Bukhara Emerges as Central Asia’s New Art and Fashion Hotspot

The ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara has stepped onto the global culture map with the debut of the Bukhara Biennial, a contemporary art and design festival running through 20 November 2025 across its UNESCO-listed old town.

Curated exhibitions transform historic madrasas and mosques into open-air galleries: Delcy Morelos’s turmeric-scented pyramid, Antony Gormley’s brick human forms with Temur Jumaev, Jazgul Madazimova’s soaring wave of headscarves, Ruben Saakyan’s hidden floral gardens, and Laila Gohar’s rock-sugar pavilion. Uzbek designer-artist Jenia Kim (J.Kim) presents an installation inspired by the city’s whimsical stork scissors.

The Biennial opened with a candlelit gala at the Sitorai Mohi-Khosa palace, drawing an international crowd from Seoul, New York, Paris and beyond. «Bukhara needs more attention … returning every two years will let people see it from different angles,» said commissioner Gayane Umerova. Artistic director Diana Campbell called the city «a living outdoor museum.»

Bukhara’s revival taps deep roots in craft and trade—its Ikat textiles, bazaars and caravanserais—while reflecting modern ties with Korea’s diaspora, a legacy of 1930s resettlements that now bridges Central and East Asia’s creative scenes.

«The city will be seen not only as a keeper of tradition but as a place where contemporary art and ideas intersect,» said J.Kim, as visitors wandered from Po-i Kalyan at dusk to shaded courtyards and fashion pop-ups around Lyabi-Hauz.

With heritage grandeur and a fresh slate of installations, Bukhara is positioning itself as Central Asia’s most compelling new stage for art, craft and style.