Gulnara Rakhmat

I am a New York City–based artist, born and raised in Uzbekistan, Central Asia. I was first introduced to formal art training in Tashkent, where my artistic journey began. Although my professional path initially led me toward the sciences, art remained a constant presence in my life. I began working in watercolor and graphic media before ultimately turning to oil painting, a medium I found best suited to my creative expression.
My work is rooted in the visual richness and cultural memory of Central Asia. Through vibrant color, figurative imagery, and details drawn from everyday life, I evoke the atmosphere of the places I grew up around — bustling bazaars, traditional textiles, architecture, nature, and the women who inhabit these spaces. My paintings carry a sense of nostalgia for the rhythm, warmth, and vitality of that world.
Alongside these cultural memories, my background in ecology shapes my fascination with nature and its feminine essence, allowing the natural and human worlds to exist in close conversation throughout my work.
My works are held in private collections in the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Bulgaria, and Central Asia.