About

ACDF

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) preserves, promotes and nurtures Uzbekistan’s heritage, arts and culture. At the forefront of the country’s cultural development, ACDF fosters the cultural ecosystem, drives the creative economy, and creates opportunities for practitioners on local, regional and global stages. It believes that culture and heritage play a vital role in shaping society, uniting communities, bridging generations, and facilitating cross-cultural dialogue.

ACDF oversees the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA Tashkent), opening on 6 September 2026, and is leading the development of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan, designed by Tadao Ando. The Foundation has also created the inaugural Bukhara Biennial, which welcomed more than 1.8 million visitors, connecting international audiences with the artists, artisans and communities of Bukhara. ACDF also spearheaded the first Aral Culture Summit and launched “Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI”, an ongoing research initiative dedicated to documenting and protecting the city’s modernist architecture.

To date, ACDF has reached more than 5 million visitors through major exhibitions and cultural projects across 17 countries, working with leading institutions including the Louvre, Arab World Institute, Uffizi Galleries, British Museum and Palace Museum. Through collaborations across Europe, Asia and the Gulf, ACDF continues to position Uzbekistan as a dynamic centre for cultural exchange and contemporary creativity.

Why this exists

The Bukhara Biennial connects contemporary art with the living heritage of Bukhara. Across historic mosques, madrasas, and public spaces, artists and artisans from Uzbekistan and around the world create new dialogues between tradition and contemporary practice.

Gayane Umerova

Chairperson, Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation Commissioner, Bukhara Biennial

Gayane Umerova is dedicated to advancing Uzbekistan’s cultural sector and strengthening the role of arts and heritage in society. She serves as Head of the Department of Creative Economy and Tourism of the Administration of the President of Uzbekistan, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, and Chairperson of the 25th session of the UNESCO General Assembly.

Gayane Umerova leads key cultural initiatives, including the restoration of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent, opening in March 2026, and the construction of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan, designed by Tadao Ando. She also commissioned the inaugural Bukhara Biennial in Bukhara, which welcomed over one and a half million visitors.

Kulapat Yantrasast

Founder and Creative Director, WHY Architecture Artistic Director, Bukhara Biennial 2027

Kulapat Yantrasast is the founder and creative director of WHY Architecture, an internationally recognized practice shaping major cultural institutions worldwide. Recent projects include the Met's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing (2025), the Dib Contemporary Art Center in Bangkok, and the ilmi Science Discovery & Innovation Center in Riyadh. WHY is also designing the Louvre's new Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art and the National Museum of India in New Delhi — set to become the largest museum in the world.

Raised in Bangkok and educated at the University of Tokyo, Yantrasast worked closely with Tadao Ando before founding WHY in Los Angeles in 2004. He is a recipient of Thailand's Silpathorn Award and serves on the boards of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and The Noguchi Museum.

Advisory Board

The Bukhara Biennial has launched an Advisory Board to guide the development of the next edition. Made up of leading international figures from the fields of contemporary art, culture, and academia, the Board provides strategic guidance on the biennial's artistic vision, programme, and global engagement. By creating a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas and fostering meaningful institutional collaborations, the Advisory Board will help extend the scope and impact of the biennial, supporting its long-term development and international resonance. Drawing on expertise and multiple perspectives, the Advisory Board supports the biennial's mission to foster meaningful dialogue between contemporary artistic practice.

Aya Al-Bakree

Cultural leader and advocate for the arts who has played a key role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s cultural transformation. Since 2021, she has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. In this role, she oversees the foundation’s two flagship international events: the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, held in the JAX District of historic Diriyah, and the Islamic Arts Biennale, hosted at Jeddah’s iconic Western Hajj Terminal.

Under her leadership, the foundation has developed a range of initiatives that strengthen Saudi Arabia’s cultural ecosystem. These include JAX District, a former industrial site transformed into a vibrant hub for artists, galleries and creative institutions; Al Madar, a platform fostering collaboration among institutions with significant Islamic art collections worldwide; and the AlMusalla Prize, an international architecture competition dedicated to innovative and sustainable spaces for prayer. Through these projects, Al-Bakree promotes dialogue, creativity and cultural exchange on a global scale.

