Bukhara has launched its first-ever biennale, ‘Recipes for Broken Hearts’, positioning the historic city as a vibrant hub for contemporary art and cultural dialogue in Central Asia. The event brings together international artists and local craftspeople to explore urgent themes such as identity, tradition, and healing through site-specific works displayed across the city’s UNESCO-listed landmarks. With a program blending performances, rituals, and communal experiences, the biennale offers a fresh perspective on Uzbekistan’s rich heritage amid today’s global challenges.

In a bold move to spotlight Uzbekistan’s vibrant cultural legacy on the global stage, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan has launched a groundbreaking initiative – the first of its kind in Central Asia. Established in 2017, the Foundation is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the country’s rich artistic heritage, spanning everything from ancient architecture and traditional crafts to 1960s Tashkent modernism and cutting-edge contemporary art.

According to Gayane Umerova, head of the Foundation and commissioner of the biennale, the project’s inspiration began with Bukhara itself – an ancient city steeped in history. Once a vital hub along the Great Silk Road, Bukhara served as a crossroads for trade, craftsmanship, science, and religion, and a vibrant meeting point for countless civilizations and cultures, including Persian, Arab, Turkic, Mongol, Indian, and Chinese influences, among many others.

The biennale’s preparation involved an international team of experts, led by American curator Diana Campbell, who specialises in South and Southeast Asian art, particularly from India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Campbell has participated in numerous curatorial projects and educational initiatives aimed at creating platforms for equal cultural exchange between America, Europe, and Asian regions. Today she heads the Samdani Art Foundation and serves as chief curator of the Dhaka Art Summit in Bangladesh. Campbell's curatorial approach involves sensitive attention to cultural context and history, the ‘genius loci’, building dialogue with existing heritage and traditions, with emphasis on interdisciplinarity, challenging established prejudices and clichés, blurring boundaries between ‘high art’ and ‘craft’, and co-creation between international contemporary art stars and local artists. All works in the show are site-specific and made specially for the biennale in collaboration with young Uzbek artists and traditional craftspeople, whether wood carvings, embroidery, silk, cotton, ceramics, miniature painting, poetry, music, dance, spiritual practices, or even cookery.

The title ‘Recipes for Broken Hearts’ draws inspiration from a local legend: the story of pilaf’s invention as a remedy and source of comfort for a heartbroken prince, forbidden from marrying a craftsman’s daughter. The first recorded recipe for pilaf is attributed to the renowned 10th-century scholar and physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who was born in Bukhara. According to the curator, the biennale’s concept also echoes Bukhara’s historic celebrations and grand feasts – events that curator Charles Campbell likens to artistic installations. At its core, the project seeks to create a free and inclusive space that engages all the senses and fosters unity across cultures.

The exhibition unfolds throughout Bukhara's historic centre, in spaces of madrassas, caravanserais, mosques, and bazaars – unique 9th-19th century monuments listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites – as well as in open spaces: along canals, by hauz (water reservoirs), streets, and squares. Viewing the biennale becomes a quest through the urban landscape, where one space flows into another, and impressions of historical monuments and stunning views alternate with perception of contemporary artworks.

Wael Al Awar (b. 1975), a Lebanese architect and founder of the waiwai bureau (Tokyo/Dubai), leads the project’s architecture and scenography. Tasked with one of its most complex challenges, he must design all structures in strict compliance with UNESCO regulations—meaning nothing can be affixed to the walls, ceilings, or floors.

The biennale’s central theme – the broken heart and the healing process – is explored as a dynamic space for transformation. Visitors first encounter artworks in the streets, where the project’s key concerns begin to unfold: ecological crisis, the role of women in Central Asia, the loss of traditional knowledge, the erosion of cultural identity under globalisation, the legacy of a difficult past, forced displacement, and the search for connection in an increasingly fragmented world.

In one of the trading domes which serves as an entrance to the biennale zone stands an impressive composition of dried medicinal plants and flowers. Flowers and their associated rituals accompany humans from birth to death. This is the first part of the installation ‘Through Bloom and Decay’ by Uzbek artists Munisa Kholkhujaeva (b. 1996) and Anton Nozhenko (b. 1992), inspired by visits to a Bukhara cemetery where wild herbs grow around graves, Ibn Sina's plant knowledge, ancient Central Asian practices, and herbalists at Bukhara's bazaar. Other parts of the project are located in Gavkushon madrassa, presenting a healing tea ceremony ritual, and in Rashid madrassa with an installation about the life cycle’s finale featuring earth, mounds, and cubic sculptures with Zoroastrian stone amulet motifs symbolising acceptance of mortality.

