March 19-26, THP
The exhibition of traditional and contemporary arts and crafts of Uzbekistan “Navruz-2010″ Art Festival displayed arts and crafts such as embroidery, print, traditional textiles, ceramics, carving and painting on wood, as well as batik, tapestry, decorative plastics, etc. New collections were presented by well-known fashion designer from Tashkent L. Babayeva and chitgar-master A. Rakhimov.
The exhibition marked the anniversaries of the famous Uzbek masters of ceramics usto Umarkul Jurakulov, Sophia Rakova, Mukhtar Abdulakulov and Ahad Aminov, who made a worthy contribution to the conservation and development of the traditional school of ceramics in Uzbekistan.
March 19 – April 2, HYPA
An art exhibition “Landscapes of My Homeland” was traditionally scheduled to coincide with the Navruz national holiday.
On the opening day about a hundred works authored by young artists from Uzbekistan were presented. Alisher and Azamat Atabaev, Dilshod Eshmatov, Elmurad Halykberdiev, Uktam Saidov, Nadir Akhmedzyanov, as well as students of art colleges and the K. Behzad National Institute of Arts and Design who try their hand at the genre of landscape took part in the exhibition.
March 25 – April 25, FAGU
The “Volkov’s Fergana” exhibition displayed the works of artists from Fergana Valley whose art is inspired by the poetry of Alexander Volkov – the most remarkable representative of the Ferghana Valley artists, whose name became a legend in the history of arts of Uzbekistan. The organizers of the exhibition had an objective to draw attention to social needs and problems the region’s artists face.
The paintings serve to transform the poetic word of the great artist into the beautiful images of the scenic valley. Among the exhibition participants were A. Hamidov, I. Batova, E. Kuvandykov, L. Semizovora, M. Hudayberdiyev, who presented 30 paintings and 15 pieces of batik art.
April 15-22, THP
The exhibition “On Guard for the Motherland” presented paintings based on the artists’ field visit to the military facilities in Uzbekistan. The main character in their works is the Guardian Soldier, the nation’s strength and might, which the country can rely on.
More than forty artists from Bukhara, Samarqand, Fergana Valley and Karakalpakstan presented landscapes, portraits of army servicemen, scenes of their life, and everything related to their service of protecting their motherland.
April 16 – May 3, THP
70th anniversary of the well-known Uzbek graphic artist, painter and watercolorist Iskander Vakhitov was marked with an exhibition that presented over a hundred works created by the artist in different years: easel and book graphics, drawings and watercolours, as well as paintings glorifying the beauty of his native land.
April 21-25, CEH
The 7th “Week of Fine Arts +5″ organized by the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan enjoyed a comprehensive government support. The objective of the event was to promote the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of the past and the achievements of today in the national art, and, most importantly, to introduce general public to the work of young artists, whose talent reached its heyday during the years of independence, as well as to provide them with comprehensive support.
April 22 – May 5, THP
In the framework of the Fine Arts Week there ran a personal exhibition of Azamat Hatamov, showing over 70 drawing and sculpture pieces. Themes and motives in most of his works performed with aristocratism intrinsic to his art are inspired by the images of his native Surkhandarya, as well as history and lyricism of the Orient.
April 22 – May 5, HYPA
The exhibition “Testing the Flight” was organized by the “Forum for Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan” Foundation and the Tashkent Architecture and Construction Institute (TACI). Author of the project is Professor Saodat Mirdavidova. The exposition displayed paintings, photography and video art, as well as installations created by the students. The participating artists say: “We have made our choice and want to tell of how many questions and answers are generated in our inner world”.
April 29 – May 15, CEH
The personal exhibition of the People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, landscape painter Anvar Mirsagatov displayed almost 200 works created in different years, which represent his art in retrospect and reflect his evolution as an artist. These include landscapes showing the old Tashkent, picturesque mountain panoramas, as well as historical and architectural monuments of Samarqand. All the pictures are painted from nature, en plein air. Mirsagatov’s works are unique in style, mastery and vision of the world.
May 8-15, THP
Art exhibition “The Return of Peace” was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the victory in the World War II. It presented works from the assets of the Art Exhibitions Directorate, which were inspired by the theme of war. S. Abdullaev, H. Rakhmanov, Z. Inogamov, I. Kochetov, A. Viener, V. Yevenko, R. Suchkov, M. Yesin, G. Tkachyov, and many other artists put their works on display. The artistic heritage of V. M. Petrov was represented in a separate section of the exhibition, which also accommodated works of the Uzbekistan’s Artists Union members, as well as documents and photographs from private archives of N. Glazkova, V. Mansurov-Kavrigenko, and T. Petrova.
May 8-9
The city of Khiva and its historical monument Ichan-Kala hosted the third “Asrlar Sadosi” festival organized by the “Forum for Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan” Foundation and UNESCO Office in Uzbekistan. Festival participants had an opportunity to experience ancient traditions, the diverse culture and art of Uzbekistan.
Since Khiva is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and also due to the fact that research and education activities were implemented on a greater scale, this year the traditional culture festival had historical and cultural focus.
May 11, Gunma Province (Japan)
The show of traditional Uzbek costume and the demonstration of ways of manufacturing it, as well as traditional textiles and accessories were viewed by the Japanese audience. This was the first part of the project aimed to further bilateral cooperation between Uzbekistan and Japan in the cultural domain. The second part of the project, “100 Japanese Kimono”, will be presented in Tashkent and other cities of Uzbekistan. The visit was organized by the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and “Gunma” Central Eurasian Club.
