Art for a broken heart
IN A world riddled with sorrow – from personal heartbreaks to the devastation of wars and crises – Uzbekistan’s first international art biennale dares to offer something rare: healing.
Held in the ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara, the show titled Recipes For Broken Hearts is sprawled across various historic buildings, with each work guiding visitors towards hope and resilience.
Among the more than 70 artworks, there is a tea room for visitors to share stories of personal loss, as well as a giant tapestry telling the story of Simurgh, the mythical bird that can heal broken hearts. There is an underwater-inspired chamber where fish sculptures bring calm, and a field of human figures made out of mud brick to remind us we are only mortal.
The biennale, however, is only one signal of Uzbekistan’s ambitions to position itself as a rising creative hub. With a Tadao Ando-designed national museum and other cultural institutions on the horizon, Uzbekistan isn’t just curating an art show – it’s crafting a future where creativity fuels the economy and strengthens its national identity.
In this week’s BT Lifestyle, we report from Bukhara and Tashkent on one country’s attempt to harness the arts for a bold reimagining of its future.
In Design, we look at the living arrangements of an extended family in two separate units within the same condominium.
And in Dining, we take a seat at the new La Vache! and find out what it’s like to dine at a restaurant which serves only one dish.
Don’t miss this week’s edition of BT Lifestyle.
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