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The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) preserves, promotes and nurtures Uzbekistan's heritage, arts and culture. Founded in 2017 and led by chairperson Gayane Umerova, ACDF supports the country's cultural ecosystem and creative economy, creating opportunities for practitioners locally, regionally and globally. To date, its projects have reached over 5 million visitors across more than 17 countries, in collaboration with over 40 international institutions, including the Louvre, Uffizi, British Museum and Palace Museum.
ACDF's major projects include the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA Tashkent), opening to the public on 6 September 2026, the new National Museum of Uzbekistan by Tadao Ando, and the Jadids' Legacy Museum in Bukhara, designed by Lina Ghotmeh. Its research project Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI has been documented through publications with Rizzoli New York and Lars Müller Publishers; in 2026, ten Tashkent Modernist buildings were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. ACDF also spearheaded the Bukhara Biennial, which drew over 1.8 million visitors in 2025, and oversees the Aral Culture Summit, with its second edition taking place on 11–13 September 2026.
Internationally, ACDF has commissioned the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Arte and Architettura since 2021, most recently The Aural Sea (2026), and coordinated Uzbekistan's participation in Expo 2025 Osaka. Its international programme also includes When Apricots Blossom at Milan Design Week 2026, Instruments of the Mind at Palazzo Franchetti in Venice, and a partnership with London's Science Museum highlighting the scientific contributions of Islamic cultures. Capacity-building programmes, including artist residencies, curatorial initiatives and the Aral School in Nukus, form part of its ongoing work.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 700,000 people with disabilities are registered in Uzbekistan. Of these, 111,000 are children and teenagers under the age of 18. Since 2019, the Foundation has been developing a long-term program of inclusiveness in the cultural institutions of the country, which involves the reconstruction of cultural sites, redevelopment of urban infrastructure, and improving educational programs for employees of cultural institutions in the country.
One of the main long–term programs of the Foundation is the renovation of museums in Uzbekistan. Renovation has already begun in four institutions within the country: the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, the State Museum of Applied Art of Uzbekistan, the Memorial-House of Aybek, and the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named under I.V. Savitsky. In January 2020, these institutions received an internal electronic cataloguing system, which allows museums to optimize the work of employees and put internal archives in order.
The Foundation is the initiator and author of legislation that creates a legal basis for patronage and non-governmental financial support of culture. These are the laws "on patronage", "on the target capital of non-profit organizations", as well as the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers "On approval of the model regulations on the boards of Trustees of cultural and art institutions".
The inaugural Bukhara Biennial, titled “Recipes for Broken Hearts”, will take place from September 5 to November 20, 2025, marking a major new cultural event in Central Asia.
Commissioned by Gayane Umerova and curated by Diana Campbell , the Biennial presents a vibrant, interdisciplinary program of contemporary art, craft, cuisine, and live performance across Bukhara’s newly restored historic landmarks. The ten-week celebration will feature site-specific installations, musical evenings under full moons, chef-led culinary activations, artisan workshops, a poetry series, and an art history symposium.
Bringing together leading Uzbek and international artists, chefs, and designers, the Biennial aims to preserve cultural heritage while fostering creative exchange for future generations.
Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation is participating in the Expo Osaka 2025 World Exhibition with the Uzbekistan National Pavilion. The National Pavilion project is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade.
The total area of the pavilion will be more than 800 square metres. The exhibition will feature the ‘Garden of Knowledge’ project, which will bring together projects demonstrating the transformation process in Uzbekistan in line with the three priority Sustainable Development Goals: ‘quality education’, ‘affordable and clean energy’ and ‘industrialisation, innovation and infrastructure’.
Uzbekistan's participation in Expo Osaka 2025 opens up new opportunities for the country to showcase its national achievements, develop tourism, attract investment, and expand international cooperation and cultural exchange. The Expo Osaka 2025 World Exhibition will be open from 13 April to 13 October 2025.
One of the main monuments of modernism in Tashkent was created by a group of young architects in 1974. For several decades, the displays and infrastructure of the museum were not updated, and the experimental materials that were used to decorate the facade of the building were not as durable as were originally planned. This year, the SMA reconstruction project will be presented. The author of the reconstruction is a Japanese architect: the winner of the Pritzker prize- Tadao Ando.
The total area of the museum will double to 20,000 square meters, including 7,000 square meters of exhibition space. This will allow us to rethink the museum's exposition possibilities and expand the museum's storage, where the entire archival objects of the institution will be stored – numbering more than 100,000 exhibits. A public space will be created around the building – a new modern park in the center of the city with an area of 1.1 hectares.
The residence of the Grand Duke Nikolai Romanov was built in 1881 by the architects Wilhelm Heintzelman and Alexey Benois. From 1918 to 1935, the State Museum of Art was located in this building. Until recently, the palace was inaccessible to the public. In 2020, the Foundation announced plans to renovate the building and create a branch of the State Museum of Art.
The main aim of the exhibition in the building of the Duke's residence is to recreate the atmosphere of that time. The interior will be as close as possible to the decoration of the palace under Nikolai Konstantinovich. For this purpose, the overseers of the project will use preserved archival photos. The exhibition will include SMA exhibits: classical paintings, Italian sculpture and porcelain, furniture, as well as the original copy of the Duke's will, which itemizes each object in his collection that he gave to the city of Tashkent.
The building which will soon become the Center of Contemporary Art was built in 1912. Before the October Revolution, there was a diesel power plant that generated power for the first tram line in the city. This is where the electrification of the city of Tashkent began. Here, the renewal of the artistic environment of modern Uzbekistan will also start.
The building was built in 1909 by the architect Markevich. It was originally the home of a cotton mill owner, Vadyaev, and since 1910 it has been used as a public meeting venue. In the 1930s, the cinematic theater "30 Years of the Komsomol" was opened here. Only the left side of the building, where the library is located, has been preserved. It holds one of the largest collections of children's books in Central Asia – more than 200,000 items. In 2020, a project for the reconstruction of the building will be presented, which will be handled by the Ludi Architects Bureau (Russia).