Above the canal running through the entire biennale territory stands one of the most striking installations, ‘Longing’, created by Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin (b. 1987) and David Soin Tappeser (b. 1985), India/England) in collaboration with Rasuljon Mirzaahmedov (Margilan Crafts Development Centre, Uzbekistan) as reflection on Central Asia's worst ecological catastrophe. The work consists of long ribbons of ikat fabric with satellite images of the Aral Sea as ornament, with intense and bright colouring at the beginning and dull, faded colours at the end.

One of the standout installations drawing visitors’ attention is Salt Carried by the Wind by Indian artist Subodh Gupta (b. 1964), created in collaboration with Uzbek artist Baxtiyor Nazirov (b. 1976). The work takes the form of a domed pavilion, echoing the architecture of Magoki Attori – the oldest mosque in Central Asia, which has, over time, served as a Zoroastrian temple, a synagogue, and a carpet museum. Situated on the former site of a spice market where Indian merchants once traded, the pavilion is clad in inexpensive enamelled cookware on the exterior, while its interior is adorned with handmade ceramic dishes featuring traditional ornaments. At its heart is a modest kitchen, complete with a stove and table. During the biennale’s opening, Gupta personally activated the installation by cooking and serving traditional Indian food to visitors, transforming the space into a living, communal experience.

The theme of food and taste connected to memory, tradition, and culture is also reflected in ‘Navat Uy’ by Laila Gohar (b. 1986, Egypt) in collaboration with Ilkhom Shoyimkulov (b. 1982, Uzbekistan), an architectural construction built from threads of traditional Uzbek navat sugar, made through slow caramelisation of grape syrup and increasingly displaced by industrial cane sugar.

One of the biennale’s central themes is the role of women in Central Asia. Artist Taus Makhacheva (b. 1983) explores this in her project Inverted Fruits, created in collaboration with the Oydin Nur Centre, a local women’s shelter. Installed around one of the hauz (traditional water basins), the work centres on the idea of female transformation. Large metal sculptures shaped like inverted fruits – turned inside out – bear engraved phrases about emancipation and care, serving as powerful symbols of resilience and strength. A second part of the installation, located in the Gavkushon Madrassa, features traditional wedding ornaments also turned inside out, further challenging expectations around femininity and cultural norms.

The entire courtyard of Olimjon Caravanserai is dedicated to ‘Kutadgu Bilig’, an interdisciplinary project by Saule Suleimenova (b. 1970, Kazakhstan), created in collaboration with the Shiru Shakar folk ensemble. At first glance, woven covers depicting scenes with ensemble members appear to float in the space, but a closer look reveals they are intricate collages crafted from plastic bags collected from Bukhara’s residents. A vital element of the project is the live performances by Shiru Shakar, a group of retired musicians and performers of traditional Bukhara songs and dances. Through their art, they challenge the marginalisation of elderly women, embodying freedom, the spirit of dance, and beauty in every movement.

For her installation ‘A Thousand Prayers’, Jazgul Madazimova (b. 1989, Kyrgyzstan) collaborated with women from Bukhara and Bishkek, collecting hundreds of headscarves that are the main attribute of women’s labour in Central Asia, symbolising effort whether in field work, housework, or caring for large families. Each scarf carries bodily memory, a particle of energy, scent, and a woman's life story. Together they transform into something resembling a vertebrate animal or mountain landscape silhouette, rising above the courtyard of the ruined Khoja Kalon mosque with monumental minimalist installations by Anthony Gormley (b. 1950) (in collaboration with Temur Jumaev), Delcy Morelos (b. 1967, Colombia) (in collaboration with Baxtiyor Akhmedov), Ruben Saakyan (b. 1989, Armenia) (in collaboration with Konstantin Lazarev, Russia), and others. Practically all mentioned works recall forms of ancient architecture and are made using traditional techniques and materials. Colombian Delcy Morelos's (b. 1967) ‘The Earth’s Shadow’ consists of a pyramidal construction woven from jute threads by Bukhara craftsmen using the ‘God’s Eye’ technique and covered with a mixture of aromatic spices following local merchants’ recipes. Gormley’s large-scale abstract composition ‘Close’presents a labyrinth of geometric forms made from handcrafted ‘pixels’ – blocks of earth mixed with straw. Ruben Saakyan’s (b. 1989) installation ‘The Observer's Illusion’, created in collaboration with a biologist, consists of two massive sand dunes between which hides a thin strip of plants that can only be discovered by walking inside.

