The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) announces the publication of two new books; Tashkent: A Modernist Capital (Rizzoli New York) and Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI (Lars Müller), that shine a spotlight on the under-recognised architectural legacy of the capital of Uzbekistan.
The books mark an important milestone in the major research project Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI led by the ACDF and a team of international experts, including GRACE, Politecnico di Milano, Boris Chukhovich, Armin Linke and Laboratorio Permanente, which, to date, has led to 20 modernist buildings across Tashkent being given the status of national heritage sites.
Tashkent: A Modernist Capital, published by Rizzoli New York, previews images of 24 modernist landmark sites across Tashkent photographed by Karel Balas and a foreword by Chris Dercon, art historian and managing director of the Fondation Cartier. With the main essay by Béatrice Grenier, the book unveils the unique architectural quality of these extraordinary buildings constructed between the 1960s and early 1990s through stunning images and texts, offering a window into Tashkent’s rich cultural heritage.
The publication Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI by Lars Müller Publishers is the synthesis of the extensive research project it shares its name with. The book plays the role of an archive which condenses the results of the three year-long investigations. It also aims to contribute to the global debate on the twentieth-century legacy and the preservation of multiple modernities across the world. Edited by Boris Chukhovich, Davide Del Curto and Ekaterina Golovatyuk, the publication contains analytical essays on Tashkent Modernism and modernism preservation as a whole, featuring monographic descriptions and preservation strategies of a selection of modernist buildings in Tashkent. The book also features an interview with globally acclaimed architect Rem Koolhaas and a photographic essay by the artist Armin Linke.
Coordinator of the Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI project, GRACE will curate the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Architettura 2025 to further build on this legacy.
The idea to initiate the research project Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI was sparked by the demolition of the iconic modernist House of Cinema building in Tashkent in 2017. Responding to this urgent need to protect the modernist architectural sites of the Uzbekistan capital, the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation brought together an international team of architects, historians and preservation experts to document, reinterpret and preserve the legacy of 24 key modernist sites across the capital. Over the course of several years, the project team worked to develop the methodology of preservation of this recent heritage, as well as prove the importance of modernist architecture to Tashkent’s identity. The project has since secured national heritage site status for 20 structures and additional protected status for 154 modernist mosaic panels adorning the facades and interiors of residential complexes across Uzbekistan. It is also working towards getting the Tashkent modernist sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The project seeks to inspire and strengthen preservation efforts for architectural monuments throughout Uzbekistan.
Gayane Umerova, chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation says: “The Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI project is unparalleled on an international scale. It brings together experts, activists and the government to make real and important changes to the way that architectural heritage is protected, studied and preserved. The two new books – Tashkent: A Modernist Capital and Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI – are the result of this hard work, spotlighting a brilliant and under-recognised architecture. I hope these books will contribute to a far deeper understanding of the significance of Tashkent Modernism as well as of the rich cultural heritage of Uzbekistan more broadly.”
