Art Corner by Leyla: Weaving Heritage into the Future

Arts & Culture

7 Apr

Text by Sevara Mashrabzoda
Photography by Abdulbosit Valiev, Tazabay Duliteyarov

A Story Begins with a Chair

In a quiet corner of Tashkent, professor and climate innovator Laylo Yakhshiboeva is reimagining the past. Through her creative venture, Art Corner by Leyla, she transforms forgotten artifacts into contemporary design pieces — bridging history, sustainability, and modern taste.

It began with a discarded Soviet-era chair.

Where others saw waste, Laylo saw potential. On her balcony, she carefully restored it — sanding, painting, and varnishing — before upholstering it with a suzani inherited from her mother. The result was more than furniture; it was a dialogue between generations, a living story stitched in silk.

That single act sparked what would become Art Corner: not just a brand, but a philosophy of renewal, storytelling, and cultural continuity.

**The Mind Behind the Craft**

Laylo’s life exists at the intersection of intellect and artistry.
By day, she is a professor of entrepreneurship and Director of a Climate Innovation Center, shaping ideas around sustainability and economic development. By night, she becomes an artist—immersed in texture, color, and craft.
This dual identity is not a contradiction but a synergy. Her academic work informs her creative process, grounding it in sustainability, innovation, and social impact.

A Creative Awakening

Laylo’s journey into art began unexpectedly during her second pregnancy in the United States.

Forced into stillness, she found space for introspection. That quiet moment became a turning point.

“It created a space where I could connect my inner world with the outer world in a new way.”

She began painting, guided by instinct and online tutorials. When her first works sold, it revealed a new possibility—one she would carry back to Uzbekistan.

There, her focus shifted from canvas to cultural objects. Old furniture and textiles, rich with memory, became her medium.