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On October 12-17, 2009 annual wide-scale culture, arts and fashion event – Art Week Style.Uz 2009 will be held in Tashkent. In adherence to its best traditions the Week will combine exhibitions and presentations, young designers and photographers competitions, National Dress Festival, local and international stylists defiles, master-classes from arts and culture professionals, charity concerts and club parties by world stage stars.
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Art Week Style.uz – is a crossroad of arts, traditions and modernity. For four years now the Week impresses with its scale and dynamics, versatility of its events and attracts more and more attention of the world most famous figures. The format of ‘the Week of Art’ has been initially set as a concept of Style.Uz by the project’s main initiator and leader – Gulnara Karimova, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Forum of culture and arts of Uzbekistan Foundation (the Fund Forum). ‘The concept is completely different from that of fashion-week, because it compiles photography and antique exhibitions, concerts and presentations and, obviously, fashion shows’, says Gulnara Karimova. Young talents support, providing grants for textile and weaving masters, who build their activities on reviving of ancient professional techniques – is what Style.Uz is making its main efforts in.
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Art Week Style.Uz main organizer is the Fund Forum, the organization that pays a great attention to international cultural exchange development and building links between arts professionals from Uzbekistan and their international colleagues, supports talented youth and children, local crafts dynasties and arts and culture specialists through grant programs, scholarships, number of competitions, festivals, round tables and other means both in Uzbekistan and other countries. Being also directed to international cooperation in different arts spheres development and creative personalities support, the Art Week Style.Uz is organized with the support from significant local and international institutions, public organizations including UNESCO, UNICEF and the British Council.
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«…Style.uz is notably distinguished from other fashion weeks which are the commercial projects and any shows there are about designer’s commercial talent in a first place. That is why it is important to underline that our Week is, first of all, public event where all the financial and managerial issues are on the Fund Forum, – Gulnara Karimova comments. – It is a great opportunity for the Week’s young participants and all who works in the project – photographers, musicians, producers and many others, to show off themselves. It is an opportunity to create and to be seen, an opportunity for them to become a personality they want to be tomorrow – today. … And I also hope that the number of volunteers and those who work for the Week will grow. It was only a few people in the beginning, then dozens and now – hundreds. They are those who take part in the Fund Forum’s events and, most frequently, those who have won or taken part in the same kind of competitions before. And that is why from the bottom of my heart I would like to express my gratitude to designers, all volunteers, all directors, artists, technicians, photographers, and all media. …It wouldn’t be that kind of amazing event if it’s without this great number of people supporting it».
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Prominent world culture professionals and national arts representatives, arts critics, artists, musicians, cinema, theatre and stage actors, fashion world specialists, designers, fashion houses and brands owners, models, editors and journalists from leading vogue magazines, photographers and many other renown figures from Uzbekistan and other countries are the guests of the Art Week Style.Uz. Among Week’s previous editions famous international guests are representatives of prestigious fashion houses like Smalto, Feraud, Ines de la Fressange, Revillon, Guy Laroche (France), Wolford (Austria), Sisi Wasabi (Germany), DSQUARED2 (Italy), legendary couturier Takada Kenzo, designers Ritsuko Shirahama and Toshikazu Ivaya (Japan), Paskal Morabito and John Ribb (France), Vyacheslav Zaytsev, Valentin Yudashkin, Masha Tsigal, Alena Akhmadullina, Yulia Dalakian, Denis Simachev, Helen Yarmak, the “Russian Silhouette” Foundation President Tatyana Mikhalkova, and Russian Fashion Week General Producer Alexander Shumskiy (Russia), one of the leading fashion photographers Andre Rau, ‘Bundestheater Holding’ Executive Director Georg Springer, Ballet school director within the Vienna Opera Theater Iolanta Grasser (Austria), world music stars Julio Iglesias and Rod Stewart, DJ Ignas KD S, David and Cathy Guetta, Fashion-TV vice president Jean-Pierre Partouche, Chopard vice president Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele and many others.
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Art Week Style.Uz is presenting the following events in 2009:
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EXHIBITIONS
Applied arts, design and fashion exhibition
The wide-scale exposition brings together unique masterpieces of best applied arts professionals and contemporary brand’s seasonal hits in one space. There is a trendy applied art on one side and designer’s artistic fashion on the other. It is not an argument between fashion and applied art, they rather harmoniously co-exist with each other, being together a part of contemporary art. The exhibition will include works done by famous masters from IJOD (Creativity) artists, arts professionals and national masters of Uzbekistan Association, together with modern clothing, accessories designed by both established and amateur stylists, works of young creators (i.e. interior design, wed-design). Starting from the first day of the Art Week the exhibition will also include jewelry show-rooms and famous brands new collections.
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Exhibition of Antiques. Auction.
Ancient fabrics, clothes, suzanni, jewelry, books, metal stamping – are unique rarity pieces the majority of which will be presented on public for the first time. A charity auction will be held within this exhibition. The following lots will be presented: china, paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and archeological findings. Prominent auction figures as Natalia Righini, East department manager of MacDougall Arts Ltd (London) Auction House, Darya Timchenko, chief editor of «ART AUCTION» Moscow representative, Anna Arutyunova, chief editor of ART-Media Group and others. This event is organized in cooperation with MEROS (Heritage) Uzbekistan Antiquarians Association, the organization that is famous with its exciting exhibition projects where both devoted collectors and simply admirers have a chance to see unique antique pieces. Guests will be able to see other MEROS Association expositions in the Youth Creativity Palaca during the Art Week.
