The Bukhara Biennial has appointed Kulapat Yantrasast as artistic director for its second edition, scheduled to run from September 3 to November 21, 2027. Yantrasast, a Bangkok-born architect trained under Tadao Ando and founder of WHY Architecture, brings experience from projects at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and Milan Design Week 2026, where he collaborated with the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF) on the exhibition "When Apricots Blossom." The inaugural 2025 edition, founded by ACDF chairperson Gayane Umerova and curated by Diana Campbell, drew approximately 1.8 million visitors and featured artists including Antony Gormley, Marina Perez Simão, and Subodh Gupta.
The appointment matters because it signals the biennial's ambition to expand its role as a catalyst for cultural and civic development in Uzbekistan, using heritage conservation and tourism as a foundation for contemporary art. Yantrasast's multidisciplinary background and focus on revitalizing historic sites—including caravanserais, madrasas, and public squares—align with the biennial's model of fostering collaboration between international artists and local artisans, positioning the event as a key platform for cultural exchange in Central Asia.