HE Chairperson of Qatar Museums Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani attended the official inauguration of the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA Tashkent), the first permanent centre for contemporary art in Uzbekistan. The occasion comes at a significant moment in the cultural relationship between Qatar and Uzbekistan, as Qatar Museums and the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) begin a five-year program of collaboration aligned with the principles of the Years of Culture initiative.
Housed in a reimagined industrial building dating from 1912, CCA Tashkent opened to the public yesterday as a multidisciplinary platform for contemporary art, research and cultural exchange. During the inauguration, Her Excellency toured the centre and viewed its inaugural group exhibition, Hikmah. Hikmah brings together artists from Uzbekistan and around the world to explore ideas of wisdom, spirit and material transformation, while responding to the architectural memory of the building and its transformation into a space for contemporary culture.
HE Sheikha Al Mayassa said: "Meaningful cultural exchange is reciprocal and sustained. Exhibitions introduce histories and creative practices to new audiences, residencies give artists the time and context to develop new work, and institutions give these relationships continuity. The opening of CCA Tashkent strengthens that shared foundation and reflects the spirit of sustained exchange at the heart of the Years of Culture initiative."
Her Excellency's visit follows the opening earlier this week of two exhibitions at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha: Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion and Ektashif: Uzbekistan.
Organised by the Museum of Islamic Art in collaboration with ACDF, Uzbekistan: Heritage in Motion explores more than 1,000 years of Uzbekistan's artistic and cultural heritage, from the eighth century to the present. The exhibition brings together historical and contemporary works, manuscripts, architectural elements, textiles, ceramics and jewellery from collections in Qatar and institutions across Uzbekistan.
Presented alongside it, Ektashif: Uzbekistan features new works by seven Qatari artists following a research-led artistic journey to Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara in 2025. Together, the exhibitions reflect the reciprocal nature of the relationship: introducing audiences in Qatar to Uzbekistan's heritage and living creative traditions, while enabling Qatari artists to experience the country directly and translate those encounters into new work.
The exhibitions coincide with a new five-year cooperation agreement between Qatar Museums and ACDF. Formalised earlier this week, the agreement establishes a long-term platform for shared research, joint artistic projects, capacity building and Islamic heritage conservation. Its programm will encompass artist residencies, professional training and collaborative exhibitions, alongside initiatives in design, craft, film, fashion and culinary arts.
The role of residencies and creative mobility within this wider cultural ecosystem was also reflected in Her Excellency's visit to BENCHELLAL, MONUMENTAL | "Sculpting Past Tomorrow" at the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan. The exhibition presents a new body of sculptural work by Dutch-Moroccan designer and artist Mohamed Benchellal, developed during his 2025 artistic residency in Tashkent and inspired by Uzbekistan's architecture, cultural landscapes and historical forms.
Benchellal's creative journey illustrates how sustained support can connect talent, institutions and cultures. Following his 2021 Fashion Trust Arabia Evening Wear award, he spent more than two years as a resident at Liwan Design Studios and Labs in Doha, exploring Qatar's materials, landscapes and architecture. The work developed during that period was presented at the National Museum of Qatar in 2024.
During her visit to Tashkent, HE the Chairperson of Qatar Museums also visited the studio of textile artist Madina Kasimbaeva and the Gozar of Artisans, where she learned about creative practices rooted in Uzbekistan's living traditions of textiles, embroidery, ceramics, wood carving and metalwork.