The exhibition, titled “The Aural Sea”, reflects on the transformations of the Aral Sea and their impact on the region.

It resonates with the Biennale’s theme, “In Minor Keys”, while the pavilion’s title underscores the importance of listening.This approach is rooted in the idea of attentive engagement with the landscape. The artists invite visitors to consider how a territory, and the people who live alongside it, can be “heard.”

Since the 1960s, the rivers that once fed the Aral Sea have been extensively diverted for irrigation. As a result, the sea dramatically shrank in both area and volume, losing much of its ecosystem. The region’s climate and way of life were profoundly altered.

The project proposes viewing the Aral not only as an environmental catastrophe, but also as a space of memory and cultural interconnection. Throughout history, the region lay at the crossroads of major trade routes. While the shoreline had shifted before, the scale of today’s changes is unprecedented.

Uzbekistan’s participation is initiated by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF). The project was prepared by a curatorial team associated with the Bukhara Biennial. The pavilion’s curators are Sophie Mayuko Arni (Switzerland), Aziza Izamova (Uzbekistan), Kamila Mukhitdinova (Uzbekistan), Nico Sun (China), and Thái Hà (Vietnam).

The exhibition features installations, textiles, paintings, and interactive works. Participating artists include Jahongir Bobokulov (Uzbekistan), Zi Kakhrаmonova (Uzbekistan), Aygul Sarsen (Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan), Zulfiya Spowart (Uzbekistan), Xin Liu (China), A.A. Murakami (United Kingdom/Japan), and Nguyen Phuong Linh (Vietnam). Their works combine scientific inquiry with artistic imagination.

This marks Uzbekistan’s third participation in the Venice Biennale. The project continues a series of cultural initiatives aimed at development in the Aral Sea region.