Tashkent hosts its 11th contemporary art biennale, “Event Horizon”

If you are in Tashkent this week, keep an afternoon free for galleries. The 11th Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art, titled “Event Horizon”, opened on 12 October 2026 at the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts and runs until 16 October.

Who is taking part

The biennale brings together 70 artists and curators from 33 countries and 40 artists from Uzbekistan. On show are painting, graphics, sculpture, installation, video art, photography and conceptual art. The Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan started the biennale 25 years ago and organises it with foreign embassies and Uzbek institutions; this year’s programme also includes an international research conference under the same title, “Event Horizon”.

Where to see it

The exhibitions are spread across six venues: the Academy Gallery, the Central Exhibition Hall, the Tashkent House of Photography, the Ikuo Hirayama International Caravanserai of Culture, the Kamoliddin Behzod Museum of Oriental Miniature and the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan. The Central Exhibition Hall is worth seeing for its own sake: in July 2026 it became one of ten Tashkent modernist buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with the State Museum of History and the Palace of Peoples’ Friendship.

For your trip

To fit the galleries into a longer stay with the metro and the old city, use our guide to Tashkent in three days or more.