Artwork from Mario Loprete

Concrete ice cream pop with dripping red, white, and green Italian flag colors.
Italians Do It Better

Pencil drawing/painting of a young guy with reading glasses, a small dog, and a thick green jacket.
Francesco and Jack
Closeup of bare feet on a tightrope
All of the works featured here in a line.

Image of Black rapper Snoop Dogg with his head resting on his folded hands. He's in blue jeans and a black jacket.

Grid of painted images of various rap stars of all races.
Profile from the left of a Black rapper with a beanie and necklace and athletic top.

Left profile of another Black rap star.

I live in a world that I shape as I please. I do this through virtual, pictorial and sculptural movements, transferring my experiences and photographing reality through the filters of my mind. I have refined this process through years of research and experimentation.


Painting for me is my first love. An important, pure love. Creating a painting, starting from the frantic search for a concept with which I want to convey my message, this is the foundation of painting for me.


Sculpture is my lover, my artistic betrayal to painting. That voluptuous and sensual lover who inspires diverse emotions that strike forbidden chords.


I have been painting Hip Hop since the nineties. Italian and international rappers have been and are the subjects of my works. In 2021 SNOOP DOGG, a rapper who needs no introduction, published on his website with 60 million followers a portrait of him that I painted. The resulting media wave made me known to the general American public and my works were acquired by important public and private collections.


This new series of concrete sculptures has recently been giving me greater personal and professional satisfaction. How was it born? It was the result of an important investigation into my work. I was looking for that special something that I felt was missing. Looking back at my work over the last ten years, I understood that there was a certain semantic and semiotic logic “spoken” by my images, but the right support to enhance their message was not there.


Reinforced concrete, was created two thousand years ago by the Romans. It tells a thousand-year history, full of amphitheatres, bridges and roads that have conquered the ancient and modern world. Now, concrete is synonymous with modernity. Everywhere you go you find a concrete wall: modern man is in there.


From Sydney to Vancouver, from Oslo to Pretoria, this reinforced concrete is present, and it is this presence that supports writers and allows them to express themselves.


The artistic question was obvious to me: if man brought art to the streets to make it accessible to everyone, why not bring the urban into galleries and museums?


I am currently working a lot on my concrete sculptures, a series of works that have made me known to collectors in Northern Europe and the USA. For my concrete sculptures I usually use my personal clothes. During some artistic processes using plaster, resin and cement, I transform them into works of art to hang.

My memory, my DNA, my memories remain “concretized” within them, transforming the person who observes the works into a sort of postmodern archaeologist, studying them as if they were urban artefacts from a remote past. Under a layer of cement are my clothes that I have lived in. I like to think that those who look at my sculptures ask themselves questions, which they can answer by drawing on their educational, cultural and artistic experience.


There is also a series of sculptures dedicated to my clothes worn during COVID , clothes that survived the pandemic ,similar to the finds discovered in Pompeii, after the catastrophic eruption 2,000 years ago.


Sculptures capable of recounting the anguish, fear and inability of man to face an uncertain future and the restlessness of the tragedy of broken lives and destroyed economies.

In the last five years, over 600 international magazines, mostly official magazines of the most important American and Canadian universities, above all Harvard University, have welcomed my work, dedicating articles and covers to it.


Links to My Socials
www.facebook.com/mario.loprete.5
www.instagram.com/marioloprete/

www.linkedin.com/in/mario-loprete-7aa22529

Poetry from Saiprakash Kuntamukkala

Middle aged South Asian man with glasses, a mustache, and a dark suit and blue tie.

ON A RAINY DAY 

I sit near the window with a coffee cup

Looking at the rain

Each pearl 

Inviting me to hold

I offer my resistance 

The  rain beginning to sing 

A rhythmic tune

Tempting my soul

Memories of my childhood and youth 

Interlaced 

I can no longer resist 

As soon as I open the front door 

The first scent of petrichor

The first splash of showers

Leaving many pearls on my cheeks

Those pitter patter raindrops 

Whispering many secrets 

I too whisper back my moments of pain ,joy and bliss 

Those rainy days 

Where I used to sit alone 

My warm tears mixed with drops of rain

A perfect camouflage 

Those of my tears of joy too well disguised

The long winding paths 

Wave after wave of rain and memories entwined

A rainy day is a day of memories 

Not a few but many

Poetry from Christopher Bernard

On Becoming a Fossil

by Christopher Bernard

There is always the question of when it 
       began,
or when you first noticed it.

