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How Gayane Umerova Is Shepherding Uzbekistan’s Cultural Transformation

As the country pours resources into the arts, she is helping convert cultural investment into a lasting ecosystem for Uzbek artists and audiences.

It wasn’t until recently that the international art world started paying close attention to Central Asia. Long isolated as part of the Soviet bloc, the “Stans”—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—have only recently begun gaining greater international visibility, announcing landmark museums, launching biennials and attracting a new wave of tourists interested in their uniquely layered cultural heritage, where historical Persian, Arabic and Turkish influences coexist with imposing Soviet modernist architecture.

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Uzbekistan, in particular, has stood out for a new wave of investment in its cultural sector, aimed at supporting the creation of a local cultural and creative ecosystem while enhancing the international visibility of its culture, from its centuries-old heritage to today’s talents. A key power player behind this push has been Gayane Umerova, head of the Department of Creative Economy and Tourism of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), a foundation aimed at preserving, promoting and fostering Uzbekistan’s heritage, arts and culture.

ACDF is the entity behind the renovation and development of the Center for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA Tashkent), a new cultural hub for the country and the broader region, which finally opened on September 6. Housed in a 1912 former tram depot transformed by acclaimed French architects Studio KO, the CCA marks the first institution of its kind in Uzbekistan: a permanent center for contemporary art, research and community engagement in the heart of Tashkent, the capital. Its year-round program is led by chief curator Dr. Sara Raza, a global art curator, art historian and scholar who previously served as curator of the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative for the Middle East and North Africa. Its inaugural exhibition, “Hikmah,” centers on wisdom, bringing together new commissions and recent works by 10 Uzbek and international artists across the center’s restored spaces.

ACDF is also overseeing the realization of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan, designed by Tadao Ando and set to create another landmark in Tashkent. The foundation also commissioned the inaugural Bukhara Biennial, held in 2025, which welcomed more than 1.8 million visitors to the Silk Road city of Bukhara, with both international and local contemporary artists interacting with and reactivating historical sites.

Additionally, ACDF has been building the country’s presence at international events such as the Venice Biennale while organizing key international happenings and cultural forums inside the country, including the inaugural Aral Culture Summit and the 2025 UNESCO General Conference, which have brought cultural leaders across disciplines to the country to foster intercultural dialogue and exchange.

Ahead of the official opening of the CCA, Observer spoke with Umerova about her and ACDF’s roles and strategies for building long-term cultural infrastructure in Uzbekistan while bringing the nation’s art, artists and cultural heritage into the global spotlight.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan’s cultural scene was weak, while public demand for contemporary culture remained limited, as both the population and the government had other priorities. Things began to change only recently, Umerova tells Observer. “The country was in stagnation for more than 30 years, so there were a lot of gaps in theater, the film industry, concerts, art and craft. We’re really trying to make sure that this mechanism is working again, that it is restored, renovated and functioning.” Under the previous government there was not sufficient financial support for the arts to sustain projects on the scale of a biennial or a national pavilion at the Venice Biennale. But, she added, once the government establishes culture as a priority, organizations in the sector feel supported and can plan more ambitiously.

ACDF’s initial strategy was to create a strong........

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