AMO/OMA's "Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave" Exhibition Opens in Doha
World
AMO/OMA's "Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave" exhibition, directed by Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal with the participation of Yotam Ben Hur, has opened in Doha. The exhibition is organized by Qatar Museums with the support of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), Hassad Food, and Kahramaa.
The exhibition includes a section dedicated to the Sun Heliocomplex, an Uzbek cultural site that embodies modernist architecture and scientific innovation. The Sun Heliocomplex was previously exhibited at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan with the support of the Arts and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan (ACDF) and GRACE Architects.
The project builds on the ideas of Countryside, The Future, created for the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2020, and focuses on "The Arc"—a vast territory connecting regions home to the majority of the world's population, from South Africa through East Africa, Qatar, and Central Asia to Eastern China. This predominantly mountainous region has long remained untouched by large-scale urbanization, preserving ancient traditions. Today, the region is undergoing rapid change, driven by technological innovation, digital connectivity, and new approaches to agriculture and energy. These transformations are creating prototypes for sustainable lifestyles, showcasing the countryside as a viable alternative to urban life.
The exhibition is organized across two venues. The National Museum of Qatar features an installation introducing the project's main research themes and offering an overview of the materials and activities being developed at the school. At the Qatar Preparatory School, classrooms have been transformed into active educational spaces for research, discussion, and collaborative experimentation. The project includes master classes, lectures, and collaborative experiments involving students, teachers, and invited specialists. A field site has been established on the school grounds for testing desert cultivation and sustainable food production, where new irrigation, hydroponics, and greenhouse design technologies are being applied and tested. All materials and results are being compiled into a living document, which will culminate in the publication of a manifesto upon completion of the project.
Among the participants in the "Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave" exhibition is Zhenya Kim, a designer from Uzbekistan named J.Kim. Her collection of clothing and accessories, combining Uzbek and Korean motifs, is part of the exhibition. Zhenya's works reflect the multilayered and rich cultural heritage, connecting different cultures.
The exhibition is open to the public until June 30, 2026.
The Arts and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan (ACDF) is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and development of the heritage, arts, and culture of Uzbekistan. At the forefront of Uzbekistan's cultural development, ACDF strives to foster the country's cultural ecosystem, stimulate the creative economy, and provide opportunities for practitioners at the local, regional, and global levels. ACDF believes that culture and heritage play a vital role in shaping society, uniting communities, building bridges between generations, and promoting intercultural dialogue.
ACDF successfully hosted the fourth World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) (October 2-4, 2024) in Tashkent and the first Aral Cultural Summit (April 4-6, 2025) in Nukus, Karakalpakstan. The Foundation is currently leading Uzbekistan's participation in Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan (April-October 2025), the revival of the Center for Contemporary Art in Tashkent, the construction of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan designed by Tadao Ando, and the restoration and partial reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Duke Romanov. ACDF also launched "Tashkent Modernism 20/21," an ongoing research project to document and protect the city's modernist architecture, which has produced two landmark publications in collaboration with Rizzoli New York (published in November 2024) and Lars Müller Publishers (published in May 2025). In Bukhara, ACDF launched the inaugural Bukhara Biennial in September 2025. In Samarkand, ACDF will host the upcoming 43rd session of UNESCO's General Conference (October 30 – November 13, 2025).
To date, ACDF has attracted over 3.5 million visitors through landmark exhibitions in 17 countries, from the Louvre and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the British Museum in London, and the Palace Museum in Beijing. Through projects presented in Europe, Asia, and the Persian Gulf, as well as collaborations with more than 40 international museums and cultural institutions, the Foundation amplifies the voices and stories of Uzbekistan in the world's most influential cultural arenas.
The project builds on the ideas of Countryside, The Future, created for the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2020, and focuses on "The Arc"—a vast territory connecting regions home to the majority of the world's population, from South Africa through East Africa, Qatar, and Central Asia to Eastern China. This predominantly mountainous region has long remained untouched by large-scale urbanization, preserving ancient traditions. Today, the region is undergoing rapid change, driven by technological innovation, digital connectivity, and new approaches to agriculture and energy. These transformations are creating prototypes for sustainable lifestyles, showcasing the countryside as a viable alternative to urban life.
The exhibition is organized across two venues. The National Museum of Qatar features an installation introducing the project's main research themes and offering an overview of the materials and activities being developed at the school. At the Qatar Preparatory School, classrooms have been transformed into active educational spaces for research, discussion, and collaborative experimentation. The project includes master classes, lectures, and collaborative experiments involving students, teachers, and invited specialists. A field site has been established on the school grounds for testing desert cultivation and sustainable food production, where new irrigation, hydroponics, and greenhouse design technologies are being applied and tested. All materials and results are being compiled into a living document, which will culminate in the publication of a manifesto upon completion of the project.
Among the participants in the "Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave" exhibition is Zhenya Kim, a designer from Uzbekistan named J.Kim. Her collection of clothing and accessories, combining Uzbek and Korean motifs, is part of the exhibition. Zhenya's works reflect the multilayered and rich cultural heritage, connecting different cultures.
The exhibition is open to the public until June 30, 2026.
The Arts and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan (ACDF) is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and development of the heritage, arts, and culture of Uzbekistan. At the forefront of Uzbekistan's cultural development, ACDF strives to foster the country's cultural ecosystem, stimulate the creative economy, and provide opportunities for practitioners at the local, regional, and global levels. ACDF believes that culture and heritage play a vital role in shaping society, uniting communities, building bridges between generations, and promoting intercultural dialogue.
ACDF successfully hosted the fourth World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) (October 2-4, 2024) in Tashkent and the first Aral Cultural Summit (April 4-6, 2025) in Nukus, Karakalpakstan. The Foundation is currently leading Uzbekistan's participation in Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan (April-October 2025), the revival of the Center for Contemporary Art in Tashkent, the construction of the new National Museum of Uzbekistan designed by Tadao Ando, and the restoration and partial reconstruction of the Palace of the Grand Duke Romanov. ACDF also launched "Tashkent Modernism 20/21," an ongoing research project to document and protect the city's modernist architecture, which has produced two landmark publications in collaboration with Rizzoli New York (published in November 2024) and Lars Müller Publishers (published in May 2025). In Bukhara, ACDF launched the inaugural Bukhara Biennial in September 2025. In Samarkand, ACDF will host the upcoming 43rd session of UNESCO's General Conference (October 30 – November 13, 2025).
To date, ACDF has attracted over 3.5 million visitors through landmark exhibitions in 17 countries, from the Louvre and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the British Museum in London, and the Palace Museum in Beijing. Through projects presented in Europe, Asia, and the Persian Gulf, as well as collaborations with more than 40 international museums and cultural institutions, the Foundation amplifies the voices and stories of Uzbekistan in the world's most influential cultural arenas.
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