A personal exhibition has been opened at the Exhibition Center of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture in honor of the 80th anniversary of the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan Hajy Atakdayev. The jubilarian presented more than 100 works, most of which are engravings and illustrations for works of fiction.

At the center of the exhibition is a photo etude featuring Hajy Atakdayev with his nephew. This striking photo etude eloquently demonstrates that engraver Hajy Atakdayev is also an excellent photographic artist. Particular public interest was drawn to the work “The Horse Races.” The graphic piece depicts four galloping riders, all rendered with a right-to-left displacement of the image. This creates the impression that modern computer graphics were used. The intrigue lies in the fact that the engraving “The Horse Races” is the artist’s graduation work and was created in the 1960s, when computer graphics did not yet exist.

The exhibition also features numerous book illustrations created by Hajy Atakdayev for children’s literature. According to Chairman of the Union of Artists of Turkmenistan, Charymyrat Yazmyradov, in the early 1990s Hajy Atakdayev produced illustrations for children’s books using watercolor, and in Turkiye these were later digitized using computer technology. Thus, Hajy Atakdayev acted as an innovator, combining handmade artwork with digital methods.

A large display of engravings presented at the exhibition is dedicated to Magtymguly. The display is titled “The World of Magtymguly” and conveys the artist’s philosophical reflections on the life and creative legacy of the great Turkmen poet and citizen. Notably, the engravings are executed using two techniques — pencil and etching. The exhibition also includes Hajy Atakdayev’s paintings, created in a variety of styles. Among them are “Composition”and “Tenderness” in the avant-garde style, and “Family” in the realist style. In “Family,” Hajy Atakdayev depicted his own family — himself, his wife, two sons, and three daughters. Remarkably, the entire family, except for one son who now lives in Canada, attended the personal exhibition of their family’s head.

Here is what the artist’s son, Adyl Atakdayev, told us:

“By profession, I am a sculptor. I studied this craft for 15 years under teachers and for 30 years under my father. What I like about Hajy Atakdayev as an artist is that he never has identical ideas, never repeats himself in his subjects, and often changes his techniques. Today we celebrate his 80th birthday, yet he has always maintained a youthful view of the world and has preserved that valuable quality to this day.”

The personal exhibition brought great enjoyment to all visitors, many of whom were the artist’s colleagues from the creative community. Friends and fellow artists congratulated Hajy Atakdayev on his anniversary, wishing him good health and continued creative success.