As part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the status of the Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan, an exhibition of student works dedicated to this glorious date has opened at the State Academy of Arts of Turkmenistan.
The Academy’s gallery is filled with students, artists, and fine-art enthusiasts who have come once again to admire the creativity of young talents. As always, the students presented a large number of excellent works. Among the paintings, particular attention was drawn to Merdan Charyyev’s piece “Family Sanctity.” The artist explored the theme in an abstract manner, depicting a man and a woman surrounded by the moon, stars, and swirling lines that unite the masculine and feminine principles through nature itself.
An interesting work is Shokhrat Amangulyev’s “A Memory of Mother’s Lunch.” On a striped sachak lies a bowl of noodles in the center, and in the corners—green onions, garlic, flatbread, and a bowl of tea. The restrained color palette and these ordinary objects create an undertone of sacredness. The top-down angle and close-up view contribute to this effect.
We find Govkher Ovezova’s painting “Going to School,” created on an everyday-life theme, to be very good. Govkher depicted a schoolgirl carefully examining her reflection in the mirror. A cat, imitating its owner, also stares at its own reflection, as if checking whether it looks good. The humor and charm of this painting did not go unnoticed by the public.
The sculptors presented some of the best works. Guljakhan Shokhratgeldiyeva is the author of a successful bust of Gurbannazar Ezizov. Guljakhan covered the bust with golden paint, thus emphasizing her attitude toward the poet. Serdar Jumaev presented an excellent group portrait made of gypsum. In one of the figures the People’s Artist of Turkmenistan Atajan Berdiyev was clearly recognizable, and the second figure—Serdar portrayed himself. Serdar is not only an excellent sculptor but also a remarkable singer, and Atajan Berdiyev is his khalipa.
The most astonishing exhibit of the exhibition was created by Maksat Abdyyev. He improvised… a well, lining its walls with mirrors. Under electric lighting, an illusion of bottomlessness was created, so Maksat named his design piece “Infinity.”
In the literal sense, the display of jewelry works was dazzling. Suray Saparova, a student of Amansakhet Annaberdiyev, created a magnificent necklace “Gelin,” shaped as a beautiful woman adorned with golden lace and precious stones. In his necklace “Tumarsha,” Yakub Annaberdiyev recreated the image of a legendary heroine of the Turkmen people. Yakub incorporated the sacred adornment tumar, which guarantees family well-being for its owner. Both necklaces—“Gelin”and “Tumarsha”—are very beautiful.
The clothing design students’ works attract increasing interest from Ashgabat residents and visitors to the capital year after year. Notably, some visitors came specifically to see the fashion collection presented by the student couturiers. A sixth-year student, Seyrangeldi Berdiyev, exhibited a clothing collection under the logo “SB.” Next to mannequins dressed in national attire stood two female models showcasing fashionable outfits. Clothing design is Seyrangeldi’s second profession. While studying sculpture at the academy, he simultaneously graduated from Lyceum No. 4. He was inspired to create women’s fashion by the Chinese film “Her Private Life.” Seyrangeldi is confident that such a combination is beneficial for both professions.
A large collection of women’s clothing titled “Gujurly yashlar” was presented by fifth-year student Jennet Agaeva. Notably, she recently returned with these pieces from a fashion exhibition in St. Petersburg, where she represented modern Turkmen fashion. One of Jennet’s characteristic design features is asymmetry, which makes the women’s clothing she creates not only beautiful but also original. The exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the country’s Permanent Neutrality offered art lovers many inspiring encounters with the works of young artists.
