Art reshapes the equilibrium in the core of Eurasia
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In the heart of Central Asia, a cultural renaissance is underway. From Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan, art is playing a pivotal role in preserving heritage and creating new opportunities for future generations.
The Uzbek biennale, "Recipes for Broken Hearts", is one of the largest and most diverse cultural initiatives in Central Asia to date. Taking place in Bukhara, at recently restored historical sites within a new cultural district, this multisensory celebration of contemporary art, craft, and food aims to preserve the city's heritage while fostering innovation.
Curated by Diana Campbell, the biennale features Uzbek artists, chefs, and designers alongside international participants such as Laila Gohar, Subodh Gupta, Carsten Höller, Jeong Kwan, Elena Reygadas, and Tavares Strachan. The event runs from September 5 to November 20.
Kazakhstan, too, is experiencing a renewed cultural interest. Kairat Boranbayev and Nurlan Smagulov, two entrepreneurs, are investing in art. The Tselinny Center opened last May in a former Soviet cinema, and the Almaty Museum of Arts is set to open in September.
Central Asian contemporary art has been notably emerging through a blend of traditional cultural elements and cutting-edge media. Artists are redefining the visual language of the present, focusing on themes like identity, post-Soviet memory, ecology, and social transformation.
Key themes in the region's contemporary art include the interplay of ancestral memory, myth, and modernity. Artists are exploring identity, cosmology, and responses to current issues such as climate change. Notable events emphasise multimedia projects and festivals that both preserve and reimagine cultural heritage in new artistic languages.
For instance, in Uzbekistan, the 2025 multimedia project Ancient Futures in Tashkent integrates traditional crafts with biodesign to explore climate crisis solutions. Kazakhstan hosts the Korkut Triennale 2025 in Almaty, a sound art and new music biennale engaging with ritualistic and elemental themes.
Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is emerging as a significant hub for contemporary art. While the search results did not provide exhaustive separate details on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, it can be inferred that the broader regional trend involves leveraging local traditions, music, and crafts in contemporary frameworks.
Art in Central Asia serves as an instrument for resistance, research, and liberation, despite a lacking structured market. The art scene is still developing and lacks a fully structured market. However, art festivals and biennials, often in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, serve as significant venues for showcasing Central Asian contemporary art, characterised by multimedia, sound, installation, and biodesign projects.
Central Asia, after decades of marginalization, is shaping a new cultural geography. The visual language of art in Central Asia is being redefined to reflect the region's identity and post-Soviet memory. Armin Linke created a mosaic at the Tashkent Television Center in Uzbekistan in 2022.
In conclusion, Central Asian contemporary art emerges from a dialogic space where deep-rooted ancestral memories and myths are recontextualized through new media and global art discourses, addressing themes of identity, environment, and collective memory. Despite being far from the global mainstream spotlight, art in Central Asia is playing a crucial role in the region's cultural and social development.
- The Uzbek biennale, "Recipes for Broken Hearts", showcases the fusion of traditional Uzbek culture and contemporary art, with fashion-and-beauty and home-and-garden elements, as it features Uzbek chefs and designers alongside international participants.
- In Kazakhstan, the Almaty Museum of Arts, set to open in September, will likely become a significant platform for showcasing contemporary art, not only focusing on visual language but also encompassing lifestyle changes and home-and-garden innovations.
