Korea Arts & Culture Council Signs Agreement with Uzbekistan Foundation for Three Years of Artistic Exchange

Promoting Exchanges Among Artists and Professionals, Joint Projects in Collaboration with the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent

Follow-up to July's 'Asia to Asia' Forum... Expanding Cultural and Artistic Cooperation in Central Asia

The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service has joined forces with the Uzbekistan Foundation for Culture and Arts Development to promote exchanges of artists and professionals, as well as joint projects, over the next three years.

On the 5th, at the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Bumheon Lee, Chairman of the Korea Arts and Culture Committee (left), and Gayane Umerova, Chairwoman of the Uzbekistan Foundation for Cultural and Artistic Development, signed a memorandum of understanding for cultural and artistic exchange cooperation. Korea Arts and Culture Committee

The Korea Arts & Culture Education Service (ARCO) announced on the 7th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Uzbekistan Foundation for Culture and Arts Development (ACDF) on the 5th at the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to advance bilateral cultural and artistic development and cooperation.

Over the next three years, the two organizations will enhance exchanges among artists, arts professionals, and cultural institutions, and will operate programs for developing expertise and capacity building. They also plan to share cultural policy, experiences, and best practices, while pursuing joint projects involving key art institutions such as the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent.

Founded in 2017, the ACDF operates under the Office of the President of Uzbekistan and is responsible for cultural policy planning and overseeing international cultural exchanges. Last year, it hosted the Bukhara Biennale, the first international biennale in Central Asia, and has worked with over 40 international cultural organizations, including the Louvre Museum and the British Museum. According to the ACDF, more than 1.8 million people attended the Bukhara Biennale last year.

This agreement was made possible by the 'Asia to Asia' forum, a Global South Initiative organized by ARCO in July. At that time, organizations from four Asian countries—including Uzbekistan's ACDF, Thailand's Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Pakistan's Lahore Biennale Foundation, and India's Serendipity Arts Foundation—gathered in Seoul to discuss expanding expert exchanges, artist residencies, and joint funding for creation and production.

Artistic exchanges between the two countries also continued at last year’s Bukhara Biennale. Korean artists such as Monk Chongkwan, Choi Yoon, and Daria Kim participated in the inaugural biennale, where the historical wounds and identity of the Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan were presented as a central narrative on the theme of “healing.” Uzbekistan is home to the largest Korean diaspora community in Central Asia.

Beomheon Lee, Chairman of ARCO, and Gayane Umerova, Chairwoman of ACDF, took the opportunity of the agreement to visit residency spaces at the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent and locations such as Samarkand, observing firsthand the ongoing exchanges between artists from both countries. Chairwoman Umerova officially invited Chairman Lee to the opening ceremony of the Hyundai Art Center in Tashkent.

Chairman Lee stated, "This agreement is a significant milestone in ARCO's ongoing 'Global South Initiative' and serves as a catalyst for expanding Asia-focused cultural exchanges on multiple levels," adding, "We will establish deeper networks between artists from both countries and work to create a sustainable model of cultural exchange within Asia."

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