ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Gayane Umerova and Studio KO on preserving Tashkent's Soviet Modernist architecture through adaptive reuse

architecture-design · 2026-04-20

Motivated by the 2017 destruction of a historic cinema in Tashkent, Gayane Umerova, the director of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, has been an advocate for the recognition of Soviet Modernism on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In 2018, she successfully prevented the demolition of a former tram station and diesel depot, partnering with French firm Studio KO to establish the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA), which incorporates adaptive reuse and a public courtyard inspired by traditional Uzbek architecture. Founded in 2017, Umerova's foundation also transformed a Soviet cultural center into a restoration hub. This year, she plans to propose 12 out of 24 documented buildings for UNESCO, emphasizing the importance of preservation in cultural economies.

Key facts

  • Gayane Umerova leads the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, founded in 2017.
  • A 2017 demolition of a Modernist cinema in Tashkent spurred her preservation activism.
  • She aims to add Soviet Modernism to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
  • The Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA) opened in a saved Imperial-era tram station and diesel depot from 2018.
  • French architects Studio KO (Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty) designed the CCA adaptive reuse project.
  • Studio KO previously designed the Musée Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech.
  • The CCA features a central courtyard inspired by traditional Uzbek mahallas and Samarkand's Registan.
  • Umerova published a book on Tashkent Modernism with Rizzoli and hopes to list 12 buildings with UNESCO this year.

Entities

Artists

  • Gayane Umerova
  • Karl Fournier
  • Olivier Marty

Institutions

  • Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
  • Studio KO
  • Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent
  • UNESCO
  • French government
  • Musée Yves Saint Laurent
  • Rizzoli
  • Canvas
  • Art Basel Paris

Locations

  • Tashkent
  • Uzbekistan
  • Marrakech
  • Morocco
  • France
  • Samarkand
  • Paris

Sources