May 11-30, THP
By now a traditional exhibition “One Day in Latvia” was dedicated to a photo session called “One Day in Latvia. 20 Years Later” that took place on the 31st of August 2007, during which 60 professional photographers from different countries, including Uzbekistan, recorded one day in the life of the country.
May 14-30, CEH
At a chamber opening day of the “Sixty Seconds” exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the Uzbek graphic artist Anvar Mamajanov about 70 of the master’s works created over the last decade were displayed. His work is characterized by an exquisite style and deep philosophical insight into the past and present, as well as by metaphorical reflection of reality with the artist’s inherent sense of humour.
May 15-21, CAC
The 10th art exhibition, now traditional, presented a peculiar artistic tandem: the Professional Artists Associations of the Republic of Korea and of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. Forty artists who source their inspiration from the European fine arts school and traditional culture demonstrated their work at the exhibition. The subjects of paintings were diverse: landscapes, still lives, animals of Asia, etc.
May 18-25
On the eve of the World Museum Day the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan implemented an art project authored by Ali Turov, “Masterpieces of World Art in Tashkent”. The Square in front of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre named after Alisher Navoi was filled with 100 painting banners showing masterpieces from the world’s best museums, including museum collection of Uzbekistan. The projects aimed at introducing the residents of Tashkent to the works of the world’s and Uzbek art.
May 20, NIAD
Since 2006, as part of the course on history and theory of art criticism offered at the Art History Department of the National Institute of Arts and Design (NIAD) named after. K. Behzad, academic and experimental student conferences have been organized under the general project title “Ego”, with an objective to research current problems of contemporary domestic and world art.
The project title was determined by the desire of its supervisor, Professor A. Khakimov, to cultivate in his students, the art critics to be, a personal view on the issues related to theory and practice of art. The “Project Ego VIII. Aristotle’s Cow. Anti-Mimesis” aims to reflect relevant issues associated with the development of contemporary art in Uzbekistan.
May 21 – June 2, Moscow (Russia)
The VII International Festival “Moscow Welcomes Its Friends” was attended by 1500 young talented artists from more than 30 countries, including Uzbekistan. They are the winners of the international festival “The Rising Stars in Kremlin” in the domain of music, visual arts, and choreography. The festival was organized by the International Charitable Fund of V. Spivakov, with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, Moscow Government and the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of CIS member states. Vivid and extensive program of the festival held under the “Light of Hope” motto, included concerts, contests, exhibitions and master classes.
May 26 – June 2, the Municipality of Rouen (France)
The exhibition of Uzbek applied arts and crafts displayed ceramics wrought by Abdullo Nazrullaev, pottery artist from Gijduvan, as well as items made of wood and metal, suzane wall-rugs, specimens of traditional costume. This exhibition is one of the links connecting the cultures of Uzbekistan and France. The event was organized by the municipality of Rouen (France), and the Association for the Studies of the Temurid Culture and Art, with the assistance of the diplomatic mission of the Republic of Uzbekistan in France.
May 26 – June 2, THP
The “Music of Italy on Stage” exhibition presented a retrospective of the history of Uzbekistan’s opera theatre: numerous photographs, set sketches, costumes, and playbills from the collection of the Alisher Navoi Opera and Ballet Theatre, telling the story of producing opera of great Italian musicians on the country’s finest stage.
A section of the exposition was allocated to display paintings by Kamoljon Babaev and Eshmamat Hayitov, graduates of the Aldo Galli Fine Arts Academy in Como (Italy), demonstrating continuity in cultural contacts between Uzbekistan and Italy. At the opening day of the exhibition, the Navoi Theatre soloists gave a concert, and videos showing famous Italian operas were demonstrated.
June 4-14, CEH
The personal exhibition of the Tashkent painter Muhammad Rustamov, dedicated to his 50th anniversary, displayed about 50 works of the master. His landscapes do not have bright or sonorous accents: they are simple in composition and true in relaying the ambience of light and air. This can be seen in his unsophisticated themes – adobe walls of old neighbourhood and enclosed courtyards, and in the colours of sun-bleached dry pahsa or shady trees. They are filled with moving tender attitude of the artist to the motive dear to him, and to people around him.
June 10-13, FAGU
International exhibition of the SCO countries’ artists, “The Great Silk Road – Journey for Peace”, held in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tashkent, became an international event of cultural and artistic exchange with the primary objective to encourage the fusion of the diverse Eurasian civilizations and reach harmony in the world. The exhibition participants were the renowned artists from the SCO countries, namely China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as artists from the SCO observer countries – Bangladesh and Egypt.
The exhibition demonstrated more than 100 paintings, ink drawings and paintings on silk, in which one could see traditional motifs and contemporary subjects, portraits and landscapes, reflecting nation-specific perceptions of the world. There was also a multimedia presentation telling about more than 2000 year history of prosperity of the Great Silk Road.
June 18-28, THP
The exhibition of the best works created by the graduates of photography school “The World through the Eyes of a Photographer” presented pictures chosen by the jury among student works from the first to the seventh class of graduates. The purpose of the exhibition was to show the diversity of forms in photographic works, the originality of stylistic approaches and conceptual content. Particularly noticeable were profoundly philosophical works of V. Shlosberg, T. Mamatkhojaev’s lyrical and poetic view of the world, and monumentality and refinement in the photos by K. Rajabova. A unique collection of photographs presented an opportunity to harmoniously combine the finest specimens of one of the youngest forms of art.
Acronyms:
THP – the Tashkent House of Photography
HYPA – the House of Young People’s Art
FAGU – the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan
CEH – the Central Exhibition Hall
CAC – the Contemporary Art Centre
NIAD – the National Institute of Arts and Design named after K. Behzad
By Natalia Shagalina