Vyacheslav Akhunov: Instruments of the Mind

Presented as an official collateral event of the Biennale, “Instruments of the Mind” is a solo exhibition by Vyacheslav Akhunov (b. 1948), a founding figure of conceptualism in Central Asia whose practice is closely connected to 1970s Moscow Conceptualism.

Curated by Dr Sara Raza, Chief Curator and Artistic Director of the CCA Tashkent, the exhibition spans five decades of Akhunov’s work across painting, drawing, video, installation, performance, and text. Structured as an anti-chronological project, it features several unrealised and previously unexhibited works from the 1970s in dialogue with more recent works.

At Palazzo Franchetti, the exhibition transforms the space into a living archive, offering a reflection on memory, time, and spiritual consciousness. Akhunov’s work moves between introspection, transcendence, absurdity, and humour.