Commissioner, Bukhara Biennial

"The Bukhara Biennial reflects a wider national vision: to revitalise heritage not as a static memory, but as a foundation for creative futures. It is a milestone on this journey – a space where young people can see themselves reflected, where local meets global, and where heritage inspires the future. The Bukhara Biennial is a platform for young voices, heritage, and innovation to meet. It is where stories are shared, futures imagined, and creativity celebrated."

Biography

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), Gayane Umerova is at the helm of building Uzbekistan’s cultural infrastructure. Her efforts are bringing the nation’s art, artists, and cultural heritage into the global spotlight. Currently, she is overseeing the restoration and development of the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Tashkent, poised to become a new cultural hub for the region, and is the commissioner of the Bukhara Biennial.

She has spearheaded the inaugural Aral Culture Summit (April 2025); is driving the construction of the new Uzbekistan National Museum designed by Tadao Ando and is leading the forthcoming 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference that will take place in Samarkand on 30 October - 13 November 2025. She is the commissioner for the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Arte and Architettura since 2021 as well as the Uzbekistan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai among other significant projects.

Committed to boosting Uzbekistan’s prominence on the international culture scene, Umerova serves as the Chairperson of the National Commission of Uzbekistan on UNESCO Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers and in April 2025 has been awarded France’s Order of Arts and Literature. Her public service commitment is evident in her dedication to creating opportunities for young people in Uzbekistan’s cultural sector and fostering a cultural economy that unites communities and generations.

Artistic Director of Bukhara Biennial’s first edition, Recipes for Broken Hearts

"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. 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. Recipes for Broken Hearts will emphasise this legacy by revitalising some of the extraordinary sites that were essential to developing the culture that we celebrate today, bringing them back into the pulse of life of the city through an interdisciplinary event which goes beyond the traditional notions of an art biennial."

Biography

Diana Campbell is a Los Angeles-born curator and writer whose practice centres on institution building and creating forums for interdisciplinary cultural exchange globally.
She is the Founding Artistic Director of the Dhaka-based Samdani Art Foundation in Bangladesh, a leading South Asian institution dedicated to supporting local artists and fostering encounters with Bangladesh. As Chief Curator of its flagship Dhaka Art Summit (DAS), she has led editions from 2014 to 2023 and is currently envisioning the 2026 edition.

Campbell is also Head of Global Initiatives at the Hartwig Art Foundation in Amsterdam, working across expanded notions of collecting, commissioning, and collaboration, and is part of the facilitation group of AFIELD, a global network of socially engaged artistic initiatives. Homo Faber appointed her a Craft Expert for the 2024 Biennial to identify artisans in the Asia Pacific region. She previously curated Frieze Projects for Frieze London (2018–2019) and co-curated Desert X 2023 in Coachella Valley.

Working between art, craft, performance, design, and architecture, she has commissioned global projects and collaborated with over 1900 creatives from 70 countries, including Antony Gormley, Kashef Chowdhury (URBANA), Korakrit Arunanondchai, Otobong Nkanga, Paul Pfeiffer, Rana Begum, Rizvi Hassan, Shakuntala Kulkarni, and Sumayya Vally (Counterspace).

She has launched initiatives such as MAHASSA (Modern Art Histories in and across Africa, South and Southeast Asia) with Getty Foundation, Samdani Art Foundation, Cornell University’s Institute for Comparative Modernities, and Asia Art Archive; the EDI Global Forum for Education and Integration; and the DAS International Art Mediators Programme.

Of Chamoru descent, Campbell has written widely on indigeneity, art, and architecture for Phaidon, MoMA, Frieze, and Rizzoli, and is recognised on ArtReview’s Power100 list (2019–2023).

Artistic Director, Architecture 

Wael Al Awar is an architect who founded waiwai (formerly ibda design) after returning to the Middle East from Tokyo. Wael layers his interests in natural phenomena into an architecture of light, time, structure, and landscape. He seeks to create an architecture that is more than fabrication, that remains open to adaptation. His site-specific designs encourage unexpected experiences. Wael curated the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021, which was awarded the Golden Lion.

Director, Bukhara Biennial

Azizbek Mannopov is Deputy Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF).

At ACDF, he has managed a wide range of high-profile projects showcasing Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage at institutions such as the Louvre, the Arab World Institute, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the New Museum and James Simon Gallery in Berlin, and the Imperial Palace Museum in Beijing. Azizbek has also collaborated with Assouline on books about Uzbekistan’s heritage and produced art-documentary films with international partners such as Arte France.

