Style.Uz in numbers: then and now

October 29, 2013

Style.Uz Art Week is the first and the biggest culture and art project of its kind in Central Asia that seeks to encourage further development of modern and traditional national fashion and arts in Uzbekistan. In 2006, the year it was launched, the project included several national and international fashion shows, a Design and Fashion Exhibition and workshops. Now in its eighth year, the project also includes Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Tashkent Film Forum ‘Golden Guepard’ and International Festival ‘Theatre.Uz’.
In the 8 years since it was launched, Style.Uz has included:
- 155 exhibitions
- 24 festivals
- 107 workshops and meetings
- 75 catwalk shows by international fashion houses and designers
- 377 shows of collections by Uzbek fashion designers
- 20 conferences
- 16 major concerts
- 8 auctions
The participants have included:
- over 350,000 visitors
- 2,700 international guests
- 1,756 dancers
- 1,300 volunteers
- 829 artists
- 700 representatives of local and international media outlets
- 619 film and theater actors and actresses
- 376 photographers
- 280 local and international designers
- 80 participant countries
- 43 sponsors

Style.Uz Art Week 2013: round-up

October 29, 2013

This year’s Style.Uz Art Week, a major action-packed culture and art project overseen by Fund Forum, has come to an end. Over 10,000 people attended roughly 200 multifarious events held as part of Style.Uz Art Week, the Tashkent International Film Forum ‘Golden Guepard’, International Festival ‘Theatre.Uz/2013’ and the Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art held on October 19-27.
The highlights of this year’s Art Week include:
The 7th Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art, which was made up of 41 projects, among them 11 exhibitions, 6 workshops and international conference ‘Various Cultures, One World’.
The Biennale showcased works by around 100 artists from Azerbaijan, Greece, Russia, France, Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Georgia, Denmark, Egypt, Spain, South Korea, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Ethiopia, Israel, Italy, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the USA, Turkey, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Philippines, Sweden, Estonia and Japan. The Biennale also presented artworks by around 130 Uzbekistan artists.
The Biennale is dedicated to raising the broad local public’s awareness of fresh trends in contemporary global fine art while promoting Tashkent as a regional art powerhouse, creating opportunities for international cultural ties and international dialog, and putting the spotlight on the achievements and potential of national arts. It also works to ramp up international cultural relations, to enhance intercultural dialog and highlight new names in modern art and the achievements of various countries in fine art.
Besides the Biennale, the Week has included: the Traditional Art, Fashion and Design Exposition, solo exhibitions, video installation ‘Triptych… Architecture.Music.Dance’ (Uzbekistan-Russia), Japanese artist Noriko Yamamoto’s installation ‘Weltformel - Theory of Everything’, British artist Nick Sayers’ exhibition and ‘Zero Waste’ installation, a Chinese comic art exhibition, and Japanese exhibition ‘The Last Samurai – Mysterious Japan’.
The Third Tashkent International Film Forum ‘Golden Guepard’ took place on October 19-24. While the film forum has a permanent motto ‘Civilizations of the 21st Century: Dialog of Cultures’, which mirrors its long-term strategy, it is annually given a new slogan that reveals the concept of each edition of the forum and serves as a criterion for selecting entries submitted. The slogan of this year’s film forum is the Latin phrase Per speculum et in aenigmate – "in an enigma by means of a mirror".
The film forum was attended by professionals from over 50 European, Asian, African and North and South American countries.
The film forum drew over 500 entries, with the selection committee having selected 11 feature films, 13 short films and 10 animated films.
The Golden Guepard Film Forum included an international conference titled ‘National Cinema in a Global World’, 23 workshops by film industry professionals and 10 press conferences. The film forum screened 16 in-competition films and 23 out-of competition films sent in from South Korea, India, the Czech Republic and France as well as documentaries. A total of 75 events were held as part of this year’s film forum.
