A future for the planet
and Karakalpakstan
Samarkand
April 4th, 2025
Nukus, Karakalpakstan
April 5-6th, 2025
ARAL CULTURE SUMMIT IS AN EMERGENT INITIATIVE DEDICATED TO THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE ARAL SEA REGION THROUGH ART, CULTURE, SCIENCE, AND DESIGN.
The SummitAral Culture Summit brings together local and international activists, artists and scientists to explore and implement ecological, social and cultural pathways to sustainable development of Karakalpakstan. It will act as both an itinerant platform for exchanging ideas and a placemaking initiative to revive the regional landscape and strengthen the community identity, while attracting new businesses that align with the principles of circular economy, creating sustainable economic growth. | |
The MissionAral Culture Summit aims to draw attention to the ecological challenges and opportunities in and around Karakalpakstan, empower and unite the local community, and evolve the region into an environmentally sustainable and culturally enriching destination. |
Overview
Overview
ARAL CULTURE SUMMIT IS AN EMERGENT INITIATIVE DEDICATED TO THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE ARAL SEA REGION THROUGH ART, CULTURE, SCIENCE, AND DESIGN.
The SummitAral Culture Summit brings together local and international activists, artists and scientists to explore and implement ecological, social and cultural pathways to sustainable development of Karakalpakstan. It will act as both an itinerant platform for exchanging ideas and a placemaking initiative to revive the regional landscape and strengthen the community identity, while attracting new businesses that align with the principles of circular economy, creating sustainable economic growth. | |
The MissionAral Culture Summit aims to draw attention to the ecological challenges and opportunities in and around Karakalpakstan, empower and unite the local community, and evolve the region into an environmentally sustainable and culturally enriching destination. |
Programme
Programme
The Aral Culture Summit, in the heart of Nukus, serves as a cross-disciplinary center focused on tackling environmental and societal concerns through various means such as research, education, art, and community involvement.
Your guide to the Summit! Plan your visit in Nukus, Karakalpakstan
09:30 - 10:30
Oq Qush Complex
Upon arrival, collect your badge at the registration desk and take a moment to settle in.
10:30 - 10:55
Oq Qush Complex
— Opening remarks by Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
— Opening remarks by the government of Karakalpakstan
— Opening remarks by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan
— Opening remarks by Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (UNDP)
11:00 - 12:00
Oq Qush Complex
— Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan
— Valéry Freland, Executive Director of ALIPH Foundation
— Jan Boelen, Artistic Director of Atelier LUMA
— Oktyabr Dospanov, Head of the Archaeology Department, Savitsky State Art Museum, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Aric Chen, Artistic Director of Nieuwe Instituut
12:00 - 12:30
Oq Qush Complex
Keynote by Bas Smets, landscape architect, Belgium
12:30 - 13:00
Oq Qush Complex
Coffee break
13:00 - 14:00
Oq Qush Complex
— Maurizio Montalti, Officina Corpuscoli, Italy
— Dana Molzhigit, Bio-designer, Founder of Ancient Futures, Kazakhstan
— Ross Lovegrove, designer, with a focus on biotechnology UAE
— Saidbek Sabirbayev, Karakalpak artist, participant of the first residency cohort at the Center for Contemporary Art, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Cyril Zammit, Design Advisor
14:00 - 14:30
Oq Qush Complex
Keynote by Marinika Babanazarova, former director of the State Museum of Art named after I.V. Savitsky, Uzbekistan
14:30 - 16:30
Oq Qush Complex
Lunch with local flavours.
16:30 - 17:10
Oq Qush Complex
— Azizbek Mannopov, Deputy Chairperson, ACDF
— Abatbay Daniyarov, mayor of Nukus
— Luba Leontieva, LUDI Architects, Russia
— Ollivier Ramus, Chief Operations Officer Central Asia & Caucasus, SUEZ
17:10 - 18:10
Oq Qush Complex
— Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Head of the Laboratory of Biological Research and Food Safety, TIIAME, Uzbekistan
— Joshua Evans, Laboratory of Sustainable Food, DTU Biosustain, Denmark
— Elena Kan, KIVA Center, Uzbekistan
— Murod Khusanov, Founder and CEO of Growz, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Philip Maughan, Writer and Journalist, UK
18:30 - 19:00
Oq Qush Complex
Transfer to the Chilpyk Qala
19:30 - 21:00
Shilpiq Qala
Gala Concert with Kirill Richter and National Symphonic Orchestra at Shilpiq Qala.
21:10 - 22:00
Oq Qush Complex
Transfer from the Shilpiq Qala to Nukus Damir Hotel
Discover the locations! Plan your visit to the Aral Culture Summit in Nukus, Karakalpakstan.
THE HUNGER | THE YURT |
Shilpiq Qala is one of the ancient fortresses scattered across the Khorezm region in Karakalpakstan. Built between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, it is believed to have served both as a defensive structure and a Zoroastrian dakhma (a Tower of Silence) used for sky burials.
The fortress sits on a high hill, providing strategic visibility over the surrounding desert landscape and the Amu Darya River.
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Igor Savitsky, born in 1915, was an artist, ethnographer, and collector who first visited Karakalpakstan in 1950 as part of an archaeological-ethnographic expedition. Captivated by the local culture, he relocated to Nukus and dedicated himself to preserving the region's artistic heritage. Savitsky's passion led him to collect and safeguard thousands of artworks, many of which were suppressed or banned during the Soviet era due to their deviation from the state-approved socialist realism style. His efforts ensured the survival of numerous masterpieces that might have otherwise been lost or destroyed. | ![]() |
INTRODUCTION TITLE
FOR LOCATION
Park Istiklol in Nukus, Karakalpakstan
Nukus is the closest city to the Aral Sea. It is not particularly green, but it is surrounded by small islands of tugai forests that provide a cool breeze during hot weather. These unique natural complexes, located in the floodplain of the Amu Darya, once served as a home for many endangered species of animals and plants. Today, these surviving examples of tugais near the capital of Karakalpakstan give visitors a sense of the presence of the ancient Jeyhun River, whose annual floods once nourished the Southern Aral Sea. Nukus lacks recreational and green spaces, and the former amusement park Istiklol remains one of a few parks in the city. | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras sapien augue, commodo a rutrum et, eleifend quis tortor. Nam egestas nibh sed nisi sagittis rutrum. Curabitur vitae lorem venenatis, luctus turpis eu, pulvinar ante. Vivamus ut pellentesque libero, et iaculis tellus. Praesent quis quam tempor ipsum volutpat cursus ac vitae urna. Proin euismod magna lacus, luctus vulputate nulla sodales id. Ut condimentum convallis ipsum, et posuere lacus consequat eu. Ut vehicula commodo metus, et venenatis enim. |