BASEL.- The Art and Culture Development Foundation participated in the 16th edition of Design Miami/Basel (14-19 June 2022) in Basel, Switzerland with the brand-new concept of the development of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Tashkent designed by the French architecture firm Studio KO.

The theme of Design Miami/Basel (DM/B), Basel explored the theme of The Golden Age set up by its Curatorial Director, Maria Cristina Didero.

At the fair

Part of the Special Project section of DM/B, ACDF invited visitors to discover the architectural concept made by Studio KO for the renovation of a 1912 building in Tashkent. Made out of bricks and initially a diesel station, it used to produce electricity to the first tramway line of the capital of Uzbekistan.

As part of the conceptual design work, Studio KO engaged in a conversation with Miza Mucciarelli, modeling artist and founder of the Atelier Misto, about the way model making could address the project. Two months later, after creating a very contrasted conceptual maquette, opposing box wood and black corian, came the time to create the final one, whose main purpose would be to stay, at the scale of 1.100, in the very heart of the final building.

At the booth (#X05), visitors discovered the 3D model of CCA and have an insight into this upcoming unique venue in the region and Studio KO’s project.

CCA is the initiative of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan. It first opened in 2019, becoming the artistic focal point of the city. After the reconstruction of the historical building, it will become the first contemporary art centre in the country, a cornerstone of the cultural, architectural, and historical environment of the city. The CCA will host exhibitions, lectures, public discussions, and meetings with invited artists and curators, creating multifaceted artistic life in Tashkent.

In parallel to the CCA (Centre for Contemporary Arts), Studio KO will also design Mahalla Artist Residencies (MAH): ACDF will also launch artist residencies situated in several of the old city quarters — mahallas (MAH) — offering creative workshops for working with different disciplines and media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, film and 3D printing. In the main CCA building, the educational programme will include special initiatives for artists' professional development. The residencies will be a place where past, present and future meet, a space where contemporary art and traditional crafts interact and feed each other. Together with the artist residencies as an educational platform, CCA will contribute to the integration of the Uzbek art community into the global context. Once completed, CCA will enrich Tashkent's creative life and provide a comfortable urban space, encourage the development of inter-regional and international creative relationships and help preserve the individual cultural environment of the city