Сentre for Contemprory Arts

The building that will in the nearest future house the Centre for Contemporary Arts was constructed in 1912 by architect Wilhelm Heinzelmann, the head of the construction office in Turkestan krai. Before the 1917 socialist revolution it was a diesel power station which operated the city’s first tram line. This was also the origin of Tashkent’s electrification. In 2018 the building, which until recently housed the Tashkent electrical networks city enterprise, was transferred to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Centre for Contemporary Arts will start operating since 2020. This is the first large-scale project in Uzbekistan aimed to form a new object of urban space meeting the requirements of a cultural and educational hub. The Centre will facilitate the establishment of an intercultural dialogue with other countries and the integration of the visual art of Uzbekistan into the global cultural context.

Designed to be an institution of a new type, the Centre will be a platform for exhibitions, performances, cinema shows, seminars and talks to increase the understanding of contemporary art, as well as for an open cultural dialogue and new works of art. The Centre for Contemporary Arts will also be a multimedia laboratory and art residence and will be used to develop educational initiatives and workshops for children, including experimental theatre and contemporary choreography.

The building will be renovated with the help of modern ecological principles and operated with the use of alternative energy sources.

The project’s objective is to develop a new architectural form and preserve, innovate and use the existing unique space, as well as to utilise advanced renovation methods to enhance the existing architectural and historical value of the object.