This catalogue was published on the ocassion of Central Asia's participation in the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005. For the first time, the Venice Biennale includes a special Central Asian Pavilion highlighting artists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The exhibition entitled The Tamerlane Syndrome focuses on the geopolitics of art and has launched Central Asia onto the international art scene. As said by Enrico Mascelloni and Sarenco, 'The Tamerlane Syndrome brings together the work of some of the best artists in Central Asia, focusing on the issue of conflict in a traditional "hot spot", during a time of growing political unrest... Evident from the effects of historical avant-gardes was the capacity of some of their boldest expressions to foresee and address the political dynamics of an era. Even the natural sciences have not matched the prognostic powers of these avant-gardes. The best art is able to trace the key motives behind conflict and never shies away from involving itself. In this sense, the radicalism of some of these works of art may have seemed exaggerated before recent events in Kyrgyzstan, Andizhan (Uzbekistan), and the entire Ferghana Valley put a figure on its timeliness and dramatic impact. Art asserts itself as a necessary barometer in a world troubled by new conflicts and imperial rivalries. Alliances have been reformulated and all the "syndromes" of the past, even those thought to be over, show a marked susceptibility to new infection. In this context, multi-purpose formulas such as "globalized art" increasingly lack substance and ultimately distance themselves from the core debate. Even at its most uninhibited, contemporary art is not just an epiphenomenon of history in the making or an entry visa for post-modernism. It is neither good nor bad. It does not favor progress or hinder it. Aside from the fact that we can still speak of "progress", it can be a powerful tool for orienting ourselves within the geopolitics of the modern world.' Artist biographies are provided in the present catalogue.
Access level

Onsite

Location code
EX.ITA.TSA
Language

English, 

Italian

Publication/Creation date

2005

No of pages

151

No of copies

1

Content type

catalogue

Chapter headings

La sindrome di Tamerlano │ The Tamerlane Syndrome - Valeria IBRAEVA

A est di niente: Sovrano, orientale, estetico, etnico, ideologico, turistico, barbarico, rivoluzionario │ East of Nowhere │ Sovereign, Oriental, Aesthetic, Ethnic, Ideological, Touristic, Barbaric, Revolutionary - Enrico MASCELLONI

SHAM.TAM: Viaggio attraverso l'arte contemporanea dell'Asia Centrale │ SHAM.TAM: A Journey through Central Asian Contemporary Art - Sarenco

The Tamerlane Syndrome: Art and Conflicts in Central Asia
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The Tamerlane Syndrome: Art and Conflicts in Central Asia