The jury for this year’s film forum was chaired by prominent award-winning Chinese film director and scriptwriter Zhang Yuan.
The Fourth International Festival ‘Theatre.UZ/2013’ included 27 projects: 4 workshops, collaborative productions, and plays by international troupes as well as Tashkent and Uzbek regional theaters.
The Week’s fashion section was made up of 17 catwalk shows by big-name international fashion labels and designers such as Stefano Ricci, Dsquared2, Jo No Fui and VLOV, Underground youth fashion show (featuring collections by 26 local fashion designers, National Dress Festival (15 local designers), General Défilé by Dom Stilya as well as jewelry shows by Japan’s Mikimoto and Malaysia’s Rafflesia. All told, Style.Uz Art Week 2013 presented 65 collections by fashion designers from China, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Spain and Uzbekistan.
The music section, which is one of the distinguishing features of Tashkent Art Week, presented 4 concerts: by Russian celebrated conductor and violist Yuri Bashmet, Russian pop star Valeriya, as well as the premiere of the musical ‘The Lion King: The Return’ and Live Show ‘Kings of the Stage’ by The Lion King Music and Theater Studio, which gave itself the goal of discovering and training talented children, who will then be supported and promoted throughout their artistic pathway.
The Charity Gala Dinner, organized annually by the National Breast Cancer Association of Uzbekistan (NBCAU) as part of Style.Uz, was attended by around 500 people. The event included an auction, which raised funds for the benefit of breast cancer patients in Uzbekistan. Gulnara Karimova, the initiator of the project, presented gratitude diplomas to partner organizations, tickets to health sanatoriums for 10 women, and certificates to representatives of three regional cancer care clinics that will entitle them to receive Damas ambulances free of charge. The gala dinner featured performances by Russian folk singer Nadezhda Babkina, Yalla music group and several Uzbek pop stars.
Over 5,500 young people attended 37 workshops taught by artists, film critics, film actors, film directors and producers, cameramen, playwrights, photographers, stylists and fashion experts throughout Style.Uz Art Week.
Four conferences: international conference ‘Innovation and Creativity: International Cooperation in Fashion Development’, organized in conjunction with the British Council; international conference ‘Various Cultures, One World’; international conference ‘National Cinema in a Global World’; and a press conference with Style.Uz organizers, guests and participants.
Style.Uz 2013 also saw the opening ceremony of a Ceramics and Porcelain Art Studio set up by IJOD Association of Artists, At Critics and Craftsmen. The idea of creating the studio was floated in 2012 at the closing ceremony of Bazar Art Fair, a project overseen by Fund Forum that is dedicated to preservation and revival of various types of Uzbek traditional art. To this end, Uzbek fashion label Guli made available a grant for the creation of the Ceramics and Porcelain Art Studio as a tribute to late prominent porcelain artist and sculptor Shakhnoza Muminova (1949-2011), who made a massive contribution to the development of art in Uzbekistan.
For a third time in a row Tashkent Art Week has included an International Hairstyling Competition, which has seen around 70 masters from beauty salons in Uzbekistan, Russia and Kazakhstan demonstrate their skills at Tashkent’s Center of National Arts. The members of the jury for the competition have included world-class professionals, who have emerged as winners of international hairstyling competitions across the world.
Style.Uz Art Week is a unique opportunity for many young artists, fashion designers and other professionals with limited financial resources to demonstrate their skills. Moreover, talented young professionals and craftspeople working to revive ancient fabric weaving techniques are awarded grants. The bulk of tickets to fashion shows, exhibitions, concerts and workshops held as part of Tashkent Art Week are distributed among young people free of charge.

