18.000 Worlds
Saodat Ismailova
‘The whole universe, the 18,000 worlds of light and darkness are degrees of irradiation and effusion of the primordial Light which shines everywhere while remaining immutable and for ever the same.’
- Bustan al-Qulub by Shihāb al-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi
In her practice, Uzbek artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova interweaves myths, rituals and dreams with everyday life. Moving from the personal to collective memory, she connects Central Asia’s recent history to the world of storytelling, exploring the healing effects of spiritual heritage. In her single-channel film 18.000 Worlds Ismailova combined unused footage from years of filming with archival footage including fragments of the EYE filmmuseum in Amsterdam. The film - considered by the artist as a video talisman - draws attention to the world that is losing touch with ancestors and the danger of losing forms of knowledge. The title refers to a concept that appears regularly in blessings that are part of daily lives in Central Asia. According to some mystics, the world we live in is just one of the 18,000 worlds that make up the universe. Ismailova was familiar with this idea from her childhood, and later came across it again in the work of the 12th-century Persian philosopher and mystic Shihāb al-Din Yahya al-Suhrawardi. His texts on illuminationism have inspired her ever since.
2022-2023 - HD video installation, colour, black & white, stereo, 26‘
Courtesy of the artist
Saodat Ismailova
°1981, Tasjkent, Uzbekistan
Artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova’s practice centers on the layered histories and cultures of Central-Asia. Her work creates a dialogue between the collective and the personal, myths and history, knowledge and information. Special attention is dedicated to the domains of intangible heritage such as healing and spirituality, rituals, stories and music. Her work has been shown worldwide including a. o. Theatre der Welt, Frankfurt (2023), Eye Museum, Amsterdam (2023), Sharjah Biennial of Arts (2023), the Biennale di Venezia (2022, 2013), Documenta Fifteen (2022), Center for Contemporary Art, Tashkent (2019), Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Bozar (2019) and Tromsø Kunstforening (2017). She was the recipient of numerous awards including the Eye Art & Film prize in 2022 and Best Film at the Turin Film Festival in 2004. Saodat Ismailova studied at Tashkent State Art Institute and at Le Fresnoy, National Studio of Contemporary Arts. In 2021 she initiated the Davra research group which studies and documents life in Central-Asia. She works and lives between Tashkent and Paris.