TASHKENT: Uzbekistan’s Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) officially opens in the Uzbek capital in March 2026, but its programming and groundwork have already begun — and a Saudi artist is a major part of this unfolding journey.
The CCA — billed as the first institution of its kind in Central Asia — is helmed by artistic director and chief curator, Sara Raza, a London-born, New York–based curator, writer, and educator.
“I’ve been one of the few curators for the last 20 years looking at the post-Soviet space — particularly Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East,” Raza told Arab News. “A lot of my work is respectfully looking at the dialogue between East-East.”
In time for spring 2026, the CCA will launch two major annual initiatives: the multidisciplinary Navruz Gala and the citywide Tashkent Public Art Festival, as well as two landmark exhibitions, the first of which — “Hikmah” (the Uzbek, Farsi and Arabic word for wisdom) — will bring together major contemporary art voices including Saudi multidisciplinary artist and curator Muhannad Shono.
Shono was an artist-in-residence at the CCA in May this year, and the results of his time there will be showcased in “Hikmah.”