One day, a spot of gray on a nail 
of the left small toe, 
has become, a week later, a pebble.

So that is the way you are headed now,
who was never (let’s face it)
much with it.

One reaches no age with impunity;
your time was hopelessly yesterday
even at the time you were a tyke: your 
      music
was never Chuck Berry but Ludwig van,
your reading not Vonnegut or Hermann Hesse,
but Henry James and Thomas Mann.
Your generation to you was a mess:
half decadent, half barbarian.

There is a certain progression, as, below,
it rises, salt-like, from your toe:
a certain stoniness in your hearing
or taste of pristine metal after bathing,
a calcification of a memory
that rattles between two syllables of a 
      greeting.
A quiet thrumming at the back of the
      throat
that reminds you of Medusa’s immediate 
      glare,
a locked joint as you embrace a pillow,
a crying spasm in your left calf,
a line of pain hooked between pelvis
      and ankle.

You stare at the spiral of darkness of 
      an ammonite,
thinking through eons of stratigraphy 
pressed to ink between layers of shale,
civilizations shrunk to a cloud
of dry mud, monuments, poems, songs:
the layers of stone in a cliff wall
soaring toward the sun where you climbed 
      as a boy,
dreaming of the flight of the hawk, how 
      your wings
shall weave in the air
in random happiness
from cloud to cloud
as drunk as Icarus as he climbed toward 
      Apollo,
winging across the earth that made you 
      and now
embraces you as you tumble back,
the sun melting your wings— 
your hopes, your dreams
blowing away like the feathers of a lark— 
to air, to water,
to stone.

_____

Christopher Bernard’s book The Socialist’s Garden of Verses won a PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award and was named one of the “Top 100 Indie Books of 2021” by Kirkus Reviews.


Essay from Qobulova Gulzoda

Young dark haired Central Asian woman with a white blouse and earrings.

THE LEGACY OF JADIDS AND MODERN SOCIETY: WHERE KNOWLEDGE, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND INNOVATION CONVERGE


The early 20th century in Turkestan witnessed the rise of a profound intellectual movement known as Jadidism. Far from being mere reformers, the Jadids were visionary thinkers who sought radical transformations across all facets of society. Their enduring legacy, rooted in a fervent commitment to knowledge, enlightenment, and innovation, continues to resonate in contemporary Uzbekistan and offers invaluable insights for global development.

For the Jadids, knowledge and enlightenment were not abstract concepts but the very bedrock of individual and societal progress. They recognized that an informed and educated populace was essential for breaking the shackles of ignorance and ushering in an era of development. Their primary objective was to awaken a dormant society and guide it towards the light of modern scholarship. Mahmudkho’ja Behbudiy’s assertion, “Every pen, every page, every book is an army of soldiers,” vividly illustrates the Jadids’ profound belief in the power of literacy and learning as agents of change.

The Jadids spearheaded a radical overhaul of the traditional educational system, advocating for the establishment of “new method” schools. These institutions were designed to equip young minds with not only religious instruction but also a robust understanding of secular sciences, foreign languages, and a broader worldview. This educational reform was, in essence, an act of intellectual liberation, opening the doors of global knowledge to a populace previously isolated. Their unwavering commitment to education underscores the universal truth that a nation’s future is inextricably linked to the intellectual capacity of its youth. Innovation was a core tenet of the Jadid movement.

They were not content with merely replicating existing structures; instead, they were pioneers, constantly seeking to create new ideas and revolutionize established systems. The proliferation of newspapers and journals, the development of modern theater, and the introduction of new literary genres and forms were groundbreaking innovations for their time. Publications like “Taraqqiy” and “Oyna” served as crucial platforms for disseminating scientific advancements and progressive ideas, acting as intellectual conduits that connected Turkestan to the wider world.


