The inaugural edition of the Bukhara Biennial opened on September 5, 2025, bringing over 70 site-specific commissions by more than 200 participants from 39 countries to the historic core of the Uzbek city. Commissioned by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) and Commissioner Gayane Umerova, the Biennial is described as the largest and most diverse cultural event in Central Asia to date. Curated by Diana Campbell under the theme Recipes for Broken Hearts, the ten-week event is staged across a constellation of newly restored sites, including madrassas, caravanserais, and mosques, all part of Bukhara's UNESCO World Heritage listing. Beyond an exhibition platform, the biennial is framed as part of a broader master plan, positioning culture as a catalyst for urban transformation and heritage renewal.
At the center of this vision is the creation of a cultural district that prioritizes culture over commerce. According to Wael Al Awar, the Biennial's Creative Director of Architecture, the intervention strategy focuses on identifying historic buildings in need of repair, addressing issues such as missing grout and loose bricks, and reworking structures altered during the Soviet period. A network of pedestrian trails is designed to connect major monuments and everyday neighborhoods, many of them following the path of the Shakhrud Canal. Within this framework, six cultural routes have been identified to weave through the city, initiating the transformation, while the forthcoming New Museum of Bukhara, to be designed by architect Wael Al Awar, aims to anchor the district as a permanent institution, ensuring continuity between temporary artistic interventions and long-term preservation efforts.
A thirty-square-metre area has been designated as the first green intervention, recalling Bukhara's history as an oasis city. Attention to shade, gardens, and ecological memory is interwoven with the pedestrian cultural routes, situating the city's renewal within both architectural and environmental contexts. Once a vital Silk Road hub, the city is renewed through collaborations between international artists and Uzbek masters in woodcarving, ikat weaving, mosaic, and embroidery.
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The Biennial is not the outcome but a means to bring people into the preservation conversation and continue the master plan. - Wael Al Awar, in conversation with ArchDaily's Editor-in-Chief, during the opening days.
The curatorial framework of the Biennial, Recipes for Broken Hearts, complements this urban strategy by extending preservation into the realm of cultural practices. Traditional Uzbek crafts are elevated into design objects and placed in dialogue with contemporary works, offering local creatives a platform alongside international artists. Performative and sensory projects, from Café Oshqozon's exploration of collective cooking to the House of Softness's community-based performances, are set within restored landmarks and new public spaces. A Rice Cultures Festival further reflects Bukhara's historic role as a site of exchange, drawing parallels between ecological, culinary, and cultural traditions across Asia.
Highlights include Antony Gormley's labyrinth of twice life-sized bodies at the Khoja Kalon Mosque, Delcy Morelos' olfactory spiderweb structure, Oyjon Khayrullaeva's mosaic organs across six restored sites, and Hylozoic/Desires' monumental ikat tapestry tracing the Aral Sea's disappearance with full moon performances. Erika Verzutti's wooden pomegranate tower, Subodh Gupta's enamel dome with collaborative meals, and Marina Perez Simão's celestial mosaic map further enrich the city's historic landmarks. Through these immersive interventions, alongside participatory projects by local masters and early-career artists, the biennial transforms Bukhara's restored sites into a living platform for cultural exchange, learning, and ongoing community engagement.
Open to the public until November 20th, 2025, the Bukhara Biennial 2025 integrates historic preservation, contemporary culture, and urban life within a heritage framework and long-term master plan. Between biennials, restored landmarks and cultural nodes will remain active, hosting workshops, performances, and research programs, such as the Curatorial School organized with Delfina Foundation.
In other upcoming architectural and art events, the inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennial opens on September 18 and runs until October 19, transforming the city into a hub for architectural dialogue and exchange. The 2025 Seoul Biennale, curated by Thomas Heatherwick, takes place from September 26 to November 18 across multiple venues, including Songhyeon Green Plaza and the Seoul Hall of Urbanism & Architecture. Meanwhile, the 18th Istanbul Biennial will unfold in three stages between 2025 and 2027, remaining Türkiye's largest international exhibition dedicated to contemporary art.