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Akmal Nur artist’s personal exhibition and catalogue presentation
Akmal Nur – People’s Artist of Uzbekistan. Being one of the most appreciated fine art masters in Uzbekistan he is in constant search for synthesis of East and West traditions, of national originality. Preserving philosophical world view basis and poetry of Eastern classical art along with outlook of contemporary man distinguishes his paintings. During the Art Week, while exhibiting Akmal Nur’s paintings, the presentation of his catalogue published by the Fund Forum will be held.
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OPENING OF BIENNALE – THE FESTIVAL OF CONTEMPORARY ART
In the frames of the Art Week the International Biennale of contemporary art will be held in Tashkent. Art professionals forum, lectures and master-classes together with contemporary art exhibitions where leading world and local artists, masters, graphics, photographers, art critics, curators and others will take part. All will be held in best Uzbekistan exhibition venues and pavilions during this project.
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GULI BRAND JEWELRY COLLECTION PRESENTATION
This is, certainly the most stylish presentation of the Week. GULI brand, initiated and designed by Gulnara Karimova, is an amazing chain of jewelry forms, mixed on modern and traditional motives, precious and semi-precious stones, noble metals. This year in cooperation with Chopard new collection ‘GULI for Chopard’ was created and introduced in international BaselWorld-2009 exhibition in Switzerland. All funds raised from sales of this collection will be directed to support of young talents, winners of Yangi Avlod (New Generation) Festival which is now supported by UNICEF. For 5 years of its existence the Festival covered more than 30 thousands talented children from all over Uzbekistan. Children aged from 6 to 14 regardless of their social status and professional background may participate in the Festival. Further the winners receive support in their skills development: grants, opportunity to continue their professional education and perform on professional stages.
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NATIONAL DESIGNERS FASHION SHOW
«Personally I always put a lot of hope in UNDERGROUND fashion show and the National Dress Festival. It is because these events are about new ideas, youth and energy. This is what is going to live».
Gulnara Karimova, Art Week Style.Uz author and initiator.
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Underground – young designers fashion show (October 13)
Providing a professional podium for talented and creative design beginners is the main idea of this fashion show. The Underground show is strengthening its positions with the Week always delighting the audience with the creative ideas reflected in models. And, as history proves, some of the most notable Underground participants stand a great chance to be a part of next year’s Style.Uz General Defile.
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National Dress Festival (October 16)
This is one of the central event of the Week. Eastern theme is experiencing growth of its popularity in the world of fashion. The Festival provides audience with a chance to see Middle Asian East in all its beauty – silk and gold-cloth, intricate embroidery styles, and original twist of jewelry. This is indeed an extremely exciting and beautiful show in professional fashion event point of view. Original Uzbek costumes are introduced in an unusual and contemporary way. It is a unique chance to picture a full landscape of Uzbek costume aesthetic diversity due to the geographical factor of participants that are from all Uzbekistan regions. The Festival opens new names, provides further support for stylists, motivates towards a new discoveries, toward a mixture of styles and traditions in an actualized national collections context.
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Dom Stilya General Defile (October 17)
Being the last day event, the show attracts attention of those who interested in last trends of Uzbek contemporary fashion. Every year most established and famous Uzbek designers of Dom Stilya (House of Style) present their latest collections for this event. Dom Stilya creative association of Uzbek designers opened an opportunity for many local stylists to work on professional level, and to negate the difference in conditions created for capital designers and for those from smaller cities and regions of the country.
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INTERNATIONAL DESIGNERS FASHION SHOWS
On October 13, second day of the Week, Russian designer Vardui Nazaryan and London College of Fashion will present their collections.
The tradition to organize mono-brand fashion shows within Art Week Style.Uz first started with Chopard show last year will be continued this year as well by a number of outspoken names. On October 14 the special fashion show from SONIA RYKIEL (France) Fashion House will take place. Famous jewelry brand Chopard and its vice-president Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele this year also will welcome guests for their evening presentation the same day. On October 15 separate fashion show from OSCAR DE LA RENTA (USA) will be held. It is worth to note that Oscar de la Renta has been using eastern motives and fabrics from the Margilan city (east part of Uzbekistan) in his collections for a long time now. Central Asian ikat, prints based on traditional atlas, adras and famous bakhmal ornaments – all that have brought only success to his brand in recent years. Further, on October 16 the show by VALENTINO (Italy) Fashion House. The same day the National Dress Festival guest, artist-stylist from Israel Galit Levi, will also present its collection. And there will be de Grisogono brand owner and president Mr. Favaz Gruosi as an honorable guest during the General Defile by Dom Stilya.
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MASTER-CLASSES
Master-classes has become an inseparable part of the Art Week. This is a chance to have a closer look on famous professional guests, who run the master-classes, and to find out the secrets of their professionalism. This year on October 14 master-classes will be taught by London College of Fashion arts and design foundation specialists, CARMEL KELLY and SARAH ATKINSON, and by popular British designers Basso & Brooke.
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GASTRONOMIC REVIEW
Special annual event for gourmets, degustation-presentation, which allows to find out all the cuisine that is prepared for all the guests by best of the best of Tashkent restaurants. This year the event is scheduled for the fourth day of the Week, October 15.
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CONCERTS AND AFTER PARTY
Not a day without a music – modern, trendy and popular! Before the last day’s big concert in Tashkent State Opera and Ballet theatre by legendary STING, which will have a charity outcome, each day of the Week will be culminated by exciting after-parties in different clubs of the capital. The party marathon will kick-off with the Best Tashkent DJ’s Parade, next in line is DJ Piligrim and DJ Yves Larock. Podium Italia boutique party along with musical mix presentation will also showcase a new fashion collection.
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ART WEEK STYLE.UZ VENUES
Best Tashkent venues are the main locations for the grand Week – Youth Creativity Palace, National Arts Center, Tashkent Chime, Central Exhibition Hall of Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, Tashkent House of Photography, Tashkent State Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Alisher Navoi and the most trendy clubs of Tashkent.