The Jadids boldly promoted a modern understanding of national identity and pride. They were unafraid to challenge outdated norms and re-evaluate traditional concepts. This intellectual courage is particularly relevant today, as societies grapple with rapid technological advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology. The Jadids’ innovative spirit serves as a timeless reminder to embrace novelty, continuously learn, and adapt to change. Their legacy encourages us to view innovation not as a disruptive force, but as an essential catalyst for progress.

The independent Republic of Uzbekistan, a realization of the Jadids’ aspirations for a free and prosperous homeland, continues to draw inspiration from their profound legacy. As emphasized by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Jadid heritage forms an integral part of Uzbekistan’s national values and serves as an immense spiritual treasure for present and future generations. The significant emphasis placed on the development of science and innovation, the ongoing educational reforms, and the creation of myriad opportunities for youth in contemporary Uzbekistan are clear manifestations of the Jadid vision coming to fruition.

The establishment of IT parks, Presidential Schools, and specialized creative schools are modern iterations of the Jadids’ pioneering initiatives, reflecting a continued commitment to fostering intellectual growth and technological advancement. In conclusion, the legacy of the Jadids transcends mere historical significance; it is a potent spiritual force that continues to illuminate the path forward. Their relentless pursuit of knowledge, their dedication to enlightenment, and their fervent embrace of innovation offer an enduring model for any society striving for genuine progress.

Indeed, it is at the confluence of knowledge, enlightenment, and innovation that true societal advancement occurs—a convergence that stands as the most invaluable inheritance bequeathed to us by the Jadids.


Sons of Turkestan, the garden of intellectuals, A stain from the depths of the centuries. A lamp that burned in the dark nights, Defeated ignorance, in love with knowledge.


You woke the nation from sleep, “Ignorance is death!” – you suddenly said. Schools were opened, in a new way, Enlightenment turned into a whirlwind.


You fought with a pen, with words, Newspapers were published, hearts felt glory. Behbudiy, Fitrat, Cholpon – each one, Each one burned for the people, each one burned.


The grief of the homeland burned embers in hearts, The desire for freedom, there was no right. Traps were set, you were sacrificed, But your ideas still live.


Today, this time when the dawn of freedom has dawned, The seedlings you planted have become a flower garden. The development of science, enlightenment flowers, Innovations have become hearts.


We remember you, O great ones, Souls are ignited by your courage. The legacy of the Jadids is a light path for us, Continue on this path, always be progressive!

*******************************************************

Qobulova Gulzoda Maksudovna was born on October 20, 1993 in the Khanka district of the Khorezm region into a family of teachers.

In 2012-2016, she studied at the Urgench State University named after Al-Khorezmiy, specializing in History (by countries and regions) on a state budget (grant).

From September 23, 2019 to January 18, 2020, she successfully graduated from the Institute for the Study of Youth Problems and the Training of Promising Personnel under the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In 2021-2023, she graduated from the Master’s Department of Urgench State University, specializing in History (by countries and types of activity).

Since 2025, she has been conducting scientific research and studies on the topic of her PhD dissertation as a basic doctoral student in the specialty of History of Uzbekistan at Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhon Beruni 07.00.01.

Qobulova Gulzoda Maksud qizi also works as the secretary of the “OLIMA KIZLAR” club of Urgench State University named after Abu Rayhon Beruni.

She is a member of the “Zakovat” intellectual club.

Essay from Mahmudova Sevara

Central Asian young woman in front of bricks in a black cap and gown and red and pink scarves

KOREAN CUISINE
By: Mahmudova Sevara Doniyor qizi
Student of the 4th year, Korean Philology
Kimyo International University

Annotation:
This article presents a selection of Korean dishes. It also explores certain aspects of Korean food culture.

Keywords: Bibimbap, Bungeoppang, Hotteok, Liliya Tyan


Introduction:

Today, we can observe that some Korean dishes and the ingredients needed to prepare them at home — including salads — are becoming increasingly available in stores. Korean eateries and restaurants are also growing in number. Why is the interest in Korean food increasing year by year? Let’s take a closer look at the reasons behind this trend.


