At Osaka Expo 2025, Uzbekistan is stepping onto the global stage with a pavilion that embodies the country’s theme: culture as the foundation of future societies. Created by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), the space celebrates heritage as both a legacy and a launchpad to connect communities, bridge generations, and spark global conversations.
ACDF is no stranger to ambitious cultural projects. In Tashkent, it has staged the World Conference on Creative Economy, created the first Aral Culture Summit in Nukus, and is behind the renovation of the Centre for Contemporary Art. The Foundation is also working with star architect Tadao Ando on the design of a new State Museum of Arts and restoring the storied Palace of the Grand Duke of Romanov. Its research project, Tashkent Modernism XX/XXI, has already caught international attention with publications from Rizzoli New York and Lars Müller Publishers.
Recently, ACDF has been igniting fresh cultural currents. In Bukhara, the UNESCO-listed jewel of the Silk Road, the debut of the first-ever Biennial, Recipes for Broken Hearts, has transformed the ancient city into a vibrant stage for contemporary creativity.
As we approached the pavilion, the queue was already packed and closed off to latecomers still straggling in. Before entry, a guide explained in Japanese the concepts in motion. Designed by internationally acclaimed ATELIER BRUCKNER, the installation unfolds under the theme Garden of Knowledge: A Laboratory for a Future Society, inspired by Uzbekistan’s fertile soil and fragrant gardens where wisdom and originality take root. Built with materials sourced in Japan, the structure features 10,000 hand-glazed bricks crafted by a master artisan from Uzbekistan. Its design has already earned international acclaim, winning the prestigious Red Dot: Best of the Best, and taking home gold at the German Design Award.
Inspired by Khiva and the Khorezm region’s rich architectural and intellectual legacy, it’s a two-storey 750 square meter space that blends the ancient with forward-thinking design, mirroring the life cycle of a garden. Khiva, a UNESCO World Heritage city, has long been a crossroads of learning where scholars, artisans, and merchants exchanged ideas within its madrasahs and courtyards. It reimagines this heritage as a contemporary space for gathering and exchange.
Exhibit: transport of the future; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland
Brick and clay symbolize earth and ancestry, while cypress wood cultivated near Osaka underscores environmental responsibility. The triangular plot draws from the tumar, a traditional Central Asian amulet of protection, while a floor-level garden evokes Uzbekistan’s landscapes. Visitors follow a symbolic journey from planting seeds of knowledge to harvesting ideas, exploring zones aligned with UNESCO’s goals, including quality education, clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and innovation.
Exhibit blending the ancient and the modern; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland
The experience begins in the Sozli, a ground-floor gallery that highlights Uzbekistan’s shift toward a green economy through renewable energy, eco-friendly transport, and energy-efficient housing, along with landmark projects such as the revitalization of the Aral Sea Basin. From there, visitors ascend to the Main Cylinder, where a moving platform using technology new to Japan delivers a 360-degree multimedia immersion. The journey traces Uzbekistan’s path from its Silk Road past to today, bringing to life traditions, crafts, and cultural icons such as Samarkand’s majestic Registan Square.
The journey culminates in the open-air Garden of Knowledge, where whispers in Japanese, English, and Uzbek carry the pavilion’s themes, as overlapping pillars echo the forest of columns in Khiva’s Juma Mosque. In the upstairs tea room, guests can pause for an Uzbek tea ceremony, seated on ceramic stools crafted by Japan-born Lebanese designer Nada Debs.
Garden of Knowledge; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland
The Times of Central Asia spoke with Pavilion Director Gaipov Otabek to capture the on-the-ground response, the atmosphere within the space, and the way Japan and Uzbekistan intertwine through this shared experience.
TCA: How have you found the response to the pavilion from both the international and the Japanese audience?
GO: We are seeing increased interest in our pavilion from both Japanese and international visitors. Since the opening of the Expo on April 13, the Uzbekistan Pavilion has been visited by more than 500,000 people. Visitors like the design, architecture, and concept of our pavilion. Almost all visitors tell us that they received interesting information about the history, culture, and modern development of Uzbekistan, and intend to visit our country in the near future.
TCA: Have you observed during your stay in Osaka any ways in which Uzbek and Japanese cultures and people have a shared connection?
GO: The traditions and culture of the Uzbek and Japanese people are very similar, in particular, respect for elders, hard work, the desire for education, and many other positive qualities.
During the opening ceremony of the National Day of Uzbekistan at the expo on August 17, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Hisayuki Fujii, said, “Uzbekistan is located at a strategic point on the Silk Road connecting Asia and Europe, and historically has been an intersection of various civilizations. Through the Silk Road, many cultures and technologies reached the Kansai region, greatly influencing the development of Japanese history and culture.
“The Shosoin Treasures in Nara Prefecture houses musical instruments, clothing, tableware, and other items that were brought from the Far West via Central Asia. Buddhism, which forms the foundation of Japanese culture, is also said to have been brought from India via the Silk Road.
“The Navoi Theater, located in the center of Tashkent, was built by Japanese detainees after World War II. It withstood even the great earthquake that struck in 1966, and still retains its imposing appearance today. It stands as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, along with memories of the warm exchanges between the Japanese and Uzbek people.”
As Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation and Pavilion Commissioner, explains: “Uzbekistan has long stood at the crossroads of civilizations where scientific and cultural knowledge flourished along the Silk Road. The Pavilion is a symbol of our nation’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, and reflects ACDF’s focus on long-term contributions to global culture.”
Designed with legacy and sustainability in mind, the Pavilion will live on beyond the Expo. Its modular form will be dismantled and carried to Nukus in Karakalpakstan, where in the Aral Region it will be reborn as a place of learning and creation, a garden of knowledge taking root once more.
At the Osaka Expo, Uzbekistan’s pavilion is more than an exhibit. It stands as a bold statement that heritage and modernity are not rivals but partners in shaping the future we share.
The Osaka Expo 2025 runs until October 13.
This is part two of our special coverage of Central Asia at the Osaka Expo 2025. For part one, covering the pavilions from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, please click here.
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