The Bukhara Biennial is a dynamic platform where contemporary art and cultural heritage converge in the historic city of Bukhara, fostering new creative exchanges between local traditions and global voices.
About the Bukhara Biennial
Bukhara’s roots as a crossroads of culture, knowledge, and craftsmanship for over two millennia inspired a new chapter marked by Uzbekistan’s first major international art biennial and a new and evolving Cultural District. The Bukhara Biennial reflects a wider vision spearheaded by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation: to revitalise heritage not as a static memory, but as a foundation for creative futures.
The 2025 inaugural edition was curated by Diana Campbell under the theme Recipes for Broken Hearts. Running from 5th September to 23rd November 2025 the 10-week-long, interdisciplinary event convened global and regional artists alongside Uzbekistan’s master artisans, drawing 1.8million visitors. All commissions were site-specific and produced by ACDF in Uzbekistan – a tribute to the enduring power of local craft and collaboration. The curator and dates of the 2027 edition will be announced in 2026.
Bukhara’s inaugural and evolving Cultural District brings new purpose to restored landmarks of historic significance including the Magoki Attori Mosque and centuries-old caravanserais, brought to life by the biennial as the first of many initiatives. In the future the Cultural District will welcome a fine art museum, an exhibition space, a music school, a studio for artists, and a digital archive.
Both the Bukhara Biennial and Cultural District form part of a long-term, holistic masterplan for the UNESCO Creative City of Craft & Folk Art. This plan is spearheaded by Gayane Umerova with Wilmotte & Associés as the lead architecture practice.
Next autumn, Uzbekistan will once again become a centre of attraction for artists, artisans and visitors from across the world. The second edition of the Bukhara Biennial will return to the historic city of Bukhara in Autumn 2027.
Set against the backdrop of the ancient Silk Roads, the biennial unfolds beneath open skies and within centuries-old mosques and madrasas, where contemporary art enters into dialogue with living heritage.
Advisory Board
Name
Aya
Al-Bakree
Dilyara
Allakhverdova
Alia
Al-Senussi
View all
