The Foundation will unveil the architectural concept of its Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent
The Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) announces its participation in the 16th edition of Design Miami/Basel (14-19 June 2022) in Basel, Switzerland with the brand-new concept of the development of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent designed by the French architecture firm Studio KO.
Design Miami/Basel (DM/B) is the leading design fair with a strong line up of over 30 international galleries and designers. It connects the world through collectible design, innovative concepts, architectural discoveries and a series of live talks and is taking place parallel to Art Basel. In June, the theme of DM/B will explore the theme of The Golden Age set up by its Curatorial Director, Maria Cristina Didero.
Part of the Special Project section of DM/B, ACDF will invite visitors to discover the architectural concept made by Studio KO for the renovation of a 1912 building in Tashkent. Made out of bricks and initially a diesel station, it used to produce electricity to the first tramway line of the capital of Uzbekistan.
As part of the conceptual design work, Studio KO engaged in a conversation with Miza Mucciarelli, modeling artist and founder of the Atelier Misto, about the way model making could address the project. Two months later, after creating a very contrasted conceptual maquette, opposing box wood and black corian, came the time to create the final one, whose main purpose would be to stay, at the scale of 1.100, in the very heart of the final building. At the booth (#X05), visitors will discover the 3D model of the Centre and learn more about ACDF’s missions to create a unique venue in the region.
"The Centre for Contemporary Arts is a major element of cultural infrastructure of the Republic of Uzbekistan. We are glad to collaborate with an innovative studio with the large international portfolio who have experience developing ingenious projects respectful of local traditions and national heritage. Together we are going to create a cultural hub which will facilitate our diverse initiatives and allow creative communities in Tashkent to flourish. Following our strategic principles of openness and artistic excellence, the Centre for Contemporary Arts will become a crucial cultural destination and a platform for international collaboration that will appeal to the global audiences,"– Saida Mirziyoyeva, Deputy Chairwoman of the Council of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
"Contemporary cultural institutions are complex creative environments tailored for needs of producers and diverse audiences. Our collaboration with Studio KO will ensure that the Centre for Contemporary Arts is an inclusive space where cultural practitioners of different genres and backgrounds will be able to express themselves and share their work with visitors from Uzbekistan and beyond. Located in a historic building in Tashkent the Centre is being developed according to the state-of-the-art principles and technologies and it will tremendously contribute to the innovation and sustainability of the cultural sphere of Uzbekistan," — Gayane Umerova, Executive Director of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
“In 2020, the Foundation commissioned Studio KO to convert a former diesel station in Tashkent into a Centre for Contemporary Arts. Dedicated in the first place to a local public, it also proved to be of great interest because of the architectural quality of the existing industrial buildings, and the urgent need — as a principle to extend to all existing buildings — to rethink the several lives it could have. Because the project had matured, in particular after client’s feedback on the meanings of contrasts and colors in Uzbekistan, it became obvious that the final maquette had to reflect the targeted point of balance. A project that would express the tension in a more subtle way, that would use softness to tell the collision of times and techniques. And what better to merge them all than metal; the one you melt, the one you cut. All made one with the magic of fire,” — Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, Founders of the Studio KO.
CCA is the initiative of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It first opened in 2019, becoming the artistic focal point of the city. After the reconstruction of the historical building, it will become the first contemporary art centre in the country, a cornerstone of the cultural, architectural, and historical environment of the city. The CCA will host exhibitions, lectures, public discussions, and meetings with invited artists and curators, creating multifaceted artistic life in Tashkent.
ACDF will also launch artist residencies situated in several of the old city quarters — mahallas — offering creative workshops for working with different disciplines and media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, film and 3D printing. In the main CCA building, the educational programme will include special initiatives for artists' professional development. The residencies will be a place where past, present and future meet, a space where contemporary art and traditional crafts interact and feed each other. Together with the artist residencies as an educational platform, CCA will contribute to the integration of the Uzbek art community into the global context. Once completed, CCA will enrich Tashkent's creative life and provide a comfortable urban space, encourage the development of inter-regional and international creative relationships and help preserve the individual cultural environment of the city.
Art and Culture Development Foundation
The Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan fosters international cooperation and promotes the culture of Uzbekistan on the international arena. The Foundation spreads the national heritage through developing and supporting initiatives in the areas of fine arts and architecture, literature, theatre, music, and dance. Our mission is to create an inclusive and accessible environment in the country's cultural institutions, contribute to renovation of museums, and to develop cultural patronage and professional training for the arts and culture sector.
Centre for Contemporary Arts
Opened in 2019 and operating in test mode since then. The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) hosted lectures, public discussions, film screenings, workshops for children and adults. Film directors, artists, curators, architects, museum professionals and heads of institutions from France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, Singapore, USA, Russia and Uzbekistan were invited to speak at the Centre. CCA develops long-term partnerships with Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Aga Khan Music Initiative, Centre Pompidou in Paris, State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Singapore Centre for Contemporary Art, and the British Tate Modern Gallery. In late 2021 the Centre hosted the exhibition Dixit Algorizmi by Josef Grima, Italian architect, art critic, curator, and editor, currently displayed at the Uzbekistan National Pavilion at the Biennale Arte in Venice.
Studio KO
Based in Paris and Marrakech, Studio KO creates contemporary public and residential architecture all over the world, inspired by the intelligence of places. Not confined to a grammar of styles or any systematic methods, the studio is defined by an attitude. An esteem for nature and existing cultures, the audacity of the broad aesthetic differences, an attention to craftsmanship and local skills, a permanent search for the rugged. For an architecture of oxymoron. Radical and archaic. An architecture with a sensibility that, from the foundations to the signature scent, reveals, without arrogance, its uniqueness and mystery.
Design Miami/
Design Miami/ connects the world through extraordinary collectible design, with live fairs and experiences on three continents that bring together galleries, designers’ studios, brands, experts, collectors, and enthusiasts, and designmiami.com, a content-rich digital marketplace. Each edition of Design Miami/ features museum-quality 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting, and objets d’art from the world’s top, expertly vetted galleries with flagship fairs taking place alongside Art Basel in Miami, Florida, each December and Basel, Switzerland, each June. Design Miami/ is also accessible 365-days a year through designmiami.com, featuring shoppable works from Design Miami’s expert galleries, DM/BX - a curation of more accessible one-of-a-kind, limited edition, and small batch design objects, as well as virtual programming, and engaging storytelling at the Forum Magazine.