A New Chapter on the Silk Road: Inside the Bukhara Biennial 2025

By Mehar Deep Kaur - October 14, 2025

In the heart of Bukhara’s old city — where the Kalyan Minaret towers above sun-worn courtyards — the past meets a striking vision of the present. On September 5, 2025, Uzbekistan inaugurated its first-ever Bukhara Biennial, Recipes for Broken Hearts, marking the Silk Road city’s debut on the global contemporary art map.

Over ten weeks, 70 site-specific works by more than 200 artists from 39 countries transform Bukhara’s restored madrasahs and caravanserais into a living dialogue between history and innovation.

Al-Jabr and Al-Jazr: The Algorithm of Healing’ by Ahmad Angawi, in collaboration with Ilyor Jumaev | AD Al-Jabr and Al-Jazr: The Algorithm of Healing’ by Ahmad Angawi, in collaboration with Ilyor Jumaev | AD

The debut of this landmark event is the culmination of a vast national commitment to cultural and urban renewal. Commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) and visionary Commissioner Gayane Umerova, and curated by Diana Campbell, the Biennial is Central Asia’s largest and most diverse cultural confluence right now.

Curatorial Essence

The choice of theme is rooted deeply in Bukhara’s intellectual and historical landscape. It draws inspiration from the 10th-century polymath Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who famously prescribed the Central Asian ceremonial rice dish ‘Palov’ as a palliative for a broken heart. It proposes that repair, like a recipe, requires time, alchemy, and communal labor. This concept transforms the Biennial into an expanded, collaborative dastarkhan (feast table) that extends beyond visual art into the culinary, performative, and architectural realms.

Led architecturally by Wael Al Awar, the Biennial’s strategy repairs long-neglected historic buildings, restores ecological memory through gardens and shaded public squares, and forges pedestrian cultural routes along Bukhara’s ancient Shakhrud Canal. These six newly designated cultural paths connect monuments to everyday neighbourhoods, and anchor a broader vision for Bukhara’s future: a permanent cultural district where art, community, and heritage seamlessly intertwine.

Wandering Through Time and Feeling

To enter Bukhara Biennial is to walk the sinews of the old city: from Toqi Sarrafon, a 16th-century covered trading dome, through alleyways lined with artisan homes, to the structural heart of Khoja Gavkushon, where a grand hauz pool invites reflection. Spread across ten venues, including Gavkushon Madrasa, Khoja Kalon, Rashid Madrasa, and a cluster of four caravanserais (Fathullajon, Ayozjon, Ahmadjon, Mirzo Ulugbek Tamokifurush), the Biennial threads art intimately into Bukhara’s texture

Works created in partnership between Bukharian masters and international artists span woodcarving, ikat weaving, mosaic, and embroidery, elevating ancestral crafts. Highlights include:

  • Antony Gormley’s work Close occupies the majestic Khoja Kalon Mosque in collaboration with Temur Jumaev (Uzbekistan).
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  • AlMusalla Pavilion, originally designed for an Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. Reinstalled in Bukhara, the pavilion hosts collaborative meals, referencing not only Uzbek conviviality but also the city’s role in the trade routes of Asia.
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  • Subodh Gupta’s Salt Carried by the Wind appears against centuries-old brick façades, surprising the eye with weightless gestures of transformation.
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  • Blueroom, by Abdulvahid Bukhoriy (ceramic artist) in collaboration with Jurabek Siddikov (coppersmith), transforms a prayer room of Gavkushon Madrasa into a site for spiritual restoration inspired by ancient healing rituals in which fish become a vessel for absorbing human illness. They use handcrafted blue tiles, and a large chandelier-like sculpture made of brass and copper is suspended from the ceiling to create the effect of being underwater.
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  • Hylozoic/Desires’ monumental ikat tapestry Longing traces the disappearance of the Aral Sea. Pastel patterns strung over the canal, summoned by full-moon drumming performances.
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  • Jordanian artist Samah Hijawi’s Kinships and Cosmologies creates a cosmic mural mapping agricultural, spiritual, and culinary connections.​
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Why Bukhara Matters Now?

Bukhara is no blank canvas. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the city has long witnessed the crosscurrents of Persian, Turkic, Islamic, and artisan traditions. Its architecture celebrates domes, tilework, water channels, and mosques, acting as a palimpsest of cosmopolitan exchange. In staging a contemporary Biennial here, Uzbekistan asserts that modernity must be anchored in care for place, craft, and history. For the city itself, the Biennial is both a beacon and an engine. It catalyzes restoration, activates unused historic sites, and invites locals to participate. As local artisans collaborate with international artists, knowledge is exchanged and craft lineages gain renewed value in the global art ecosystem.

A Visitor’s Guide: Experiencing the Biennial to the Fullest

The ten-week run positions the Biennial during Bukhara’s pleasant Autumn season, the ideal time for exploration. To maximize your experience of this mesmeric event, preparation is key:

How to Reach Bukhara:

  • By Air: The most efficient route for international travelers is to fly into Tashkent International Airport (TAS) and take a short (approx. 1 hour 15 minutes) connecting domestic flight to Bukhara International Airport (BHK), which is conveniently located only 5 km from the city center.
  • By Rail: For a classic, high-speed Silk Road experience, the sleek Afrosiyob train offers a comfortable and scenic connection from Tashkent or Samarkand, reaching Bukhara in approximately 4–5 hours.

Exploring the Cultural District:

  • Duration: A minimum of two full days is recommended to navigate the dense, historic core and appreciate the site-specific installations, which are intentionally spread across the old city.
  • Logistics: The Old City is highly walkable. Use local taxis or ride-hailing services like Yandex Go to reach the train station or the more distant venues.
  • Don’t Miss: Major venues like the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa and the Ark Fortress area, seek out the participatory projects. Visit Café Oshqozon or the Rice Cultures Festival for an experience rooted in the flavour of the spice trade.
  • Engage with local craftspaces while you walk through mahalla neighborhoods where gold-embroidery, ceramics, and textile workshops still breathe.

The inaugural Bukhara Biennial is not a passive viewing experience; it is an invitation to walk the ancient Silk Road. Witness a city reborn through art and participate in a recipe for collective restoration. Secure your passage now, and be part of the most invigorating cultural convergence that Central Asia has seen in centuries!

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