Dilyara Allakhverdova

Holding a law degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Dilyara Allakhverdova is an art collector, patron and advocate for contemporary art. In 2005, she co-founded the Contemporary City Foundation in Moscow, a platform dedicated to supporting emerging artists and curators.

Since then, she has served as a board member of the Institute of Contemporary Arts and as Co-Chair of Tate’s Russian and Eastern European Acquisitions Committee. In 2018, she chaired Art Night London. She currently serves on the board of the Institute for Human Activities, a research initiative led by Dutch artist Renzo Martens, and is a council member of the Georgetown University Art Galleries. Through her work, she continues to champion artistic innovation, cultural exchange and the development of contemporary art internationally.

Alia Al-Senussi

Leading figure in the contemporary art world, specialising in visual arts and culture across the Middle East. She holds a doctorate in Politics from the SOAS University of London, where her research examined the relationship between soft power, cultural diplomacy and patronage networks. She is a founding member of the Middle East and North Africa Acquisitions Committee at Tate, serves on the board of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, and is a member of the Middle East Circle of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Dr Al-Senussi is Founding Co-Chair of the LACMA Global Ambassadors, Chair of the K11 International Council, and serves on advisory and governing bodies including Tate Modern, ICA London, Serpentine and the Delfina Foundation. She is Senior Advisor for International Outreach and VIP Representative for the United Kingdom, the Middle East and North Africa at Art Basel, and advises Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture on initiatives with the Diriyah Biennale Foundation. She also lectures internationally and is a visiting professor at VCU Qatar.

Alberto Cavalli

Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation and General Director of both the Homo Faber Biennial and Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte. Since 2007, he has led initiatives dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating master craftsmanship through apprenticeships, exhibitions, and cultural projects such as Doppia Firma and Mirabilia.

A researcher, author, and educator, Alberto has co-curated several publications on craftsmanship and Made in Italy culture, while also teaching at Milan’s Creative Academy and Politecnico di Milano. He is a member of the Centre du Luxe et de la Création in Paris and the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie’s Cultural Committee in Geneva. Alberto began his career in fashion and luxury communications, including at Dolce & Gabbana, before dedicating his work to advocating craftsmanship as both a cultural heritage and an economic necessity.

Aaron Cezar

Founding Director of the Delfina Foundation, where he leads its internationally recognised residency, exhibition and public programmes. Over the past 15 years, he has transformed the foundation into a global platform for artistic exchange, developing partnerships with leading cultural institutions worldwide and pioneering initiatives such as Collecting as Practice, the first residency programme to bring artists and collectors together.

Alongside his work at Delfina, Cezar has curated exhibitions and performances for institutions including Hayward Gallery Project Space, SongEun Artspace, ArtBo and Art Dubai, and co-curated performances for the 58th Venice Biennale. A frequent moderator at major art fairs such as Art Basel and Frieze, he has also written for publications including The Art Newspaper, Harper’s Bazaar and ArtAsiaPacific. He advises organisations such as Asymmetry Art Foundation and Kunsthalle Praha, serves on numerous international boards and committees, and has been a juror for prestigious awards including the Turner Prize (2021) and Korea Art Prize (2023).

Chris Dercon

Art historian, curator and museum director, and since June 2023 has served as Managing Director of the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain. He studied Art History, Theatre Research and Film Theory at Leiden University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Throughout his career, he has led some of the world’s most influential cultural institutions, including PS1 in New York, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and Haus der Kunst in Munich.

He later served as Director of Tate Modern in London and General Director of the Volksbühne Berlin. From 2019 to 2023, he was President of the Association of French National Museums–Grand Palais, overseeing the renovation of the Grand Palais. Known for his interdisciplinary approach, Dercon has collaborated extensively with architects, industrial designers and textile artists, fostering innovative connections between contemporary art, design and culture.

Michael Govan

The Chief Executive Officer and Wallis Annenberg Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). During his two-decade tenure, LACMA has doubled gallery space, programs, and annual attendance. In 2026, LACMA will open a state-of-the-art permanent collection building designed by Pritzker Prize–winner Peter Zumthor.

Inquiries

Please complete the form with your contact details so that we may assist you, or contact us directly for further information at info@bukharabiennial.uz