Exhibition
Dixit Algorizmi
Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent (CCAT), Tashkent / Uzbekistan
October 5–November 15, 2021
*Centre for Contemporary Art Tashkent (CCAT)*
6 Shakhrisabz Street
100047 Tashkent
Uzbekistan
https://acdf.uz/en/news/dixit-algorizmi
*Charli Tapp, Elisa Giardina Papa, James Bridle, Navine G. Khan-Dossos,
Neil Beloufa, Saodat Ismailova and Space Caviar*
The Centre for Contemporary Art in Tashkent (CCAT), which sits under the
Art & Culture Development Foundation of the Ministry of Culture of
Uzbekistan, presents its exhibition /Dixit Algorizmi/, exploring the
seminal work of ninth century Uzbek polymath, Muhammad ibn Musa
al-Khwārizmī. Curated by Joseph Grima and co-curated by Sheida
Ghomashchi and Camilo Oliveira, the exhibition opens October 5, and
unpacks the influence of al-Khwārizmī’s work on today’s technological
acceleration.
/Dixit Algorizmi /centers on al-Khwārizmī findings detailed in his book,
/Kitab al-Jabr wa-al-muqabala/; the Latin translation of the book gave
rise to the word “algorithm.” According to curator Joseph Grima, “The
algorithm shapes all the possible interactions in modern culture through
the apps on our smartphones. We know the word, but we don’t understand
it. The exhibition retraces its origin and the impact it has had on
societies, from ancient to modern times.” Technology we assume to be
modern, such as artificial intelligence, rests on the basic principles
theorised by al-Khwārizmī.
Saida Mirziyoyeva, the Deputy Chairman of the Art and Culture
Development Foundation, states: “Al-Khwārizmī left a whole science to
the world. In /Dixit Algorizmi, /we explore how technologies that we
consider to be fundamentally new are based on ideas which are distant in
time.” Executive director, Gayane Umerova, further comments: “The
scholar and his works become the central theme reflecting on cultural
and scientific symbiosis, while artists transfer the historical identity
of modern technologies to visual perception. Through a multi-faceted
collaboration between international and Uzbek artists, /Dixit Algorizmi
/reveals the connection of millennia of history with the world we are
seeing today.”
The exhibition pays tribute to the scholar and his story by connecting
it to multiple fields. The works by the contributing international
conceptual and visual artists are thematically linked to three different
themes, each of which provides a fresh perspective on the exhibition’s
thesis:
The first theme explores the notion of the portrait and the
representation of al-Khwārizmī today, without reliable historical and
biographical information. The resulting works are a series of
collaborations between international artists and Uzbek craftspeople.
The second theme relates to the ways in which the ideas first
articulated by al-Khwārizmī have transformed our ability to interact
with each other through technology. Selected artists whose work explores
the influence of innovation on modern life present individual works.
The third theme presents redefinitions of our understanding of
algorithms. On show are texts and diagrams in the form of posters
contributed by international creators whose work investigates the
relationship between everyday life and the history of science and
technology.
The selected artists, Charli Tapp, Elisa Giardina Papa, James Bridle,
Navine G.Khan Dossos, Neil Beloufa, Saodat Ismailova and Space Caviar,
have been invited to take their own perspective on the tradition of
craft as part of the cultural history of Uzbekistan. “Art, design and
technology are intertwined, reinfocing the idea that crafts, like
algorithms, are a series of steps that accumulate to form a certain
outcome,” states co-curator Camilo Oliveira. Fellow co-curator, Sheida
Ghomashchi, quotes “/Dixit Algorizmi /invites us to uncover a fresh
perspective on the source of the technological and philosophical
innovations that have led civilization to the point where it is today.”
In tandem with the exhibition, which is installed in the former
powerhouse housing the CCAT, there will be a variety of live and digital
events, talks with artists and experts, as well as film screenings and
discussions that further delve into the exhibition theme. There is also
an exhibition catalogue designed by Studio Folder, taking the form of a
curiosity box, that includes contributions from an open call to
thinkers, artists, philosophers on how they interpret al-Khwārizmī’s
influence on modern world.
For enquiries, images and interview requests please contact: Alpha Kilo,
Maria Livia Pappagallo / Sebastian Duran de Huerta,
livi...@alphakilocreative.com
sebastian...@alphakilocreaive.com
T +39 347 170 1950 / T +44 7548 435 82
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