Paris, 19 December 2022 (GNP): During Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan’s official visit to France at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron. The leaders of France and Uzbekistan met for the joint launch of the Uzbekistan Exhibition.
The two large Inaugurated exhibitions are “The Splendours of Uzbekistan’s Oases. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes” at the Louvre and “The Road to Samarkand. Miracles of Silk and Gold” at the Arab World Institute.
The history and culture of Uzbekistan are the main topics of both exhibitions. The Timurid era until the fifth and sixth centuries BC are covered by the Louvre exhibition.
The Arab World Institute showcases historical exhibits from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries together with avant-garde Turkestan art from the Uzbek state museums’ collections.
Background
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the President of Uzbekistan, conducted his first official visit to France in October 2018. The Louvre was visited as part of the cultural agenda. The concept of presenting a large-scale exhibition in this museum dedicated to Uzbekistan’s rich historical and cultural legacy was already taking shape at the time, and the President enthusiastically endorsed it. It should be emphasized that this was preceded by a series of significant occurrences.
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Rocco Rante, an archaeologist and researcher, conducted an archaeological trip to Bukhara in 2009 in partnership with the Samarkand Archeology Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was led by Jamal Mirzaakhmedov on the Uzbek side and afterward by Abdisabur Raimkulov. Rante welcomed former Louvre Director Henri Loyrette to Uzbekistan in 2011. Following an assessment of the available historical information, the decision was taken to begin organizing a prospective exhibition, which took concrete form in 2017.
Later, in the Samarkand area of Uzbekistan, a unique Zoroastrian carved panel was uncovered during subsequent excavations, which were also carried out in collaboration with French scientists. The find was billed as a world-class finding.
The archaeological site is thought to have housed the country palace of pre-Islamic rulers (up until the 8th century). A front chamber was uncovered in the citadel, the majority of which was filled by a three-tiered podium where, according to scientists, the monarch sat on the throne, and the panel just ornamented the hall’s walls.
There were also found to be more unusual findings. From a historical and cultural standpoint, it seemed obvious that Uzbekistan would be able to offer the world something extremely significant.
A partnership agreement was signed between the Louvre Museum and the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan, which was represented by Gayane Umerova, executive director of the foundation. Saida Mirziyoyeva, the foundation’s deputy council chairperson, oversaw the initial stages of the preparations.
It was originally intended for the Louvre exhibition to run from 2020 to 2021, but COVID-19 forced a postponement until 2022.
It became apparent at this time that it would be reasonable to provide an expedition into Uzbekistan’s ancient history, which would conclude in the 15th century, as well as to talk about the succeeding centuries up to the present in order to make this work thorough and complete. A decision was made to organize two shows, one at the Louvre and the other at the Arab World Institute, in light of this.
Journey of four years
The planning for both exhibitions was done by a special commission. It was headed by the prime minister of Uzbekistan and included the director of the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and project consultant Shokir Pidayev, the director of the Center for Islamic Civilization Shoazim Minovarov, ministers, scientists, archaeologists, as well as directors and curators of museums from which it was intended to borrow artifacts.
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Significant repair work started. Since 2018, around 70 artifacts have undergone restoration specifically for the exhibition. Over 40 restorers from France and Uzbekistan participated in the project, including Marina Reutova, Kamoliddin Mahkamov, Shukhrat Pulatov, Christine Parisel, Olivier Tavoso, Delphine Lefebvre, Geraldine Frey, Axel Delau, Anne Liege, and others.
The conservation and restoration of the 8th-century Quranic pages from Kattalangar were particularly challenging and fascinating. The Quran is one of the values that make up the cultural and historical legacy of all humanity and has great religious significance for Islam and Muslims.
The three-year rehabilitation project was made possible in great part by Saida Mirziyoyeva, who was then serving as the Deputy Director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications. Saida Mirziyoyeva insisted on restoring all 13 pages, even though it was originally only intended to restore 2 pages.
