Vyacheslav Akhunov (; ; born 1948), is a Kyrgyz-born
Uzbek visual artist, and author. He is known for performance art, video art, and painting. Akhunov lives in
Tashkent
Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...
,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
.
Biography
Vyacheslav Akhunov was born in 1948 in
Osh
Osh (Kyrgyz: Ош, romanised Osh; uz, O‘sh/Ўш) is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". It is the oldest city in the country (e ...
,
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
The Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirghiz SSR; ky, Кыргыз Советтик Социалисттик Республикасы, Kyrgyz Sovettik Sotsialisttik Respublikasy, ky, Кыргыз ССР, Kyrgyz SSR, russian: Киргизск ...
(present day
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
), his mother was Russian and his father was Uzbek. He graduated in 1979 from Moscow State Institute of Art (now
).
He has actively spoken out about being silenced during the Soviet years, which inspired his large-scale installation work, ''Breathe Quietly'' (1976–2013).
Some of his notable art exhibitions include the 2nd Yinchuan Biennale, China (2018); BALAGAN!!!, Berlin (2015); 5th
Moscow Biennale
The Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art is one of the most important Russian cultural events and was founded in 2003.
First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
The First Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art (January 28 – February 28, 2005) ca ...
(2013); Pavilion of Central Asia at the
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
(2013, 2007, 2005); 1st Kiev Biennale (2012),
Documenta
''documenta'' is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany.
The ''documenta'' was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultura ...
(2013), Ostalgia,
New Museum
The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side.
History
The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sch ...
, New York (2011); Time of the Storytellers,
KIASMA )
, established = (Museum of Contemporary Art)
(opening of Kiasma building)
, dissolved =
, location = Helsinki, Finland
, type = Art museum
, accreditation =
, key_holdings =
, co ...
, Helsinki (2007); Montreal Biennale (2007); and 1st
Singapore Biennale The Singapore Biennale is a large-scale biennial contemporary art exhibition in Singapore, serving as the country’s major platform for international dialogue in contemporary art. It seeks to present and reflect the vigour of artistic practices in ...
(2006).
Akhunov's work is in museum collections include the Urganch Photo Gallery (), and the
Auckland Art Gallery
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions.
Set be ...
.
Publications
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*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhunov, Vyacheslav
1948 births
People from Osh
Artists from Tashkent
21st-century Uzbekistani artists
20th-century Uzbekistani artists
Uzbekistani painters
Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic people
Kyrgyzstani emigrants
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni
Living people