When Apricots Blossom

Initiated under the leadership of Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan and aligned with the country’s commitment to sustainable development and the ecological restoration of the Aral Sea region, Uzbekistan presented its first national exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026, Palazzo Citterio.

The Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation’s (ACDF) inaugural exhibition, with special support from Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, impressed the public, industry and critics alike – attracting 25,000 visitors and gaining official recognition from the Fuorisalone awards committee. When Apricots Blossom, which closes today, was shortlisted for the main Fuorisalone Award; a jury selects the 12 top installations from thousands of activities taking place during the week.

Separately, a panel of media partners and critics selected the exhibition for the Special Mention Media Partners Award “for creating a project rich in meaning and substance, establishing a dialogue between the space and the content that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the installation”. Commissioned by Gayane Umerova,

Chairperson of ACDF, and curated by Kulapat Yantrasast of WHY Architecture, the exhibition presented craft not simply as heritage, but as a system of living knowledge that can offer possibilities in the face of environmental change.

As it closes, it leaves behind a dual legacy: the positioning of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis at the centre of global design discourse, and a vision of optimism about the possibility of regeneration even amid the extreme conditions facing the planet today.