Hive Settlers

 

The lower part of the sculpture is an oak muqarnas structure, a complex geometric architectural element widely used in Islamic architecture. Its layered composition resembles a beehive, which here serves as a metaphor for Central Asia as a shared architectural and cultural space - a home for bees. The structure was produced by wood artisan Akmal Muhiddinov.

The title refers to the Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan, who settled in Central Asia in 1937. Although rice is central to Uzbek cuisine - most prominently in plov - Koryo-saram are the only community in the region that traditionally uses rice flour in cooking. This detail informs the conceptual framework of the work, imagining Koryo-saram as “rice bees” settled within a Central Asian hive.

The upper part of the sculpture was created from a sculptural material developed by Daria Kim specifically for this project using rice flour. The material behaves like clay during the working process and hardens to a stone-like consistency once dry. This part of the work was produced in collaboration with Bukhara-based ceramist Azamat Nashvanov.