Redefining Cultural Heritage, from "The Cradle" to the Pavilion. Zulfiya Spowart and Maria Redaelli in conversation

An in-person talk at Pushkin House: artist Zulfiya Spowart and researcher Maria Redaelli in conversation. Starting from Spowart's work "Beshik (The Cradle)", shown at the Uzbekistan National Pavilion's 2026 exhibition "The Aural Sea" at the Venice Biennale, they discuss her experience as a participating artist. Drawing on Redaelli's research into the Central Asian Pavilion (2005–2013), which united artists from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and, from 2009, Tajikistan, they trace how the region has staged itself at Venice and how the shift to separate National Pavilions has reshaped how Uzbekistan's cultural heritage is presented globally. The talk is organised in collaboration with Vlad Strukov, Professor of Film and Visual Cultures at the University of Leeds.