Russian singer Valeriya brings down curtain on Style.Uz 2013

October 27, 2013

Russian singer Valeriya put up a rousing performance at Tashkent’s Istiqlol Palace on the last day of Style.Uz Art Week 2013. It is often that when a change occurs to an original plan, it is a change for the better. And that was the case with the live concert by Valeria that concluded this year’s Style.Uz Art Week.
In Valeriya’s words, she last visited Tashkent about 10 years ago and is excited to be back in Uzbekistan. She also said she was happy to be in Tashkent during Style.Uz Art Week 2013, which she had been watching closely. While on the stage, she took the opportunity to tell the audience about happy events in her life as well as about her songs and how they were created.

Valeriya performed her most famous hits that had won her thousands of fans across Uzbekistan. It is therefore no wonder that the audience sang along as she performed each piece. Among the songs, all of which the singer performed live, were ‘Samolyot’ (The Airplane), which triggered the audience to light up their mobile phone flashlights and sing along; ‘Riga-Moskva’, ‘Otpusti menya’ (Let me go), ‘Chasiki’ (A little clock) that the audience were impatient to hear, and other hits. The concert concluded with one of her latest songs, ‘Po serpantinu’ (Along the winding road).

The singer treated the audience to live performance and music throughout the concert while expressing sincere emotions and heartfelt gratitude. Valeriya’s and the musicians’ upmost professionalism ensured that the concert delivered the goods, leaving no buts about the event.

The uproarious applause from the audience came as testimony to the success of Valeriya’s Tashkent concert. As the concert drew to a close, Gulnara Karimova came up on stage to congratulate the singer on her successful performance. As the singer’s Uzbek fans were leaving the concert venue, they gushed about the event, sharing their impressions with each other: “She was awesome! It couldn’t have been better!”

‘Signs of Time’ exhibition presents artwork by Uzbek painters

October 26, 2013

‘Signs of Time: PRO Life’ contemporary art exhibition that kicked off at the Center of National Arts presents works by young artists as well as winners of international competitions.
‘Signs of Time’ is an annual project overseen by Fund Forum and IJOD Association of Artists, Art Historians and Craftsmen. The first exhibition was staged in 2007.

Style.Uz 2013 presents a new project, ‘Signs of Time: PRO Life’, which seeks to demonstrate the latest trends in Uzbek painting. The exhibition will showcase artworks by D. Usmanov, Y. Useinov, M. Fozili, A. Nikolayev, B. Ismailov, Z. Mansurov, A. Barkovsky, D. Rahmani and R. Bozorov among others. The paintings reflect the artists’ new approach whereby they reflect daily life through the principles of traditional painting.

The idea of the exhibition encourages the development of inner artistic potential. Modern art is a mirror of the thoughts, actions and fantasies of people living in the immediate environment, and the works on display make for a contribution to the development of modern arts.

Ceramics and Porcelain Art Studio launched

October 24, 2013

On the third Day of Style.Uz Art Week 2013, hundreds of people flocked to the opening ceremony of a Ceramics and Porcelain Art Studio set up by IJOD Association of Artists, Art Critics and Craftsmen. The studio will work toward preservation and revival of various types of Uzbek traditional art.
The establishment of the Ceramics and Porcelain Art Studio has been made possible thanks to a grant made available by Guli brand as a tribute to late prominent porcelain artist and sculptor Shakhnoza Muminova (1949-2011), who made a massive contribution to the development of art in Uzbekistan.

The idea of creating the studio was floated in 2012 at the closing ceremony of Bazar Art Fair, a project overseen by Fund Forum that is dedicated to preservation and revival of various types of Uzbek traditional art.
Grants provided as part of Bazar Art Fair, overseen by Fund Forum, are aimed at further developing of applied art and revival of disappearing types of Uzbek art. Twenty-five million soums worth of grants have been provided since 2007. Among the grantees are Yodgorlik silk mill in Marghilan; jeweler Lola Sadykova (Tashkent); ceramist Abduvahid Karimov (Bukhara); painter and woodcarver Ortiq Faizullayev (Tashkent Region) among others.

The grant from GULI enabled the studio to purchase a ceramics oven on which its creative activities hinge. Moreover, the visitors to the presentation could view works by famous craftsmen as well as vases based on Gulnara Karimova’s sketches. These vases will go under the hammer at an auction for the benefit of breast cancer patients to be held as part of the upcoming benefit gala dinner.

DSQUARED2 presents its fashion esthetic at Style.Uz 2013

October 23, 2013

Fashion show by trendy DSQUARED2 brand at the Hotel International Tashkent put an impressive end on the second day of Style.Uz Art Week 2013. The founders of the brand, twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten, presented their collection devoted to retro glam of the ‘50s, turning the podium into a bar on the shore of some tropical island. Looks a-la Sophia Loren and James Bond – high hairstyles, butterfly sunglasses, full skirts and hats, smart men’s suits for real style hunters – all world fashion brands borrow this all-time classic, and DSQUARED2 was no exception.
Female models reminded of paradise birds from the south. They sashayed down the catwalk wearing dresses and corsets, complementing their looks with bright jewelry, hats and coral lipstick. Beside informal outfits, the collection included more solemn samples (shorts and jackets). The dominating colors of the collection were black, white and golden-sandy.
The various prints presented in the collection decorated mostly trendy classic jackets of men’s models of the collection.
At the end of the show designers Dean and Dan Caten appeared on the catwalk with all the models to lavish applause from the fashion crowd. They expressed their gratitude to Uzbekistan, the organizers of Style.Uz Art Week and Gulnara Karimova, the initiator of the project, for a warm welcome
Clothes and accessories of the popular brand are designed for smart, stylish, confident and active people. The fashion house always offers something new and extraordinary, turning demonstrations of their outfits into a spectacular show with plenty of good vibes and pleasant surprises.
Amongst the main features of the famous brand’s clothes are freedom of style, uniqueness and singularity of each item, the highest quality of fabrics and exquisite blend of comfort and beauty.