The Alisher Navoi National Library, the Art and Culture Development Foundation, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan all contributed to the preservation of this rare text. Axel Delau and Aurelia Streri, two Louvre Museum restorers, completed the job.
“The Splendours of Uzbekistan’s Oases. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes”
The exhibition “The Splendours of Uzbekistan’s Oases. At the Crossroads of Caravan Routes” tells the tale of the history of the Great Silk Road, which traveled through the southern region of modern-day Uzbekistan from the 5th and 6th centuries BC through the time of the Timurids. It shows a variety of items, including works of monumental art, wall paintings, carvings from palaces, and handcrafted items. In addition to 31 displays from the top museums in the world, the show has 169 museum artifacts, including 138 items from 16 institutions in Uzbekistan.
The Louvre Museum, the National Library of France, the British Museum and the British Library, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Cabinet of Medals in Paris, the Guimet Museum and the Languages and Civilizations University Library (BULAC), the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon are included in them.
Yannick Lintz and Rocco Rante are the curators of the exhibition.
Saida Mirziyoyeva pointed out that Uzbekistan has always been a hub for commerce and cultural interchange, and the Great Silk Road effectively became the first major international economic undertaking. One of our primary goals is to demonstrate the unique heritage of Uzbekistan in the context of world culture through an exhibition at the Louvre that spans about two thousand years and offers a multifaceted view of the culture of different civilizations that have existed on the land of modern-day Uzbekistan.
The exhibition, according to Rocco Rante, has two primary objectives. Its primary purpose is to demonstrate Central Asian civilization and culture to Europeans. Because of the Louvre, one of the top museums in the world, Paris is the finest location for this.
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The second objective is to demonstrate how Central Asia and Europe have had strong historical ties. After all, there are many historical events that these two places share in common.
The exhibition also serves as a way for European and French communities to learn more about Central Asia. After all, it has a major historical presence and a culture rich in influential individuals.
Rocco Rante said that during the following 30 to 40 years, the Louvre museum would develop a distinctive identity.
In addition to the Katta Langar Quran, other unusual exhibits include a burned wooden panel from the Kafir-Kala settlement, a Buddha “Garland-bearer” statue from the first century BC to the first century AD, and the head of a Kushan prince from the Dalverzin-Tepe settlement from the first to second centuries.
Additionally, a copy of Marco Polo’s 14th-century book on his travels in Asia may be found beside the famous wall mural from the 7th century, which depicts a hunting scene and is discovered in the ancient village of Varakhsha in the Bukhara region.
A portion of the exhibition will be shown to the public for the first time at the same time, taking into account the numerous archaeological discoveries and major restoration work that have been accomplished over the previous three years.
“The Road to Samarkand. Miracles of Silk and Gold”
Applied art pieces, which are significant components of Uzbek identity and variety, are included in the exhibition’s display, which contains more than 300 artifacts from nine Uzbek institutions.
Samples of national fabrics, costumes, caps, jewelry from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, carpets, gold-embroidered chapans from the time of the Bukhara Emirate, and much more may be seen by visitors.
Additionally, 23 paintings from the State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I.V. Savitsky in Nukus are on display, including avant-garde works by Turkestan artists. Russian avant-garde painters found Turkestan to be a particularly appealing travel destination between 1917 and 1932. When Matisse was learning about Morocco, avant-garde painters looking for “local colour” discovered a singular source of inspiration in the diversity of Central Asian landscapes, shapes, and features.
A tobelik, the typical headpiece worn by Karakalpak women in the 17th and 18th centuries, is among the most intriguing items on display here. Tobelik is made of silver plates and contains coral and turquoise inlays. It is shaped like a cylinder. It is assumed that it was worn as a supplementary ornament, akin to a crown, on the saukele, a bridal headpiece.
Here, kimesheks are also seen. This is also a traditional headpiece worn by ladies. The face is not covered by kimeshek, which entirely encloses the head. It resembles a hood. To emphasize their rank, married ladies wore kimesheks of certain hues.
