Art in Uzbekistan: modernity versus traditionalism

[Ozodlik]

An American friend who is writing an article about Uzbekistan for a journal specialised in international affairs compares the role of modern and traditional art in Uzbekistan. He, among others, says that there was a very strong traditionalistic emphasis on Uzbek traditional art right after the independance, and there were even people like Muhammad Salikh who even claimed that modern art, opera, theatre, and symphonies were foreign to the Uzbek people..However, later when islamic fundamentalism started posing threats to Uzbek statehood, the governement began to emphasize more "general secular cultural development" to the detriment of traditionalistic movement..

The topic...what do you think, is the modern art ( opera, ballet, ..contemporary art) is foreign to Uzbek people? like many fundamentalists claim, ...or do they constitute a harmonious continuation of a long history of our artistic creativity..?

Personally, I am proud of the masterpieces of architecture, art and literature our ancestors created, but at the same time, I dont see any opposition between our modern art and our traditional art. In my opinion, ballet, opera, abstractionist art...you name it, are as important for our cultural life as, say, the great poems of Yassaviy or Navai...

[Mona Lisa]

I don't know political side of the issue but generally contemporary art has its presence in Uzbekistan. Maybe artistic creativity among Uzbeks isn't as up beat as many others but it is still there. I think there is a strong traditionalist approach maybe because of general mood in society. i.e. more of national identity.
As for the clash of modern and traditional art, there is always opposing views. IMHO, they are two different apporaches in art and I don't think one could undermine the other. It's like asking whether works of Navoiy would damage Erkin Vohidov's poems. :)

[Desperado]

An American friend who is writing an article about Uzbekistan for a journal specialised in international affairs compares the role of modern and traditional art in Uzbekistan. He, among others, says that there was a very strong traditionalistic emphasis on Uzbek traditional art right after the independance, and there were even people like Muhammad Salikh who even claimed that modern art, opera, theatre, and symphonies were foreign to the Uzbek people..However, later when islamic fundamentalism started posing threats to Uzbek statehood, the governement began to emphasize more "general secular cultural development" to the detriment of traditionalistic movement..

The topic...what do you think, is the modern art ( opera, ballet, ..contemporary art) is foreign to Uzbek people? like many fundamentalists claim, ...or do they constitute a harmonious continuation of a long history of our artistic creativity..?

Personally, I am proud of the masterpieces of architecture, art and literature our ancestors created, but at the same time, I dont see any opposition between our modern art and our traditional art. In my opinion, ballet, opera, abstractionist art...you name it, are as important for our cultural life as, say, the great poems of Yassaviy or Navai...


I think ballet and opera are foreign to Uzbek muslim culture. So am I a terrorist now?
Overall, where do you get such ideas as being conservative is the same as being terrorist. Can not somebody just express his own opinion? And if somebody is against the Western foreign cultural elements, why should he be counted as a terrorist???

[Ozodlik]

I think ballet and opera are foreign to Uzbek muslim culture. So am I a terrorist now?
Overall, where do you get such ideas as being conservative is the same as being terrorist. Can not somebody just express his own opinion? And if somebody is against the Western foreign cultural elements, why should he be counted as a terrorist???well, no...absolutely no, you have all the rights to dislike modern art, what i said was fundamentalists are usually against modern art, but it doesnt mean that anyone who dislikes modern art is a terrorist or fundamentalist...

[chicagoan]

An American friend who is writing an article about Uzbekistan for a journal specialised in international affairs compares the role of modern and traditional art in Uzbekistan. He, among others, says that there was a very strong traditionalistic emphasis on Uzbek traditional art right after the independance, and there were even people like Muhammad Salikh who even claimed that modern art, opera, theatre, and symphonies were foreign to the Uzbek people..However, later when islamic fundamentalism started posing threats to Uzbek statehood, the governement began to emphasize more "general secular cultural development" to the detriment of traditionalistic movement..

The topic...what do you think, is the modern art ( opera, ballet, ..contemporary art) is foreign to Uzbek people? like many fundamentalists claim, ...or do they constitute a harmonious continuation of a long history of our artistic creativity..?

Personally, I am proud of the masterpieces of architecture, art and literature our ancestors created, but at the same time, I dont see any opposition between our modern art and our traditional art. In my opinion, ballet, opera, abstractionist art...you name it, are as important for our cultural life as, say, the great poems of Yassaviy or Navai...

assalamu alaykum,
Hmmmm. Contemprary Art....Let me start by describing my tour of a contemporary art museum in Tashkent in 2001, right behind of Tashkent Hokimiyat.

Tickets were expensive, but I sacrificed those few soums to get exposed to "contemporary art"...but what we saw there?

