Uzbekistan's Historic Cities Are Fueling a Modern Art Renaissance

"When the contemporary art curator Diana Campbell, who helped shape the art scene in the Philippines and Bangladesh, invites me to go somewhere, I'm all ears. Her scouting trips are always a piñata of wildly inspiring people, places, and encounters. So when she asked me to join her and several artists in Uzbekistan to explore sites for the first Bukhara Biennial, a state-sponsored art and culture festival to be held in the fall, I immediately said yes."

"Before I set off, I had known only a few things about Uzbekistan. The Central Asian country declared independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Centuries earlier, it was an epicenter of Islam's Golden Age and a key stop along the Silk Road-a crossroads for architects, artists, and mathematicians who made lasting contributions to world culture, including the development of algebra."

"My trip began in Tashkent, the country's capital and the entry point for most foreign travelers. As soon as I landed, I received a drop-pin from Campbell and a text telling me to head to J.Kim Objects, a concept store in the ancient Chorsu Bazaar. "It's really amazing, enjoy!" When I finally found the 400-square-foot store, which was tucked in one of the overflow tents behind the market's iconic turquoise dome, it was like entering another dimension."

"I met Jenia Kim, the store's Korean-Uzbek founder, whose handcrafted clothing is sold at boutiques like the Mohawk General Store in Los Angeles. Kim, one of the biennial's participating artists, explained how she takes inspiration from the Chorsu Bazaar, which sells everything from Uzbek folk clothing and jewelry to spices and artisan bread. Wandering through its alleys, I couldn't help picking up some dried chiles and a few textiles."

A curator invited travel to Uzbekistan to scout sites for the first Bukhara Biennial. The traveler knew little about Uzbekistan beyond Soviet independence and its Silk Road, Golden Age history, and algebra contributions. The journey began in Tashkent, with a visit to J.Kim Objects tucked behind Chorsu Bazaar. The 400-square-foot concept store displayed handcrafted ceramics and clothing with dramatic lighting and flute music. The traveler met Jenia Kim, a Korean-Uzbek designer inspired by Chorsu's folk clothing, jewelry, spices, and bread, and bought dried chiles and textiles. The market's smells prompted plans to eat at the Central Asian Plov Center.

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