PAXTA

"PAXTA" is a group show organized in collaboration with Tashkent-based interdisciplinary space 139 Documentary Center about Uzbekistan's "white gold" - cotton. Cotton cultivation, instilled in Uzbekistan by imperial Russia to achieve cotton independence, has become part of the country's planted national identity. During the Soviet Union, cotton cultivation in Uzbekistan took on a new scale, and the characteristic white flower, as a symbol of the country's future well-being and prosperity, spread to buildings, fences, window grilles, fabrics, porcelain sets and other household items. With its optimistic upward pointing flower, Uzbekistan's national symbol covered the cruelty of collectivization and repression, forced labor, appalling conditions, the use of child labor, the ensuing ecological disaster and the further impoverishment of the people.

The exhibition Paxta, curated by artists Yana Harasho and Timur Karpov, was first shown at 139 Documentary Center in Tashkent in 2022 and explores the theme of cotton and related symbols as part of colonial heritage. The exhibition is a reflection by artists and researchers in Uzbekistan on the significance of cotton as an agricultural crop that has completely changed the everyday life, context and landscape of not only Uzbekistan, but also the whole of Central Asia.

Exhibition dates: 12 October – 14 January 2024

Events:

Thursday October 12 | 7 pm - 9 pm - Vernissage, Asapn Gallery

Friday October 13 | 7 pm - Screening of the film "COTTON 100%", Dom 36 (registration here)

Saturday October 14 | 3 pm - Exhibition tour with curators, Aspan Gallery (registration here)

Opening hours:

Tue-Sat: 11 am - 7 pm

Sun: 12 pm - 6 pm

Address: Villa Boutiques & Restaurants, 140A/3 Al Farabi, lower ground floor, Almaty. Free entrance.