A new large-scale exhibition featuring works by Turkmen artists has opened at the Art Gallery of Contemporary Art. Thirty artists are showcasing more than 100 works, including paintings, ceramics, and small-scale sculptures.
At the exhibition's opening ceremony, Chairman of the Union of Artists of Turkmenistan Charymyrat Yazmyradov reminded attendees of the task set by Hero-Arkadag, to elevate Turkmen art to the international level. "As is known, to achieve this goal, two Art Galleries have been opened in Ashgabat in addition to the Exhibition Center," noted Ch. Yazmyradov. "Today we have gathered in one of them—the Art Gallery of Contemporary Art."
Artists must present their works to the public, describing this as an undeniable principle. Both art galleries serve as valuable creative platforms, enabling artists to engage not only with local audiences but also with international visitors. Ashgabat regularly hosts international forums, and an increasing number of tourists visit our country. Learning about the life of the Turkmen people naturally includes becoming acquainted with the country's fine arts. The growing interest of foreign art enthusiasts in the works of Turkmen artists also enhances their professional recognition.
The exhibition features works by both renowned artists—including Ovezmammet Oveznurov and Charymyrat Yazmyradov—and emerging talents whose names have already become familiar to painting enthusiasts, such as Polat Charyyev, Annageldi Mammetnurov, Dortguly Ovganov, Vepa Orazberdiyev, Batyr Hojayev, Jumamyrat Gurbanov, and others.
Ashyrmukhammet Kuliyev is presenting a series of seven paintings inspired by China. Not long ago, he visited the friendly country together with a group of Turkmen artists, where they toured the Shanghai Art Collection Museum. His impressions of China's unique culture are reflected in the paintings, whose main subjects are predominantly Chinese children.
A central place in the exhibition is occupied by paintings created in the style of photorealism. Interestingly, this artistic movement emerged as a response to abstract art and has since gained popularity among both artists and audiences. Among the displayed works, Myratmergen Kuliyev's painting “Continuation” particularly captivated visitors with its charm.
The painting tells that all little girls want to look like their mothers. All it takes is for no one to be home so they can secretly take beautiful scarves from their grandmother's chest and create an elegant outfit—almost identical to their mother's. The artist Myratmergen successfully captures the mischievous expression of the young fashion enthusiast. Why, then, did he give this tender work the serious title “Continuation”? Because, throughout every generation, little girls will continue to secretly try on their mothers' clothes.
Enejan Charyyeva received numerous congratulations from fellow artists and visitors for her painting “The Relationship of Mechanisms.” At first glance, the work resembles a charming child's drawing filled with scribbles, yet it appears too mechanical to have been created by a child. Enejan depicts a submarine alongside a bird in flight. Her focus is the harmonious functioning of technological and natural mechanisms, enabling the submarine to remain underwater for extended periods and the bird to soar through the air. Enejan recently graduated with a degree in architecture, while her fascination with abstraction dates back to her childhood studies in the carpet department of the Byashim Nurali Children's Art School. According to the artist, the ornamentation of traditional Turkmen carpets represents abstraction in its purest form.
Exhibition openings always attract large numbers of visitors. Most attendees are the exhibiting artists themselves, as well as their colleagues eager to discover one another's latest works. Ordinary lovers of fine art are equally welcome, as the opinions of the public are highly valued by professional artists.