I could not believe our artists reached such "heights"!!!!!! wowowowowowowowow

In the center of the room was a pile of garbage. Probably picked up from a construction site: sand, piece of concrete, and few stones....hmmm, stupid, I can't understand art no more....maybe, how about that portrait?

Huge piece. Poor artist, he probably forgot his work outside, and it rained very hard so water washed away his masterpiece. So he brought it to the museum anyways and presented it as "contemporary art"....

and here is the most "contemporary art" that made the Renaissanse possible in Europe: nudes. The thing is, according to some, nudes made European men wake up from mental sleep, and excited them to new heights in all spheres.

That is why they say: "Beauty will save this world"....Wow.

and all is guarded, in the center of the city, lighted, and air conditioned, climate controlled halls....hayfe.....

I felt my money and time was wasted. Uzbeks and Islam are inseparable.
Thus whatever is alien to Islam, is alien to us, Uzbeks.

No theaters, no opera, or ballet, and so on.

It takes time for many to understand this, but inshaallah, this time will come.

Start with tawhid.


Last, but not least - Uzbeks did shape certain MODERN ARTS like theater their way: Temir Hotin play reflected reality of Uzbeks.

Yeah, movies are good, and there are many Islamic movies that motivate and so forth, but that is like reading "O'tgan Kunlar" of Abdulla Qodiriy, and then watching movie. Such people don't accept the movie version.




Allohu a'lam,


wassalam,

mr

[Ozodlik]

hmm..thank you

actually just recently a cleaner of the Tate Britain Modern art gallery threw out a bag of garbage which formed part of an contemporary artwork because he thought it was trash...the article about this: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=572398&section=news

hmm...well, i guess evrything depends how you see things, i think art is just a medium to express ideas and emotions, and all the different forms of art are something like a new language you can use to talk with others..so after all, for example if you are a fervent muslim, you can tell others how good your religion is using ...say, opera..why not? or even using a plastic bag of garbage, you can express, hmmm...for example, the state of a sinner before going to hell...you know, in short, I dont agree with your idea about contemporary art, and i think of course you can be against the ideas it conveys, but it would be strange to be angry with the medium, it is something like , you read on this forum something really bad about yourself, of course you are angry at this, but would it be normal to break your computer ...?
best luck...

[chicagoan]

hmm..thank you

actually just recently a cleaner of the Tate Britain Modern art gallery threw out a bag of garbage which formed part of an contemporary artwork because he thought it was trash...the article about this: http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=572398&section=news

hmm...well, i guess evrything depends how you see things, i think art is just a medium to express ideas and emotions, and all the different forms of art are something like a new language you can use to talk with others..so after all, for example if you are a fervent muslim, you can tell others how good your religion is using ...say, opera..why not? or even using a plastic bag of garbage, you can express, hmmm...for example, the state of a sinner before going to hell...you know, in short, I dont agree with your idea about contemporary art, and i think of course you can be against the ideas it conveys, but it would be strange to be angry with the medium, it is something like , you read on this forum something really bad about yourself, of course you are angry at this, but would it be normal to break your computer ...?
best luck...
mashallah,

Seen Islamic artwork on buildings and books? Samarqand...Buhara...Baghdad...Istanbul...Symmetry , brilliance, bright and sharp colors....I have a friend in Tashkent, he won prizes in International Islamic Calligraphy Contests. He can draw mountains, flowers, etc. with verses from Qur'an and Hadith...that is an art. Medium, and the message....

what is modern art producing, so called? Mix of colors, blurred images, abstraction....

An artwork is a reflection of the soul that makes it. In the first case, i.e. Islamic art, there is clarity and grace, and KUFFAR reflect chaos, and mess - what else?

To put it straight, Islam makes things clear. Black/white, correct/incorrect, proper/improper, private/public, allowed/prohibited, etc.

Qur'an is also known as "Al-Furqan": differentiating right from wrong.

I work at a huge library in Chicago, and recently a book on a concert band was purchased by the library. It is also an art, right? so,.....I leafed through...

The medium was just apalling...it is just amazing how Kafir find ways to express how distasteful, ignorant they are. Imagine this:

A band, metallica or rock, whatever style, is giving a concert on a stage- but the lead singer is hanging upside down, his feet tied to a rope - and naked below waste, face painted, body pierced....but that is not all!

You know, his penis was exposed (and super long!), and strangely decorated....a lot of laundry clips were clipped on his penis - so at first I did not know whether that was a man or woman with something between her legs...

That is , THAT IS what freedom produced? Democracy's fruit of art?
Just a medium?

I just think that at one time in history, KUFFAR gathered all crazy people, gave them huge amounts of money, and said "Go, do whatever you want and call it art!"

Then keep on getting enlightened! I warn you, and the likes:

AT THE END YOU MAY REALIZE YOU WERE GOING WRONG WAY.

mr