Through the Cultural Cooperation Department, he has coordinated programmes that support craftsmen and applied arts across Uzbekistan — including a partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation that enabled several Uzbek artisans to become the first from Central Asia to join the Homo Faber network. He has also overseen the development of Uzbekistan’s pavilion for Expo 2025, the creation of the Jadid Museum, multimedia exhibitions, and other cultural initiatives.

SPECIAL SUPPORT
Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
              Saida Mirziyoyeva

BUKHARA BIENNIAL COMMISSIONER
Head of the Department of Creative Economy and Tourism of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation: 
           
              Gayane Umerova

BUKHARA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION 
Governor:
              Botir Zaripov
Deputy governor:
              Botir Shahriyorov

UZBEKISTAN ART AND CULTURE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
First Deputy Chairperson:
              Elmurod Najimov
Deputy Chairperson:
              Azizbek Mannopov
Advisor:
              Cyril Zammit
Head of the Construction Department:
              Saidaziz Ishankhudjaev
Construction Project Manager:
              Anton Cherkasov
Head of Museums at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan:
              Bobirmirzo Sayomov

Marketing and Communications:
              Sanobar Umarova
              Tuychimurod Tukhtapulatov
              Sokhibjamol Rustamova
              Zarif Kulmatov
Project Managers:
              Abdulaziz Gulamov
              Musharrafkhon Gofurjonova
              Otabek Rikhsimboev
              Shakhlo Akhmedjanova
Executive Producer:
              Salokhiddinkhuja Suratkhodjaev
Producers:
              Amirkhon Gayratkhujayev
              Muzaffar Yusupov 
              Otabek Azizov 
              Sherdor Nasimov
Integrated E-Ticket System Maintenance & IT Development Department:
             Avazbek Tukhtasinov
             Azizbek Nurmuhammadov

CULTURAL HERITAGE AGENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN 
Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Bukhara Region:
              Kamol Salyamov

CURATORIAL TEAM
Artistic Director:
              Diana Campbell
Assistant Curator:
              Timur Zolotoev
Assistant Project Manager:
              Adam Ondak
Producers:
              Hamid Amini
              Alexandra Maleeva
              Asli Samadova
              Anastasya Skvortsova
Public Programme and Publications Manager:
              Qamoos Bukhari
Public Programme Producer:
              Kirill Marenkov
Lead Mediators:
              Kamronbek Karimov
              Jasmina Rakhmonova
              Xayrullo Temirov
Academic Symposium Curator:
              Aziza Izamova
Poetry Programme Curator:
              Katya García-Antón
Rice Cultures Festival curator:
              Marie Hélène Pereira
Curatorial Architecture and Design Support: 
              GOLEM

ARCHITECTURAL TEAM
              Waiwai Architects (Wael Al
              Awar & Rafal Sliwa)
              VOGT Landscape Architects
TECHNICAL TEAM
              Werner Sobek (Valentin Grudskiy)
              City Size (Akmal Umarov)
              Les Éclaireurs (Lucas Goy)
              Black Engineering

GRAPHIC DESIGN
              Studio Manuel Raeder
              (Eglé Petraskaite, Cecilia Murgia,
              Andrew J. Beltran, Loll Fraser,
              Sofie Leon, Manuel Raeder)

PUBLIC RELATIONS
               Scott & Co (Richard Scott, Raquel Fonseca Cambeiro, Blu Selby, Saga Sjoberg, Jullia Sallon)

The Bukhara Biennial team and participating artists are grateful for the support that made this inaugural edition possible.

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) preserves, promotes and nurtures Uzbekistan’s heritage, arts and culture. Positioned at the forefront of Uzbekistan’s cultural development, ACDF is committed to fostering the cultural ecosystem of the country, driving the creative economy, and providing opportunities for practitioners on a local, regional and global stage. ACDF believes that culture and heritage are vital in shaping society, uniting communities, bridging generations, and facilitating cross-cultural conversations. 

In Tashkent, ACDF spearheaded the fourth edition of the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE), the renovation of the Centre for Contemporary Arts; the Aral Culture Summit in Nukus, the construction of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan designed by Tadao Ando, and the restoration and partial reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Duke of Romanov. 

To date, ACDF has reached over 3.5 million visitors through landmark exhibitions across 17 countries: from the Louvre and Arab World Institute in Paris to the Uffizi in Florence, the British Museum in London, and the Palace Museum in Beijing. With projects presented across Europe, Asia, and the Gulf, and collaborations with over 40 international museums and cultural institutions, the Foundation is amplifying Uzbek voices and stories in the world’s most influential cultural arenas.