III Tashkent International Photo Biennale-2005 was held in December 9-24, 2OO5 in Tashkent House of Photograph. It was organized by Tashkent House of Photograph, International Federation of Photo Art, “Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan” Foundation and the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan.
Seven expositions were placed in six halls and foyer of the centre. The accent was on the exhibition of the best works of Photo Biennale-2005 contest.
It was the third contest and first under the auspice of International Federation of Art Photo (FIAP). Chromo and black-and-white photos were represented in two nominations: “Free theme” and “Health” as 2005 was declared the Year of Health in Uzbekistan.
Ill Tashkent International Photo Biennale-2005 received more than one thousand photos of 202 artists from 34 countries. The jury included Jack Deni (Belgium), Shavkat Boltaev (Uzbekistan), Victor Vyatkin (Uzbekistan), Vladimir Jirnov (Uzbekistan), Tursunali Kuziev (Uzbekistan), Matteo Modet (Italy) and Boris Panov (Ukraine). They selected two hundred thirteen works. The exposition included the works of foreign members of the jury. The artists from many countries became prize-winners of the contest. In nomination “Chromo photography” Gold Medal of FIAP was given to Nils-Erik Jerlerman (Sweden) for “Umbrella and Line”. In nomination “Black-and-white photo” Gold Medal of FIAP was given to Marta Pocza (Netherlands) for series “Wasted time”. Boris Ravich (Israel) won the 1st place in nomination “Health. Black-and-white photo”.
Photographers of Uzbekistan also succeeded in the contest. Lenur Ametov (Uzbekistan) won the 1st place in nomination “Health. Chromophotography” for series “Birth”. Silver Medal of FIAP was given to Zilola Saidova (Bukhara) for “Light and Shadow” in nomination “Black-and-white photo”.
Among winners of Honorary ribbons of FIAP were Nuritdin Djuraev and Anatoly Korovin (Uzbekistan). Special prizes were given to Lenur Ametov, Sadyk Tursun-zadeh and Hamdam Sharahmedov (Uzbekistan). Prizes of International Fund “Soglom avlod uchun”, Uzbekistan Representation of “Konica Minolta” Corporation, National Institute of Arts and Design named after K. Bihzad, Modern Art Center and some colleges of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan also found the winners.
From Series “Light and shadow”
Vice-President of FIAP and Chairman of Jury Jack Deni greeting participants of Photo Biennalle-2005 (published in the booklet of the contest) told: “Three years ago I had the pleasure to see photo exhibition from Uzbekistan in Belgium and to acquaint with the people interested in development of photo art in their country. I saw the photo works which were carrying me from the west of Europe to your land with ancient and interesting civilization. The people living in countries-members of FIAP mutually enrich acquainting with cultures, traditions, languages and religions ideas of different peoples. This fruitful competition finds lucky symbiosis in international language of photo images, which unite us more than our differences separate us. Tashkent House of Photograph uniting photographers of Uzbekistan is a young member of FIAP, but has already organized important international exhibitions.
I could not visit exhibitions of III Tashkent International Photo Biennalle-2005, but I had honor to participate in the jury and so could see all reproductions and was surprised in high level of works. Besides that, two days later when Press-Conference on results of the contest was held in THPh, one of the halls was decorated with photo works “Retrospectives throughout the world” from the collection of FIAP. The presentation was grandiose. All that allowed to presume that Photo Biennale-2006 was of high level, rare in the world”. The other exhibitions of Photo Biennale-2005 also were very interesting and gave a detailed picture of contemporary photo art.
The exhibition on the contest “Purposes of Millennium” held by UNO Representation in Uzbekistan gave wide panorama of public and cultural life of our country organically combining national traditions and global integration.
The exhibition “International Language of Football” of International Photo Agency “Magnum”, prepared together with Goethe Institute in Tashkent, anticipated World Cup – 2006 on football in Germany. Corresponding to motto of FIFA “Friends host the entire world”, the exhibition again proved that football is a global show beyond national and cultural borders. People communicate by means of football without any words. The retrospective exhibition “From FIAP’s collection” was kindly given by Vice-president of FIAP Mr. Jack Deni. It included the best works of FIAP contests in different countries. The exhibition exposed showed tendencies in world photo art and its progress for last decades.
Photos “Child” by Yoshie Akito Qapan), given by Japanese Society of Photographers, represented a poetic hymn of photographer-woman devoted to mystery of birth.
Famous Japanese photograph and figure of culture Goro Kuramuchi could not participate in the jury of the contest. However, he sent greeting letter: “I congratulate you with Tashkent Photo Biennale. Our contacts with Uzbekistan were established five years ago. Then I took part in Photo-Festival “100 children from Tashkent and Samarkand”. I still remember smiling children faces. These children are hope of future and treasure of the country. Mister Tursunali Kuziev and Missis Shahnoza Karimbabaeva support photo biennale. They much helped to Photo-Festival “100 children from Tashkent and Samarkand”. Thanks to their activity photo artists of Japan and Uzbekistan could develop stable contacts. Japanese photographers visited Uzbekistan. They took pictures and arranged the exhibition. Contacting Uzbekistan people, we were satisfied with mutual creative exchange. New stage of our friendship started in 2005 when Uzbek photographers held five individual and collective exhibitions in Japan. This event became possible thanks to friendly relations between two countries. We respect traditions of Uzbekistan. All that was reflected in ancient history of Great Silk Road. Everybody who visited your country estimates hospitality of Uzbek people. We hope to further development of our contacts and art of photo will strengthen our friendship. Thank you for Photo Biennale in your country”.
“Turkistan Photos of the early 20th century” by S.M. Prokudin-Gorsky, photographer and inventor of unique chromo photographic methods, was represented by International Organization “Restaurateurs Sans Frontiers” DVD-show “Exhibition of Aitor Lara” (Spain) had been demonstrated at III Tashkent International Photo Biennale-2005.
Scale of the international contest and high artistic level of International Photo Biennale-2005 prove that Tashkent can set up a claim to be one of world photo art centers. The fact that the capital of Uzbekistan simply darted into world photo Olympus is logic. For more tan one hundred years, Uzbekistan has been forming own photo art traditions, developed by masters of the highest level. Original photo school formed and gave photographers having original styles. The main thing is that recently the state has supported development of photo art in the country and the public was getting interested in it more and more. Establishment of Section of Photo Artists
within Association of Artists of Uzbekistan and Tashkent House of Photograph, which on January 1, 2006 got legal status – these facts institute links in one and the same chain. Regular Tashkent Photo Biennale and their growing international reputation became natural and logic continuation of this process.
Principles of tolerance are being recognized more and more both in politics and culture. Careful relation to all national cultures, which like rivers inflow in the ocean of world cultural treasury, is getting normal. All these principles are manifested in the world of photograph – the most dynamic field of modern art.
Yury Podporenko