TASHKENT MODERNISM XX/XXI: THE INITIATIVE

Building on an initiative launched by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), the research phase of Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI began in 2021 to document, study, and preserve the capital's modernist architecture of the 1960s–1980s.

As Tashkent's urban landscape continued to evolve, many of these buildings had yet to be systematically studied and recognised as part of the city's architectural heritage. The initiative brought together an international team of architects, researchers, historians, and photographers to undertake a comprehensive programme of documentation and research, examining a body of architecture that combined modernist principles with local craftsmanship, geometric traditions, and climate-responsive design.

The research was coordinated by the Milan-based architecture studio GRACE, founded by Ekaterina Golovatyuk, with contributions from the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at Politecnico di Milano, Laboratorio Permanente, architectural historian Boris Chukhovich, and photographer Armin Linke, whose specially commissioned photographs form part of the project's archive. The project also benefited from the support and intellectual contributions of architect Rem Koolhaas and the late architectural historian Jean-Louis Cohen. The team surveyed twenty-four modernist buildings across Tashkent, producing detailed building dossiers comprising historical research, architectural documentation, technical assessments, and condition surveys to support their long-term conservation.

The research laid the foundation for Tashkent's UNESCO World Heritage nomination. Sixteen buildings were included in the nomination submitted in January 2025, and in July 2026, ten were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List—the first modernist architecture in Central Asia to receive this recognition. As Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of ACDF, has said, the initiative aims to "create a legacy of cultural preservation that will endure, enriching the lives of generations to come."

Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI has been documented in two complementary publications.

Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI, published by Lars Müller Publishers, presents the outcomes of the project's multi-year research. Edited by Boris Chukhovich, Davide Del Curto, and Ekaterina Golovatyuk, the volume brings together original research, archival material, essays, visual documentation, and detailed building monographs, offering a comprehensive account of Tashkent's modernist architectural heritage and its conservation.

Tashkent: A Modernist Capital, published by Rizzoli New York, offers a visual perspective on the same body of work. Featuring photographs by Karel Balas and a text by Béatrice Grenier, the book explores twenty-four landmark buildings through newly commissioned photography, highlighting the distinctive architectural character of modernist Tashkent.