Over the past few years, Uzbekistan has emerged as one of the most dynamic forces on the international cultural stage, making its mark through landmark exhibitions in Europe and distinctive national pavilions at the Venice Biennale of Art and Architecture.
In this talk, art critic and curator Alexandra Kharitonova takes audiences on a journey through the Bukhara Biennial, a groundbreaking cultural event held from September to November 2025. Curated by Diana Campbell, the biennale, titled Recipes for Broken Hearts, transformed the ancient city of Bukhara into a living canvas.
Set across madrassas, caravanserais, and bustling bazaars, the exhibition wove together visual art, performance, culinary traditions, and crafts, inspired by a local legend about healing and love.
Through this talk, Kharitonova unpacks how the biennale explored themes of ecological fragility, women’s voices, cultural identity, and the power of collective renewal, all within the evocative setting of Bukhara’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The evening continues with Memory, Landscape, Time – In Dialogue with Artist Nazira Karimi, a conversation delving into Karimi’s seven-channel video installation HAFTA (2024), presented at the 60th Venice Biennale. Karimi’s poetic work reflects on the vanishing landscapes and languages of Central Asia, tracing the intertwined stories of personal memory, migration, and environmental change.
Together, these sessions offer a rare opportunity to encounter Central Asia’s contemporary art scene at a moment of transformation, where history, geography, and identity converge through art, memory, and storytelling.
