Art Life Chronicle
(July-September 2009)
2 July – 28 August
The Tashkent House of Photography (THP) hosted “My Favourite City” exhibition held to demonstrate the results of a photo contest of the same title; the exhibition was scheduled to coincide with the celebration of the 2200th anniversary of Tashkent City.
From portraits to real life and reporting shots – that was the way in the art of photography for many contestants. The city of Tashkent is presented in the photographs in the many facets of its beauty. The exhibits have demonstrated that the city's 220th anniversary inspired Uzbekistan's photographers, both professional and amateur, to be productive in their creative search.
The exhibition was organized by the Academy of Arts and the THP.
10 August – 10 October
The Tashkent House of Photography housed an exhibition of rare and out-of-print books titled “Orient is About Book Business” dedicated to the anniversary of Tashkent City. About 300 items were presented in the field of ethnography, linguistics and Islamic studies – all about the ancient city, its history and culture. The exhibition was completed with enlarged copied and originals of old photographs of Tashkent.
23-30 August
The Central Exhibition Hall was a venue for the exhibition of artist Abduvali Kurganbaev scheduled to mark his 60th anniversary. The exhibition demonstrated about 30 canvases dating to different periods in his art, in different genres and subjects. Small-format works are saturated with colour and often lyricism.
25 July – 15 August
“Chodir Hayol” (“Curtained Thoughts”) was the title of a personal exhibition of painting and graphic art of a diverse, original and very popular artist Babur Ismailov held in the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan. His paintings stand out for their high mastery. Graceful drawing and accurate knowledge of detail are molten into a pictorial and plastic integrity. Fifty canvases is the result of his work during a recent period.
6 -16 August
Painting, sculpture and ceramics were presented by 19 artists at an exhibition called “The Greatest – The Dearest” held in the Exhibition Hall of the Karakalpak branch of the Academy of Arts. The exhibition took place in the framework of a traditional contest of the same title. The participants represented different generations of artists. Among them were Academicians J. Izentaev, J. Kuttymuratov, B. Serekeev, and also V. Japarov, T. Jumanov, M. Berdimetov, P. Hojametova, M. Kazakbaev, S. Bekbauliev, et al.
26 August – 26 September
The State Art Museum of Uzbekistan hosted an exhibition dedicated to the 2200th anniversary of Tashkent. The exposition featured works of merited masters of painting and drawing such as R. Zommer, I. Kazakov, N. Karahan, G. Zilberman, and V. Zelikov, as well as photographs of old Tashkent. At the focus of the exhibition was the restored gate of Sheihantaur chortak built in 1892.
27 August – 27 September
To mark the 2200th anniversary of Tashkent, the Fine Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan organized an exhibition based on the results of a contest for the best works of fine art inspired by the theme of the capital city. The main objectives of the contest were to create new works about Tashkent in all fine art genres, to galvanize creative processes among artists, and to introduce general public to the best works of painting and graphic arts covering different aspects of history and contemporary life of the capital city.
The contestants were the representatives of different generations working in the genres of painting and graphic arts. Among them were contemporary artists J. Halilov, B. Urakov, J. Saipov, J. Usmanov. M. Kagarov, A. Yusupov and many others. The winners of the contest received their awards during the opening ceremony.
3-22 September
The “Navruz” complex in Tashkent was a venue for the exhibition of materials from the assets of house-museums of cultural workers of Uzbekistan, under a title “Tashkent Turns 2200. The City's Cultural Heritage”. The exhibition presented house-museums of Tamara Hanum, Yunus Rajabi, and Muhtar Ashrafi, introducing visitors to life and art of these remarkable people known not only in the country, but also far beyond it. Visitors could also watch an ancient Uzbek dance “Pilla” revived by Tamara Hanum, and hear classical music composition “Shoshmaqom” performed by the followers of Yunus Rajabi.
The exhibition demonstrated paintings by a monumental artist Ildar Fatkhullin. A culture and art knowledge contest for children was also organized. The exhibition was organized by the Ministry for Culture and Sports and the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan.
11-20 September
An exhibition of photo reproductions of the most renowned works (painting and graphic arts) of Sattar Bahlulzade, the People's Artist of Azerbaijan and Laureate of the State Award, dedicated to his 100th anniversary was held at the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts. The exhibition also displayed a retrospection of photographs reflecting the master's artistic career and demonstrated a documentary called “This Is Sattar Bahlulzade” filmed by Azerbaijan cinematographers. The works of Sattar Bahlulzade constitute national assets of Azerbaijan and can be found in the galleries in Azerbaijan and abroad.
The exhibition was the initiative of the Embassy of Azerbaijan Republic in the Republic of Uzbekistan, supported by the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan and the Ministry for Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic.
Prepared by Louisa Salihova