Saodat Ismailova: A Seed Under Our Tongue

Set in various Uzbek landscapes spanning time and place, Ismailova’s films weave a storied tapestry of ancestral folklore, traditional craft and colonial resistance

Uzbek artist Saodat Ismailova (born 1981) is part of the first generation of Central Asian filmmakers following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Her films emphasize long shots that evoke the aesthetics of slow cinema, often combined with archival footage and installed within textile sculptural elements drawn from vernacular traditions, as in the exhibition at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, which this volume refers to. Exploring the collective memories of her home region, Ismailova interweaves myths with personal dreams to address social issues such as women's emancipation, identity and the colonial past.