Main Body:

One of the most popular dishes among Koreans and foreigners alike is bibimbap. With its colorful presentation, it is visually appealing at first glance. Professor and physician Kang Je Hon stated that this dish is very beneficial for health. “It is made with rice, various green vegetables, and small portions of fish or meat,” he explained. Due to its low calorie and carbohydrate content, as well as its attractive appearance, it is also widely consumed by foreigners.

Bungeoppang is one of the popular winter snacks. It is shaped like a fish and made from dough using a special mold. There are many varieties, such as pizza-flavored, cream-filled, chocolate-filled, and more. This dish has even appeared in Korean dramas (K-dramas), through which many drama fans have come to know it. Since it looks similar to ingeoppang, people often confuse the two. However, there is a difference: bungeoppang has a thick, crispy crust, while ingeoppang has a thinner, oilier dough. They are entirely different snacks.

Another popular winter snack is hotteok. It originated from bread consumed in Turkey and India and entered Korea via China along the Silk Road. It is entirely different from the American hot dog. Visually, it resembles khachapuri, which is often seen online. The dough is leavened and filled with brown sugar, honey, and sunflower seeds. There are also versions filled with vegetables, cheese, and kimchi. This snack has recently gained popularity among Americans and is well-liked by many.

Liliya Tyan, a Korean-Uzbek featured on “Voice of America,” is the owner of the “Cafe Lily” restaurant. In 2006, she won the Green Card lottery and moved to the U.S. with her family. She later opened her own restaurant, “Cafe Lily.” What sets her restaurant apart is its unique menu, which includes Korean, Russian, and Uzbek dishes. “Uzbeks have lived with Koreans for a long time, so especially the elderly remember Korean food fondly,” said Liliya Tyan. Her restaurant has even been featured in The New York Times.

Koreans have a proverb similar to the Uzbek saying: “Hot cuts hot, cold cuts cold.” That’s why Koreans eat hot foods in summer and cold foods in winter. For example, they eat ice cream in winter, just as Uzbeks drink hot tea in summer. Some even eat ice cream after spicy foods because of a belief that consuming hot food in summer increases body temperature, helping the body adapt to the heat.

Koreans also have a cultural habit of asking, “Have you eaten?” when greeting one another — similar to how Uzbeks say, “How are you?” This style of greeting dates back to the war period in Korea, when famine was widespread. People would greet each other by asking if they had eaten, and over time, it became a cultural norm.

There is also a cultural custom related to the apple fruit. Among peers, if someone makes a mistake and wants to apologize, they offer the other person an apple. This symbolizes asking for forgiveness.


Conclusion:

The history of Korean cuisine dates back centuries. Many of its dishes have developed over time. There is limited information available in Uzbek on this topic online. With further study, we can find many Korean foods that are beneficial to health — even useful in medicine. Their dining etiquette and food culture also share similarities with that of Uzbeks.


References:
Books:

  • Kim Seon Jung, Park Sung Tae, Kim Sung Su – Self-Study Guide: Korean for Uzbek Speakers, Level 2

Web Sources:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy1WjUtc8eo
  2. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=http://blog.naver.com/kfdazzang/223353033219%3FfromRss%3Dtrue
  3. https://m.blog.naver.com/dkcaihong/221781366287
  4. https://www.amerikaovozi.com/a/cafe-lily/5890303.html

Poetry from Manik Chakraborty

Older middle-aged South Asian man with a mustache and a white collared shirt. He's on a burgundy and wood couch with flowers behind him.

My mind is running towards the village.

My mind is running towards the village 

I will see the green village,

I will see the rivers in rows 

Take all the sailboats.

I will see the green mountains and the fountains 

Laughing with laughter,

The children of the clouds across the sky 

Float to the rhythm of the waves.

In the wild flowers in the grass 

With the captivating smell,

The bees will fly to eat honey 

In rhythm

The morning breeze will touch 

the soul will wake up, 

I will listen to the song of the birds with my ears