On May 9, the 61st International Art Exhibition (Venice Biennale), one of the most prestigious events in the world of art, began. The Uzbekistan pavilion is participating in it for the third time. The exhibition will run until November 22.
According to Afisha.uz, the national pavilion, organized by the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan, is called "Navo Dengiz" and offers a completely new look at the Aral Sea, the epicenter of the ecological tragedy, through the prism of art and legends. Artists are encouraged to view the Aral Sea as an object of philosophical reflection and art, rather than as an "ecological tragedy" or a "problem to be solved", as they always do. On the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, this community sees not just a tragic scene, but new stories and legends.
The creation of the pavilion was inspired by the work of Olloyor Darmenov, the author of the work "Karakalpak", who began "reviving" the Aral Sea in 2015 at the age of 18. His works depict swordfish living in the desert swimming through reborn waters.
Alongside the national pavilion of Uzbekistan, the famous exhibition "Means of Thinking" by Vyacheslav Okhunov is being held as an official companion event to the 61st International Art Exhibition - the Venice Biennale at the Franchetti Palace, organized by the Center for Contemporary Art in Tashkent.
Pavilion artists: Jakhongir Bobokulov (Uzbekistan), Zi Kakhramonova (Uzbekistan), Aigul Sarsen (Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan), Zulfiya Spovart (Uzbekistan), Xin Liu (China), A.A. Murakami (Great Britain; Japan) and Nguyen Fuong Lin (Vietnam). They created works in various genres, ranging from scientific modeling to folklore fiction, from monumental textiles to authorial crafts.