central to the country\u2019s cultural diplomacy and creative economy. Komarov. Courtesy of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Tashkent, 2024.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This renewed emphasis on reviving artisanal traditions is closely tied to one of Raza\u2019s core goals: reshaping the CCA into an interdisciplinary center that supports projects across design, fashion and music. Uzbekistan has a notably young and dynamic population, with 65 percent under 30. Building strong links between the CCA and local universities is key, Raza emphasized\u2014particularly given the institution\u2019s proximity to Westminster International University in Tashkent. \u201cThere\u2019s already a partnership to bring the students in. That\u2019s the closest thing to a campus museum, so I hope that going forward, the professors will be able to integrate some of their syllabi with the museum\u2019s program.\u201d She is determined to develop these educational relationships as a way of expanding the museum\u2019s role in shaping the next generation of cultural operators and art professionals in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe East is the foundation, but the aim is also to rethink some of those histories and heritage through artistic practices, through artists of today. The idea is not to cut off the past, but to reimagine it with the tools of international contemporary art, working in tandem with local artists. The program will celebrate Uzbekistan and branch out. From local and regional to global and digital realms, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uzbekistan\u2019s art scene has been bolstered by public investment<\/h3>\n

The government is backing this cultural revival, driven by the recognition that creative and artistic sectors are central to both national development and international prestige. One goal is to strengthen tourism\u2014especially cultural tourism\u2014around the historically significant cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. At the same time, contemporary art and creativity have become integral to the government\u2019s broader diplomatic and economic strategies, as demonstrated by the recent World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE), held from October 2 to 4, 2024, in Tashkent under the theme Inclusively Creative: A Shifted Reality<\/i>. Now in its fourth edition, the conference has firmly established itself as a major global gathering, attracting over 2,000 creative leaders from more than eighty countries. This year\u2019s focus on emerging technologies\u2014particularly artificial intelligence\u2014and their impact on the creative sectors positioned Tashkent at the forefront of an evolving global dialogue. \u201cThese types of events are really important to show to creative individuals that you can actually contribute to the economy,\u201d said Raza. \u201cAnd they prove that the sector can contribute to the economic growth of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The inaugural Bukhara Biennial will mark a pivotal moment in the country\u2019s emergence as a contemporary art hub. Photo by Ibrahim Erikan\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Notably, Uzbekistan will host its first biennial this year: the Bukhara Biennial, launching on September 5, 2025, in Bukhara, which is recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. Organized and promoted by the Uzbekistan ACDF and titled Recipes for Broken Hearts<\/i>, the biennial\u2019s curatorial statement aligns closely with Raza\u2019s vision for the CCA. It aims to transform the historic city into a dynamic platform where tradition and heritage intersect with contemporary art and creative innovation.<\/p>\n

At the center of Uzbekistan\u2019s cultural momentum is Gayane Umerova<\/a>, who has played a pivotal role in shaping the country\u2019s artistic landscape. As Deputy Head of the Department of Social Development of the Presidential Administration and Chairperson of the ACDF, Umerova has been instrumental in advancing the country\u2019s global cultural presence. She also serves as Chairperson of the National Commission of Uzbekistan on UNESCO Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers. Throughout her career, Umerova has worked tirelessly to elevate Uzbekistan\u2019s cultural profile on the world stage, with landmark exhibitions of the nation\u2019s art and creativity presented at major institutions, including the Louvre and the Arab World Institute in Paris, the Uffizi Gallery and Venice\u2019s Ca\u2019 Foscari University last year.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another ambitious cultural milestone is on the horizon: the New State Art Museum in Tashkent, which is currently in the planning stages. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Tadao Ando, the institution is poised to become the largest exhibition space in Central Asia. Spanning over 40,000 square meters and intended to house a collection of more than 100,000 objects and artifacts, the museum will offer an encyclopedic exploration of the region\u2019s cultural legacy.<\/p>\n

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