The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation has announced that the inaugural Bukhara Biennial will debut in the ancient Uzbekistan city on September 5, 2025. This first edition, titled “Recipes for Broken Hearts” and curated by artistic director Diana Campbell, will run for ten weeks and feature arts ranging from visual to craft, performance, architecture, cuisine, and music.
The biennial will be a cultural event of unprecedented scale for the region. As well as putting Uzbek artists like Aziza Azim, Behzod Boltaev, and Gulnoza Irgasheva, on the global stage, it is already bringing a roster of internationally renowned names to the region including Antony Gormley, Wael Shawky, Subodh Gupta, Marina Simão, and Delcy Morelos.
Bukhara has existed along the Silk Road for over two millennia and is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art. Its historic center is also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exemplary Islamic architecture. Bukhara is the seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, Central Asia.
Caravanserai Ahmadjon in Bukhara. Photo: Rafal Sliwa.
“For centuries, religious and cultural traditions from all corners of the world have commingled in Bukhara, resulting in a rich atmosphere of learning, craft, and artistic production,” said Campbell. “It has always been a place where people came together to find togetherness in the quest for a more meaningful life through a search for spiritual, intellectual, and worldly knowledge.”
Campbell is an American curator and writer who primarily works in South and Southeast Asia. She is founding artistic director of the Samdani Art Foundation in Dhaka, Bangladesh and chief curator of its Dhaka Art Summit.
The theme of Recipes for Broken Hearts is inspired by the classic Uzbek dish palov, which, according to legend, was invented by 11th century philosopher and physician Ibn Sina to mend the broken heart of a prince. This idea is broadened to look at how time, communion, and creativity are all important sources of healing, but the biennial will also invite chefs from different cultures to spotlight culinary skill as an art in its own right.
The biennial will take place in a historic district of Bukhara that is currently being restored by the Emirati architect Wael Al Awar. The principal sites will be Fayzulla Khodjaev House-Museum, Miri-Arab Madrasah, Magoki Attori Mosque, Kalyan Minaret, and the Caravanserai Ahmadjon. The latter, which is pictured, is a 19th century complex of buildings that has been conserved in recent decades after having fallen into disrepair during the Soviet era.
“In its revitalized form, this historic district will invite audiences in Uzbekistan and internationally to reconnect with the history and culture of this remarkable place,” said Al Awar.