Chinese artists present comic art

October 24, 2013

A series of comic artworks by Chinese artists are on display at Tashkent House of Photography as part of Style.Uz Art Week 2013. The opening ceremony of the art show drew scores of professional artists, designers, photographers and comic art enthusiasts.

The exhibition offers comics by six Chinese artists Lu Ming, Nie Chongrui, Pang Bangben, Wang Kewei, Xia Ji An and Zhang Xiaoyu. Known as manhua, Chinese comics have enjoyed increasing popularity throughout the world. These comic artists have won numerous awards and prizes while their works have been published as separate books.

Asror Mahmudov, a student at Tashkent Economics Institute:
“I am a big fan of comics and I can say they have inspired me all my life. My favorite pieces are ‘Superman’ by Charlie Brown and ‘Spiderman’ by Garfield. But today I have seen that Chinese comics are as good as American works and I enjoyed them big time.”

Golden Guepard Film Forum: Day Five

October 23, 2013

As the Third Tashkent International Film Forum ‘Golden Guepard’ nears its end, members of the jury for features, shorts and animated films are poised to select the winner entries. The key event of Day Three was the international conference ‘National Cinema in a Global World’, followed by three workshops as well as the final demonstration of in- and out-of-competition films.
International Conference "National Cinema in a Global World" was held in the format of discussions on creative processes in the world of cinema in terms of preservation of national and cultural identity in the context of globalization. A plethora of opinions were expressed both in favor of globalization of modern cinema and preservation of the integrity of national cinema. Toward the end of the discussion, participants conferred that the globalization of national cinema is only possible technically. Otherwise, it will ruin cinema and will lead to the degradation of humanity, because all nations and cultures are varied and unique in their nature. Cinema is a reflection of culture.

The Golden Guepard string of workshops was continued by Swiss film director director Jeshua Dreyfus, German cameraman Markus Zucker and French film director Regis Ghezelbash. Every meeting brought together interested students, alumni of art schools, who asked questions, provided comments and engaged in the discussions. Dreyfus spoke about the possibilities of creating a film on a small budget. Zucker, in turn, focused on the subtleties of the cameraman’s work. Ghezelbash, in turn, demonstrated how to calculate with precision the shooting position, angle and pitch frame.

The final in-competition feature films screened on the fifth day of the film forum included ‘On the Bottom’ (Uzbekistan) and ‘The Watchtower’ (Turkey, Germany, France). The out-of-competition program concluded with a demonstration of ‘Barefoot Dream’ (South Korea).

Hello Kitty stages nail design workshop

October 23, 2013

Japan’s Sanrio and its signature ‘Hello Kitty’ character – a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow – shared its ‘Small Gift, Big Smile’ philosophy at a workshop that the company representatives staged at the Youth Art Palace.
The attendees of the workshop saw Japanese nail design artist Masako Kojima create three types of Hello Kitty manicure that looked glamorous and drew “wows” from onlookers. She also shared nail design tips with those gathered.

Following the workshop, the representatives of Hello Kitty held a quiz among the audience on their knowledge about the brand, with the most knowledgeable participants receiving presents from the Japanese professionals.
Gulnara Karimova, the initiator of Style.Uz Art Week project, who was among those attending the workshop, spoke with the representatives of Sanrio and thanked them for participating in Style.Uz Art Week and contributing to the project.

Hello Kitty is one of the most colorful and trendy characters in Japan and probably in the entire world. The fictional character was first designed in 1974 by Yuko Shimizu when the founder of Sanrio Shintaro Tsuji decided to give people a little bit of joy after the hard years of war. Today Hello Kitty delights its clients with its smile and charm around the world.
Originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty product range includes clothes, accessories, purse and home appliances. The brand rose to greater prominence during the late ‘90s, when celebrities such as Mariah Carey adopted Hello Kitty as a fashion statement.
Sanrio representatives participated in the International Hairstyling Competition held as part of last year’s Tashkent Art Week.