Cultural Guide
Culture is not just the space we exist in, but the world we discover every day. HD navigator – your personal guide for exhibitions, books, movies, podcasts, and personalities you should know about. What to watch, what to read, who to listen to, and who to follow – we select the most relevant, interesting, and inspiring ones to make culture closer and more understandable.
Kettik!
Kettik!The week begins with three days of TEPLO AUTUMN FEST in the Japanese Garden and ends with a poetry evening devoted to Pasternak and Mandelstam. Sunday, 6 September, is the main day: CCA Tashkent opens with the Hikmah exhibition, Lang Lang performs on Registan Square in Samarkand, Panorama hosts a gala concert for the 35th anniversary of independence, and three premieres take place in theatres simultaneously. In between it all — a wordless puppet show, birdwatching with an ornithologist from Paris, an art gathering in memory of Yayoi Kusama, and IKEA as a phenomenon of visual culture.
Kettik!The week is a true mix. On Friday, an exhibition by Robiya Kadyrova on female experience opens, alongside a wine club exploring the terroirs of Burgundy. Saturday is overloaded in the best sense: a lecture on women in war from Tomiris to the present day, 'Drafts and Masterpieces' at 'Other Beasts', a parody evening by the Bekar Theatre, a symphony of Turkish TV series and legendary love soundtracks — all in one day. On Sunday, Ai Weiwei, avant-garde over breakfast and Michael Jackson in the park. From Monday, three days of MUZONE Fest with Don Diablo, Shimza and Mestiza, an Independence Day celebration with crafts and live music — and, in parallel, Silk Road Expo for those on business.
Kettik!We've rounded up the events worth adding to your plans for the coming days: exhibitions, theatre performances, concerts, art meet-ups, and a festival that's definitely one to note. You can drop by "A Photographic Chronicle of the 20th Century," discover works by young artists, head to the Gijduvan ceramics festival, or pick something from the packed programme of "Other Beasts." And if you're in the mood to engage with art on a deeper level, the selection includes an art brunch on Picasso, a gathering to discuss Turkestan's avant-garde, and an evening exploring how paintings become masterpieces. Save the list, choose an event to suit your mood, and send it to someone you've been meaning to go out with. Kettik?
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Once a week, we send the best stories, events, and cultural discoveries from Central Asia.