Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, and the art of building a New Silk Road
SHARJAH: Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, is a contemporary art gallery which aims to cultivate an artistic dialogue between Central Asia and the Middle East. It does so by positioning the art of Central Asia in the artistic hubs of Dubai and the UAE, as well as building relationships between artists, writers, art professionals and collectors of both regions. The gallery promotes Central Asia’s visual arts by providing a plaform for emerging to mid-market contemporary artists across a variety of media, with a special focus on Uzbekistan. Artists represented by the gallery include famous names such as Alexander Barkovsky, who is particularly known for his lithograph work Gypsy Madonnas about gypsies who live in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and Almagul Menlibayeva, from Amsterdam and Berlin, who works on the history and present day realities of the post-soviet Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Bakhodir Jalal, whose visual language is rooted locally within Central Asia and gets inspiration from Oriental mysticism and Timur D’vatz, who excels in depicting rich fabrics of Chinese silk printing, are other artists who are represented by the gallery, among others. Natalya Andakulova, Founder of Andakulova Gallery, speaks to Gulf Today about her work and the gallery
* How do you look back at your work since your gallery’s establishment? How far have you been able to promote Central Asian art in the Gulf and create a dialogue between Central Asian art and Middle East art?
Andakulova Gallery was established in 2012 and is strategically located in Dubai International Financial Center. We have hosted many different exhibitions and atended international art fairs such as Contemporary Istanbul, Art London, Dubai Art, published books in collaboration with Skira publishing house, Italy, and conducted lectures and educational programmes with the objective of promoting Central Asian art in the Gulf region. We will continue to do so.
The art market in the GCC is growing fast and more people are interested in collecting art, atending cultural events and learning art history. Central Asia historically has a deep connection to the Middle East and both share many similar symbols, paterns and lifestyles.
* Is Western influence more in contemporary Central Asian art or is Russian influence more deep?
The Central Asian region is ideally located as a bridge between the West and the Middle East. On its western edge is Europe and in the south lies the Middle East region.
It was not as though the region was closed off entirely till the new millennium: even during the Soviet period, Central Asian artists lived, worked and learnt in European cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg. Predominantly, the 20th century was influenced by the Soviet Union’s art trends; ater the independence of
Central Asian countries, we see the influence of Western trends in their art scene.
* How was Central Asian art able to maintain its Islamic/asian element during Soviet rule?
It is commonly acknowledged that the art of recent centuries of the region is mainly influenced by Islamic art. Many of the elements and symbols of Islamic art were incorporated in architecture, mosaic, porcelain and tapestry. Ater independence in the 90s, there was an opening up of borders. It practically coincided with the oil discoveries in the Middle East; there has been a political and economic synergy between both regions. Cultural similarities have existed for ages, provided by Islam.
* What are the inspirations of Central Asian artists?
Central Asian countries were deeply involved in trading and were part of the Silk Road, from China to Europe. Most of the cities have a very long history and many of the archaeological findings serve as inspiration for present day artists. Contemporary artists refer to different, yet similar, topics in their artworks. Like artists elsewhere, many are atracted to critical problems like ecology, war and peace and other global challenges.
* Do Central Asian governments support art? Give a few examples.
Yes, certainly. This year, the President of Uzbekistan signed tax relief, for all art galleries, museums and artisan shops.
* How has Arabia influenced Central Asian art?
The Arabian influence is well recognised in architecture, especially that of the 15th century.
* How will the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which is a kind of New Silk Road, impact art making in Central Asia?
Samarkand was one of the main stops on the Silk Road: it absorbed the multi-cultural influences of China, India, Greece and the Roman Empire. Samarkand, along with other cites, will continue to absorb new influences.
* How has Andakulova Gallery faced the Covid crisis?
It’s a challenging period for many industries; we use this as an opportunity to adapt and improve our digital presence on the global market.
We created a virtual exhibition, developed a new website and implemented a 360 degree view for our gallery.
* You have a mixed porfolio of both Russian and Central Asian artists. What do Russian artists have that Central Asian artists do not have and vice versa?
All Russian and Central Asian artists have a similar education — the main difference is in their unique art styles. We carry a very broad porfolio of various artists: Andakulova Gallery represents some of the most exclusive artists, who work in different mediums.