23 December 2001 – 10 January 2002
The Modern Art Centre in Tashkent was the venue for a retrospective exhibition romantically called “Winter Patterns” – a New Year present for the capital’s people and its visitors on the eve of 2002. The exhibition featured the works of such masters of painting in Uzbekistan as R. Akhmedov, I. Shin, D. Umarbekov and G. Kadyrov.

10-23 January 2002
The Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan hosted an exhibition, pegged to the 10th anniversary of the Republican Inter-Ethnic Cultural Centre, with the patriotic name of “Shu aziz Vatan – barchamizniki!” (“This is the dear Motherland of each of us”). The show included 150 works by such painters as N. Kuzybayev, R. Charyyev and S. Abdullayev, installations by E. Iskhakov, sculptures by R. Mirtojiyev and L. Ryabtsev, and ceramics by A. Avakyan.

21 January
A total of 29 paintings and 13 pieces of applied art were presented at an exhibition and auction called “Gifted young people of Uzbekistan for the children in children’s homes” and held at the Polish Embassy.

30 January
The Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, the Roszarubezhtsentr (Russian Centre Abroad) office and the Modern Art Centre staged an evening devoted to the 170th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Shishkin, the great Russian landscape painter. A protocol was signed providing for cooperation between Roszarubezhtsentr and the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan.

31 January
“My Khiva” was the name given to the personal exhibition of Atakhan Allabergenov, a Merited Artist of Uzbekistan, which was held at the Russian Embassy in Tashkent and was the result of a joint project carried out by the embassy, the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and the Art Exhibitions Directorate.

5 – 20 February
In all, 100 photographic works – portraits, landscapes and genre scenes executed with rare truthfulness – were presented at “Poste Restante”, a personal exhibition of the photographs of Viktor An, held at the Modern Art Centre with the help of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and the Tashkent House of Photography.

7 – 20 February
The Modern Art Centre hosted the personal exhibition of the hereditary ceramic artist Alisher Rakhimov, whose work is marked by a high level of technical skill and a brilliant feeling for harmony of form and ornamental decoration.

15 February – 5 March
“Music. Plastics. Colour” was an exhibition involving about 30 artists, who presented over 100 works at the Modern Art Centre. The idea of the exhibition was to show the viewer paintings, theatrical scenes and music in a harmonious interrelationship that transported him, through the perception of colour, abstraction and a feast of sound, to a virtual reality and gave rise to new associations.

21 February
“Past Days”, an exhibition by the artist Alisher Alikulov, was held at the Indian Cultural Centre.

27 February – 2 March
The exhibition “Ceramics of Uzbekistan” took place at the Central Exhibition Hall. Nearly all the traditional regional ceramic schools were brought together under its auspices. Numerous genres and trends were presented at the exhibition of ceramic works. They included glazed earthenware dishes by R. Gazoliyeva, unpretentious little animals by N. Osipova and compositions in the Modern style by Ye. Sshanova and N. Kuziyeva.

6 – 16 March
The exhibition “Spring – a Time for Women”, pegged to International Women’s Day, 8 March, was mounted at the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. A sage once said: “Woman was created to make the world more perfect.” But what can be finer than a woman who creates, a female artist? Such women painters as R. Gagloyeva, G. Li, L. Sadykova and Z. Sharipova took part in the exhibition. The work of N. Kuziyeva, M. Nesterovich and N. Osipova showed a world of elegant ceramics. The exhibition was the best present both for the participants and for the viewers.

7 – 27 March
“Phantasmagoria”, a personal exhibition marking the debut of Gulzor Sultanova and featuring some 100 works of original drawing and sculpture, was held at the Modern Art Centre. The project was prepared by the Academy of Arts and the Modern Art Centre with the help of the Open Society Institute – Uzbekistan (Soros Fund).

12 March
The exhibition “Egypt as Seen by Young Artists” was organised by the Science and Education Centre of the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Tashkent. It acted as a creative report on the visit to Egypt, at the invitation of Helwan University, by staff from the Kamaliddin Behzad National Institute of Art and Design.

15 – 24 March
Artists from the CIS countries and the Baltic republics took part in the Fifth Moscow International Art Salon, “TsDKh – 2000”. Uzbekistan was represented by 40 works by 12 artists – F. Akhmadaliyev, D. Akhunbabayev, M. Bonu, B. Jalal, L. Ibragimov, A. Ivanova, M. Kagarov, A. Nikolayev, A. Nur, J. Usmanov, Sh. Khakimov and Sh. Khon.

20 March
The “Golden Needle” exhibition opened at the Modern Art Centre. It formed part of the annual Craft Festival and was timed to coincide with the Navruz national festival.

20 – 30 March
The “Navruz – 2000” exhibition took place at the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. Among other exhibits, it featured paintings, applied art, jewellery, ceramics and theatrical sets. A children’s drawing competition was held as part of the exhibition.

24 March – 12 April
An exhibition of the well-known German artist and sculptor Norbert Kricke was staged at the art museum with the help of the Goethe – Institut. It featured the artist’s drawings and plastic figures. On 22 March, Professor Ernst – Gerhard Guse (Saarland Museum, Saarbrucken) gave a lecture on Kricke’s work at the Institute of Art Studies of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan.

29 March – 25 April
The Modern Art Centre exhibited 27 photographs presented by the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and a New York museum under the general title “After 11 September: testimony from the epicentre of the tragedy”. The photographs record the full horror of the aftermath of the terrorist act of 11 September 2001 and the heroism of the rescuers.

Compiled by Anna Kirichenko