The 61st Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art has officially opened to the public. This year, one of the world's most prestigious art events features a record 100 participating countries for the first time in history.
Uzbekistan, which made its debut on the global art scene in 2022, is presenting the project 'The Aural Sea' in its national pavilion. The exhibition is an attempt to reinterpret the experience of the Aral Sea region in Karakalpakstan, using the power of imagination.
This approach does not deny the environmental disaster caused by the large-scale diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers in the 1960s for agricultural irrigation. Instead, visitors are invited to reflect on the future of the Aral Sea based on knowledge drawn from the bitter lessons of the past.
The national pavilion project was developed by the first graduates of the foundation's international educational initiative, the Bukhara Biennale Curatorial School. The team includes Aziza Izamova and Kamila Mukhitdinova (Uzbekistan), Sophie Mayuko Arni (Switzerland), Nico Sun (China), and Thai Ha (Vietnam).
The curators' direction and approach align with the main theme of the Venice Biennale, 'In Minor Keys'. The core idea of the project is to shift attention from global narratives to 'quiet' practices, turning to personal experience and emotions, which requires a different kind of perception.
In the Uzbekistan national pavilion, listening is the primary means of communication. The exhibition, featuring works by artists from Uzbekistan, China, Japan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom, raises important questions: what does it mean to listen to a landscape that has undergone drastic transformation, and what can be learned by hearing the voices of generations living in a changed world?
The focus on the Aral Sea once again underscores that the national pavilion is part of the long-term work of the Culture and Arts Development Foundation in the Aral Sea region. This activity includes educational programs and cultural initiatives aimed at preserving the region's cultural memory, understanding and developing its potential.
The 'The Aural Sea' exhibition project will be open to visitors until November 22.
Source: www.gazeta.uz