New Uzbekistan

New Uzbekistan is a mosaic series of staged and documentary scenes from Uzbekistan. At the intersection of fiction and documentary, I construct my own image of the country — a portrait of Uzbekistan’s layered identity. The title references the ideological slogan “Yangi O‘zbekiston” (“New Uzbekistan”), which has been central to the current government's narrative of national renewal and reform. Although widely promoted, New Uzbekistan remains ambiguous and vague in practice — I’m not even sure it exists. Through this project, I offer my own version of a portrait of Uzbekistan — at times new, at times old.

The Home, The Field and The Flux

It’s hard to find someone in Uzbekistan who doesn’t have some connection to farming. For centuries, people have been figuring out ways to bring water even to the driest parts of the steppe. Later, the Russian Empire, and then the USSR, implemented irrigation projects to capitalize on cotton, which led to an ecological disaster — the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Today, workers massively migrate across the country to rent fields as independent seasonal farmers, while others are employed in cotton picking by giant businesses close to the government.

Publications:

It's Nice That
Nowness Asia
East East
Safelight Paper / Figures Photography
Wül Magazine

Sabrina

I first met the Mirzaev family in the fall of 2021 in Sentob, a remote mountain village in Uzbekistan known for its growing tourism. Mashrab, the father, was the local school director. After a conflict with the regional administration, he lost his job. Soon after, the family relocated to the industrial town of Angren.

In Angren, Mashrab now works as a head teacher. His wife, Gulnoza, has held jobs selling shoes at the market and working as a cook at a paint factory. Their children — Sabrina, Anis — grew up amid these transitions. In 2024, Sabrina left for Tyumen, Russia, to study; she now supports herself washing dishes in cafes. That same year, Gulnoza gave birth to their youngest child, named Akifa. In 2025, Anis finished school.

This project follows the family across changing geographies and everyday routines — between village and city, work and home, adolescence and early adulthood.

Bio

Kamila Rustambekova is a photographer and filmmaker based in Tashkent and Amsterdam. In her work, Kamila studies the imagery and untold stories of modern Uzbek society. For several years, she has been exploring her own family history and the communities of Uzbekistan. In 'The Home, The Field and The Flux' series, she examines how agricultural work is shaped by indigenous practices and the colonial legacy of the Russian Empire and the USSR. As a director, Kamila debuted with 'Fairy Tale' which tells a story of a boy and his mother coming to terms with his sexuality, which was Television broadcast on ARTE/ZDF. Kamila is currently pursuing her masters degree at the Netherlands Film Academy.

Kamila’s work has been featured at It's Nice That, Nowness Asia, Fotofilmic, among others. Kamila has been a member of Women Photograph.

Exhibitions

2024 Fotofilmic JRNL Show, Bowen Island, BC

2023 Baesianz presents KIN, Guts Gallery (London, UK)

2023 New East Festival : A celebration of contemporary photography, IDEAL Barcelona, curated by Ekow Eshun (Barcelona, Spain)

2022 Float Photo Magazine: Instant Gratification, curated by Vann Powell

Publications

It's Nice That, Nowness Asia, Fotofilmic, Safelight Paper, Wül Magazine, One World NL, East East, Calvert, Novastan, Buro Kazakhstan among others.

Awards

2024 Prince Claus Seed Award, recipient

Filmography

2026 Meetings of Camila, short experimental, in development.

2025 Christina, short fiction, 16', in post-production.

2023 Fairy Tale, short fiction, 12’. Premiered at the goEast IFF (Germany); Television broadcast on ARTE/ZDF.

Information about Fairy Tale on Klassiki