The biennale’s central exhibition unfolds across four historic caravanserais – once bustling hubs that served as both lodging for travelling merchants and vibrant trading centers. Within these expansive courtyards, artworks by artists from around the globe – including Australia, Brazil, Senegal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, South Korea, and Egypt – are showcased. Surrounding these open spaces are small cell-like hujras, encouraging visitors to engage with the works intimately, fostering one-on-one dialogues between viewer and art.

One of the strongest statements is the three-part video installation ‘Intimate Conversations’ by Indian artist Shakuntala Kulkarni (b. 1950), dedicated to women and created in collaboration with Indian and Uzbek artists, dancers, and musicians. Through conditional choreographic studies, body language, and rhythmic sound, intimate spaces decorated with woven mats or in the form of a tandoor being torn by hooks with video projected inside, Kulkarni speaks about experiences of fear, pain, violence, and limitations that many women endure, who are forced by circumstance to remain silent and endure.

Mental suffering and healing lie at the heart of Eight Lives, a series by Uzbek artist Oyjon Khayrullaeva (b. 1997), created in collaboration with Raxmon Toirov (b. 1983) and Rauf Taxirov (b. 1985). Drawing inspiration from the empathetic approach of Ibn Sina, who practiced attentive listening to his patients, as well as her grandmother’s traditional remedies – herbs, prayers, and rituals – Khayrullaeva delves into themes of depression and recovery. Six organs are depicted in traditional mosaic across various biennale sites, while a central installation in the caravanserai features a heart encircled by bouquets of dried herbs, symbolizing the intertwined journey of physical and emotional healing.

The caravanserai contains many striking installations (Wael Shawky (b. 1971, Egypt), Nomin Zezegmaa (b. 1993, Mongolia), Zi Kakhramonova (b. 1999, Uzbekistan), Yun Choi (b. 1986, South Korea)), textile works from embroidered panels to huge sculptures inspired by traditional puppet theatre (Khadim Ali (b. 1978, Afghanistan/Australia), Samah Hijawi (b. 1983, Jordan), Eva Jospin (b. 1975, France), Kamruzzaman Shadhin (b. 1979, Bangladesh)), video art (Aisultan Seit (b. 1997, Kazakhstan), Daria Kim (b. 1990, Uzbekistan), Liu Chuang (b. 1978, China)), and multimedia works that paradoxically combine contemporary technologies with traditional art forms. The project ‘Cut from the Same Cloth’ by Aziza Kadyri (b. 1992, Uzbekistan) (in collaboration with Yulduz Mukhiddinova (b. 1995, Uzbekistan) and Mathieu Bissonette) is based on the story of her grandfather, an engineer from Uzbekistan who travelled to the USA in 1969 to study cotton processing equipment. The work's first part presents an installation seemingly constructed from fragments of cotton processing machines, gears, and drums with bright yellow and orange fabrics embroidered with quotes from the author’s grandfather’s diary. In the second part, using artificial intelligence, viewers take an interactive real-time journey through virtual reality – an allegory of memories woven from fragments, voices, images snatched from memory, abstract forms, landscapes, and rivers permeated with digital stitches.

The interactive installation ‘Mur-Mur’ by David Soin Tappeser (b. 1985, India/UK) in collaboration with ceramic artist Kubaro Babaeva (b. 1988, Uzbekistan) and her students and sound-artist Boris Shershenkov (b. 1986, Russia) builds its dramaturgy around the mythical image of the traditional Bukhara whistle – hushtak, often made in the form of a bird or fantastic creature. These toys were made for children at Navruz to cheer them up and ward off evil forces. Composer David Soin Tappeser invites the audience to participate in creating a collective sound space. Viewers are invited to choose a whistle, create and record their melody, which is then mixed with others’ melodies and broadcast into the hujra spaces; the whistle remains with the participant and can serve as a talisman.

The biennale opening was marked by a rich program of performances, discussions, rituals, and, naturally, the preparation and sharing of pilaf – an event open not only to VIP guests but also to the local residents of Bukhara. Diana Campbell seems to have achieved what many thought impossible: forging a harmonious balance between invited artists and local craftspeople. Through careful attention to context and architecture, she unveils the deep, multilayered richness of Uzbek culture – a heritage that has preserved its ancient roots and thrived on a tapestry of religious philosophies despite historical upheavals and Soviet-era attempts to impose a uniform national identity. Yet, beneath this vibrant cultural mosaic, there is no indulgence in orientalist exoticism; instead, the biennale reflects a profound ethical sensitivity, resulting in an authentic and deeply relevant artistic expression and statement.