Arebeks, or little nose rings, will undoubtedly catch guests’ notice. They were fashioned of gold and embellished with coral and turquoise tiny beads and spiral curls. Young Karakalpak ladies would often wear arebeks on the right wing of their noses; these embellishments are unique to Uzbekistan. They can be identified as an analogue of contemporary body piercing if you make comparisons.
Paintings by Nadejda Kashina, Victor Ufimtsev, and Ural Tansikbayev are included in the collection. Paintings by Alexander Volkov, Alexei Isupov, and other artists are included. Despite each author’s own literary style, the East and its colour serve as the inspiration for and the unifying subject of all the artworks.
Thus, after viewing a painting, such as Nikolai Karakhan’s “Teahouse Near the House Under the Elms,” the spectator may quickly comprehend how people dressed and relaxed their manner of life, and the surrounding nature at that period.
“Oriental Motif,” a highly intriguing artwork by Victor Ufimtsev. Siberian by birth, the artist eventually learned traditional Islamic art as he got to know Central Asia. This piece is a free modernist stylization of a traditional feast scene from a Muslim miniature. A guy carrying a vessel is going near two still women in the picture. It appears that the Western observer will be able to understand how highly respected women have always been in the East after viewing this artwork.
In general, it should be mentioned that the Savitsky Museum’s complete collection is intended to showcase the diversity, uniqueness, and attractiveness of eastern culture in general and Uzbekistan in particular.
The presentation will take place at the Arab World Institute in the renowned European capital, which is quite symbolic. This serves as another evidence of how well the West and the East can get along and benefit one another.
The president of the French publishing business Assouline Publishing, Yaffa Assouline, and photographer Laziz Hamani were two of the curators who greatly contributed to the creation of the show. They traversed the area for three years looking for information and gathering materials for books on Uzbekistan. ‘The Road to Samarkand’ is an exhibition. Miracles of Silk and Gold” evolved into a real-life representation of these novels.
Most of the items on display at the exhibition have never been outside of Uzbekistan. Even those who are familiar with, for instance, chapans, suzani, and other works shown at the nation’s museums will view them in a new way and from a new angle thanks to the 3D experience, which is a first.
The exhibition’s simultaneous presentation of all Uzbek regions with their diversity, educational systems, and production methods is another beneficial feature.
According to Gayane Umerova, collaboration with the Arab World Institute enables a deeper examination of Uzbekistan’s cultural environment while highlighting the importance and diversity of its national history. The exhibition is very significant to the Culture Foundation since one of its major goals is to increase global knowledge of the history and cultural treasures of Uzbekistan.
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The show is anticipated to be of appeal to a wide spectrum of people who like art, handicrafts, and local history. Without a doubt, the successful completion of this project in collaboration with the Arab World Institute will help to advance intercultural understanding and cooperation.
Ballet performance “Lazgi – Dance of Soul and Love” by German choreographer Raimondo Rebeck was given during the exhibition’s opening ceremony. The Khorezmian Lazgi dance dates back more than three thousand years. On UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it is listed.
Conclusion
Countless civilizations and ethnic groups representing a vast range of customs and ways of life have left behind artifacts, and evidence across the area spanned by the Silk Road. This region is the meeting point of several trade routes, the flow of ideas between East and West, nomadic and settled lifestyles, and the synthesis of cultures from many different civilizations, including Iranian, Hellenistic, Turkic, Chinese, Indian, Arab Muslim, Mongolian, and others.
Millions of visitors from across the globe will be able to experience the treasures of this illustrious past firsthand thanks to the displays Uzbekistan is presenting in Paris.
Due to how rapidly collaboration in a culture familiarises a nation and its citizens with the outside world, experts predict that these shows will be quite successful. Each year, France receives 60 million visitors. The number of visitors to the Louvre exceeds 10 million. The inclusion of Uzbekistan in such a significant show would raise awareness of the nation and spark interest in its history, culture, and people. It will be a fantastic way to promote the growth of tourism. Stronger mutual trust emerges as people get to know one another via displays and communication. Additionally, trust makes other areas of collaboration possible.