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Uzbek artist brings hidden world to Iran virtual exhibition
Uzbek artist Akmal Nuriddinov is inviting Iranian audiences beyond the visible through a virtual exhibition of 27 paintings hosted by Iran's Academy of Arts until July 28, where the internationally acclaimed painter explores the intersection of physical reality, memory and the inner spiritual world.
The online exhibition, launched on July 20, reflects growing cultural cooperation between Iran and Uzbekistan, countries linked by centuries of shared civilizational heritage. Hosted on the Academy of Arts' website, the program seeks to broaden scholarly collaboration, introduce contemporary Uzbek art to Iranian audiences, and deepen cultural engagement across Central Asia, IRNA reported.
Nuriddinov said his artistic language emerges "between the visible and the hidden," where the physical presence of the human body converges with its inner and spiritual reality.
"What occupies me more than depicting the external world is revealing states that exist beyond outward form, such as silence, longing, love, solitude, memory and the human yearning for the absolute," he said.
The Uzbek artist said his paintings are rooted in the philosophical and cultural traditions of the East, particularly the Sufi understanding of love as a path to self-knowledge. Recurring symbols including apples, pomegranates, birds, trees, gardens and the female figure are revisited not as historical motifs but as living forms that continue to speak to contemporary audiences.
"The human figure in my paintings often exists beyond a specific time and place," Nuriddinov said. "It is no longer merely the portrait of an individual, but the embodiment of an inner condition."
He added that color functions as a bearer of meaning rather than decoration. Red evokes life, passion, sacrifice and memory, while white suggests silence, purification and unattainable wholeness. Gold, he said, points to a light beyond the material world.
"I do not offer definitive interpretations," Nuriddinov said. "I want a painting not to explain, but to awaken, restoring our ability to pause, to look, and to listen to what usually remains unspoken."
A leading figure in Uzbekistan's contemporary art scene, Nuriddinov's works are housed in major collections, including the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, the Samarkand State Museum of History and Architecture, Seattle's Davidson Gallery and the Credit Suisse art collection.