Uzbekistan 2025
The exhibition focuses on the current and future significance of the modernist scientific structure originally called the Sun Heliocomplex.
Title: A Matter of Radiance
Commissioner: Gayane Umerova, Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
Curator: GRACE (Ekaterina Golovatyuk, Giacomo Cantoni)
A Matter of Radiance explores the scientific and cultural significance of Uzbekistan’s modernist legacy through the lens of the Sun Institute of Material Science—one of the only two last great solar furnaces in the world. Built in 1987 near Tashkent as a pinnacle of Soviet scientific ambition, the institute remains an enigmatic site, suspended between innovation and obsolescence. The exhibition reflects on this duality, questioning whether such infrastructures, once at the forefront of material science, can be reimagined for today’s urgent scientific and cultural inquiries.
The exhibition unfolds through a series of fragments—both original and built elsewhere—capturing key elements of the institute and the complex narratives it embodies. These objects, adapted for new uses beyond the exhibition, highlight the site’s potential rather than its redundancy. The project is enhanced by contributions from artists, writers, and scientists, alongside a theatrical performance.
Building on the large-scale research project “Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI”, the exhibition extends the discourse on Uzbekistan’s modernist heritage beyond preservation, positioning it within contemporary global conversations on science, architecture, and cultural identity.
VENUE: Arsenale
OPENING TIMES:
May 10 – Sep 28, Tue – Sun 11am – 7pm; Sep 29 – Nov 23 Tue – Sun 10am – 6pm
ADDRESS
Arsenale, Quarta Tesa Arsenale, 30122 Castello, Venice, Italy
