“Genealogy: Tree of Memory” presented works by Uzbek, British, Italian and Russian artists based on the study of their family photo albums, re-creating images of their relatives: parents, grandparents etc –- members of the older generation. In this way, the baseline of the exhibits came from old photos.

“We based this art show on a quote by Russian poet Iosif Brodky which goes “Evolution is a triumph of memory over reality. I think that everyone will understand this once they look at the photos here,” said Doctor of Art Akbar Hakimov at the opening of the exhibition.

Emotions lent a deep personal and dramatic tone to the interpretation of the images. On the other hand, attributes of time retained in the photos, the vintage environments, particular outfits speaking of the objects’ professional and social backgrounds create images of people from generations gone by who laid the foundation for the development of a future society. The combination of deep personal attitude to the objects and the opportunity to depict a societal layer from decades ago is an important esthetical and memorial characteristic of the project.

“Abstract Thinking”, the other exhibition, presented 14 artworks by British abstract painter Annya Sand. “This series of artworks is particularly important to me because they reveal my views on the world that surrounds me,” Sand said while describing her collection. “With this in mind, I picked particular colors and tones of paints. Besides, I tried to avoid specific objects and concentrate on a particular work. I hope that you will able to see mountains, cities and even people in these paintings and feel the emotions that I had while creating them.”

Anya said she paints an abstract artwork only when she is in a good mood as she believes that an artwork should emit only positive energy. Like any other painter, Sand has her own signature style, which can be seen in the use of an earthy palette combined with flashes of more intense colors.

The British artist’s works previously went on display at the 6th Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art held as part of last year’s Style.Uz Art Week. Sand’s first-ever trip to Uzbekistan has exploratory purposes as well. Prior to the opening ceremony for her Tashkent show, she traveled to Samarkand to familiarize herself with the traditional ornaments incorporated into the ancient city’s architectural landmarks. Sand is now planning to paint a series of artworks dedicated to Central Asian, particularly Samarkand’s, patterns and ornaments.

In what came as a surprise to those gathered, renowned French actor Frederic Diefenthal, who starred in Luc Besson-penned film ‘Taxi’, showed up for the art show. He gave a welcome speech and joined the crowd to view the exhibits on display.