An oil on canvas work.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

OSH, La Mer’s contemporary licensed restaurant offering dining flavour inspirations from The Silk Road and the Middle East, is now also serving Uzbek culture in the form of art. In collaboration with Andakulova Gallery in DIFC, Dubai, OSH’s walls are now adorned with eight artworks by renowned Uzbekistani artists Timur Akhmedov and Sanjar Djabbarov.

In addition to showcasing the Uzbek art for viewing pleasure, OSH is also supporting the ethnic art scene by offering diners the opportunity to purchase the pieces directly from the restaurant. “We are always keen on creating awareness about the wonderful Uzbek culture and for our guests to discover the rich history, tradition, arts and flavours from the country.

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“While we do this with our menu, it is also important for us to we serve the culture with our interiors and the finer details. We’re proud to be displaying these pieces and look forward to collaborating with more Uzbekistani artists in the future, making OSH and dining and art hub,” said Jony Romanov, General Manager of OSH. OSH prides itself on “combining traditional Uzbek cuisine with flavours of the Middle East.” Akhmedov is known for making colour a play principal role in his artwork. He creates rich-in-hues colour compositions where the combination of Asian turquoise, warm ochre and vibrant reds, create strange and appealing colour compositions. During the many years that led him become one of Uzbekistan’s most respected artists, he had the chance to explore painting in all its forms.

His work moves from the most textured paintings, in which the pigment reveals the deception of the painted image, to graphic work, which has its strong points in simplicity and synthesis. Akhmedov’s art is an attempt to return to harmony, both inside oneself and between oneself and the world. At the same time, it is an effort to fly away to a better world. His state of mind is similar to mediation in prayer. His pictures are the result of a creative alloy of the European art school and Central Asian cultural traditions. His works are found in many international private and corporate collections.

 Uzbek art in oil and acrylic on canvas.

Collectors include musician Seal, Dr MWJ Smurfit, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and The Kildare Hotel & Country Club, Ireland. He is one of the most exciting and brilliant of new wave of artists from Central Asia, and his vibrant paintings depict the modern world in all its extravagant glory. Born in 1986, Djabbarov, has made a significant mark on the art landscape, having taken part in the Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art, the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art and numerous exhibitions held by the Academy of Arts in Uzbekistan.

He has exhibited around the world, holding his first solo exhibition Light and Shadow at the Youth Creativity Palace (Fund Forum), Tashkent (Uzbek capital), in 2013. Djabbarov has an experimental approach to creativity, styled in abstract form. The avant-garde artist is from Gulistan, the capital of the Sirdaria Province in eastern Uzbekistan. He studied Industrial Design at the National Institute of Arts and Design, graduating with a Bachelor Degree in 2008. After graduation, he joined the ‘5+1’ create art group at the Art Gallery of Uzbekistan.

Fine art in Uzbekistan flourished during the cultural boom of the 14th and 15th centuries, during the epoch of the Timurid Dynasty. Ancient Samarkand mausoleums have preserved details of wonderful landscape paintings of the time. The 19th century saw the next rise of Uzbekistan fine art, when miniature painting reached its zenith. In the 20th century, Uzbek fine art developed under the influence Russian painters. An oriental school of portraits and landscapes developed, as also the realist genre in painting. The Savitsky Art Museum in Nukus displays over 90,000 exhibits, including a collection of Russian avant-garde, Uzbek fine arts and the arts and crafts of Karakalpakstan and Ancient Khorezm. OSH Restaurant and Lounge in La Mer, Dubai’s eclectic beachfront, has been offering authentic Uzbek cuisine with Middle East flavours since 2018. It is the second branch of the concept which originates in London.

A popular venue for diners across the UAE developed by the Viner Group, OSH has a list of over 50 restaurants in Russia. Open seven days a week, it offers a variety of traditional Uzbek dishes with contemporary cuisine. Additionally, the venue holds a number of entertainment events with live music, themed nights, and special offers for various segments of the population. It also provides views of both the sea and the city scape of Dubai’s iconic skyscrapers. Andakulova Gallery is leading modern and contemporary art gallery that focuses on Central Asian art. Based in Dubai International Financial Centre, the gallery provides a platform for fine art collectors, provides art advisory as well as conducts research. Its curated exhibitions showcase Central Asia’s most important artists as well as emerging new talents. Andakulova Advisory Services, a services arm of the gallery, offers a wide range of solutions to meet the needs of both residential and corporate clients, and works extensively with embassies, multinational companies, wealth management firms and private collectors. The gallery contributes to the discourse surrounding Central Asian Art and the gallery team has successfully completed client projects in the Middle East, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and offers specialised trips to Central Asia to learn about modern and contemporary Asian art history, curatorial strategies and art investment.