The creative space of the «Art-bazar» showroom and gallery has long been a favourite destination for creatives from all over Turkmenistan. Meetings of talented artisans, professional master classes and solo exhibitions are regularly held here. And a recent poetry evening gathered under these vaults admirers of the work of one of the famous contemporary authors – Hemra Shirov.
Guests were greeted literally from the doorway by an impressive exhibition of books by the Turkmen writer, poet, and playwright. His works, written over the years, are rightfully considered an integral part of national library collections. And since the author writes extensively and lovingly for children, some of his most devoted admirers remain the young book lovers from the State children's library named after Bazar Amanov.
It was to them, these young talents, that the improvised stage was provided. The poems of the author, set to music by his daughter, composer Ayna Shirova, have become a surprising symbiosis of poetry and melody. The evening featured songs and compositions performed by soloists accompanied by accompanist Stella Faramazova, a diploma winner of international competitions. The young reader Ayhan Orazdurdyyev read his favourite lines with particular enthusiasm.
Numerous guests at the evening – colleagues, cultural figures, and old friends of the writer – warmly noted that more than one generation has grown up on these lines. The general consensus among those present was that lively and light poems of Hemra Shirov serve a vital purpose: they not only entertain but also educate, unobtrusively teaching children sincerity, friendship, and honesty.
Hemra Shirov established himself not only as a great poet, but also as the head of a truly creative family. Today, his granddaughter, Tylla Shirova, a young composer and laureate of the prestigious «Sounds of the dutar» competition named after Nury Halmammedov, follows in his footsteps.
In addition to the musical portion, guests of the evening were able to experience a unique exhibition of visual poetry by Hemra Shirov. The project, entitled «Neo-poetry», literally blurs the boundaries between literature and fine art. The prefix «neo-» here symbolises the rethinking and continuation of old traditions in a fundamentally new, modern form.
Techniques for visualising text have been known since ancient times: the ancient Greek philosopher Simmias of Rhodes wrote down his poems «The Egg», «The Axe», and «The Wings» in the form of the objects they were talking about.
In the performance of the Turkmen author, these classical forms look fresh and relevant. Its purpose is to expand the expressiveness of the word. What is important here is not only the meaning, but also how the text is positioned on the «canvas», what geometry it forms and how it interacts with the drawing.
Such experiments involuntarily bring to mind the famous photographer Willy Melnikov, who created «linguistic carpets» – language carpets whose contemplation had a psychotherapeutic effect and served as an antidote to misunderstanding. The graphic works of Hemra Shirov work in a similar way.
For example, his visual poem «Hourglass» screams about the transience of time with its very form: «Wagtyň gadryny bilmegi, juda tygşytly bolmagy duýdyryp akyp dursuň». («Time, you fly, reminding of your value and about need to be thrifty»).
And the original graphic image of the eyes, interspersed with the lines: «Bu göz ýabany pişigiň gözi, Ol gorky bilen synlaýar bizi» («These are the eyes of a wild cat, they watch us with fear»), makes the viewer freeze in the moment, building a dialogue with the painting-poem.
The Neo-Poetry exhibition demonstrated that words can transcend the flat book page and become three-dimensional visual images. By giving his guests a wonderful creative evening, Hemra Shirov opened up a new dimension of literary perception for them. He reminded us that poetry can be not only listened to and read, but also looked at, finding answers to eternal questions at the intersection of graphics and lyricism.
