Sara Raza has been appointed the artistic director and chief curator of the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The centre, which is housed in a restored 1912 tram depot and diesel station, will reopen this September.
Raza, born in London and based in New York, has worked internationally including across Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East in a variety of curatorial roles. She is also the author of the book Punk Orientalism: The Art of Rebellion, which examined artists and ideas emerging from Central Asian countries formerly part of the USSR.
She says: “This role holds deep personal and professional significance: I am proud of my roots in the Greater Iran region, including ancient Uzbekistan, and as a curator and writer I have enjoyed working extensively in Uzbekistan and its neighbouring regions.”
Raza completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees at Goldsmiths College, London and went on to be the curator of public programmes at Tate Modern.
Her specific roles since that time have included the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative curator for the Middle East and North Africa. She has organised exhibitions at venues and events including the Tashkent Biennale in Uzbekistan, the third Baku Public Art Festival in Azerbaijan and at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar.
She has also curated the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale as well as exhibitions at the Rubin Museum of Art and the International Center of Photography, both in New York.
Gayane Umerova, the chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, which oversees the CCA, says of Raza: “Her vision, coupled with her scholarly expertise in global contemporary art, will ensure that the CCA becomes a vibrant cultural hub for Uzbekistan and the world over. Sara’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Tashkent and Uzbekistan, and we are looking forward to the broad range of contributions she will make in shaping the centre as an invaluable cultural resource in Tashkent and beyond.”