Uzbekistan to Present “A Leaf from the Rose Garden” at Design Doha Biennial 2026
Uzbekistan
The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation will present “A Leaf from the Rose Garden” at Design Doha Biennial 2026. The exhibition brings together works by Madina Kasimbaeva, Davlat Toshev and Ruben Saakyan, exploring Uzbek traditions through suzani embroidery, miniature painting, ebru and glass.
The biennial runs in Doha from 5 November 2026 to 31 January 2027. The exhibition will be housed in Al Asmakh House 44 (B44), a traditional courtyard house in the historic Fereej Al Asmakh district. The venue links Uzbek heritage with MENASA — the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
The project draws on the preface to Gulistan, written in 1258 by Persian poet Saadi. The garden whose beauty endures in words, unlike cut flowers exposed to changing seasons, becomes a metaphor for cultural memory and the continuity of knowledge. The floral motif is explored through thread, pigment and glass.
Madina Kasimbaeva works with suzani embroidery and the Tashkent school tradition. She has established regional workshops for young women. In 2025, she took part in the first Bukhara Biennial, including Bleeding Heart, a project with Eva Jospin and Abdulla Abdurazzakov.
Davlat Toshev is a Bukhara-based miniature painter, calligrapher and book restorer. In 2019, he founded the Ustoz-Shogird school, where more than 100 students receive free instruction in miniature painting, calligraphy, restoration and the Ebru-Bahor technique. In Doha, he will present miniature painting and ebru, transferring patterns created on water onto paper. He also contributed to Haft Avrang at the 2025 Bukhara Biennial.
Ruben Saakyan explores glass, light, transparency and colour. With Murano glassmakers, he created an installation inspired by Bukhara embroidery and comprising more than 500 handmade glass elements.
Kasimbaeva and Toshev will give demonstrations during the exhibition. The project continues the Foundation’s cooperation with Qatari cultural institutions and presents Uzbek artists developing traditional knowledge today. Visitors can watch both artists demonstrate their techniques.
The project draws on the preface to Gulistan, written in 1258 by Persian poet Saadi. The garden whose beauty endures in words, unlike cut flowers exposed to changing seasons, becomes a metaphor for cultural memory and the continuity of knowledge. The floral motif is explored through thread, pigment and glass.
Madina Kasimbaeva works with suzani embroidery and the Tashkent school tradition. She has established regional workshops for young women. In 2025, she took part in the first Bukhara Biennial, including Bleeding Heart, a project with Eva Jospin and Abdulla Abdurazzakov.
Davlat Toshev is a Bukhara-based miniature painter, calligrapher and book restorer. In 2019, he founded the Ustoz-Shogird school, where more than 100 students receive free instruction in miniature painting, calligraphy, restoration and the Ebru-Bahor technique. In Doha, he will present miniature painting and ebru, transferring patterns created on water onto paper. He also contributed to Haft Avrang at the 2025 Bukhara Biennial.
Ruben Saakyan explores glass, light, transparency and colour. With Murano glassmakers, he created an installation inspired by Bukhara embroidery and comprising more than 500 handmade glass elements.
Kasimbaeva and Toshev will give demonstrations during the exhibition. The project continues the Foundation’s cooperation with Qatari cultural institutions and presents Uzbek artists developing traditional knowledge today. Visitors can watch both artists demonstrate their techniques.
Powered by Froala Editor