A cheerful event called “The Big Laundry” took place at the French Institute under the French Embassy in Ashgabat. This year, 130 countries are participating in the international campaign, and one of them is our country.
The founder of the “Big Laundry” flashmob is French artist Joel Gonthier, who called on everyone to organize art exhibitions on a specific theme twice a year. Age and artistic skills don’t matter — on this day, everyone should feel like an artist. The idea caught on and gradually spread to other countries, eventually gaining international status.
The theme of the 2025 event is “Day. Night. Reflecting Light.” Staying true to the name “The Big Laundry,” the artworks were not framed or hung on walls, as is customary at exhibitions. Instead, clotheslines were strung across the courtyard of the French Institute, and participants' works were attached to them with ordinary clothespins. The number of participants and artworks was not officially recorded, but it was noted that the most active contributors were students from the French Institute, the French MLF School, and the Byashim Nurali Children's Art School.
By the way, the director of the Children’s Art School, Ovezgeldi Yagmyrov, presented the French Institute with 10 still life paintings on behalf of his students. One of them particularly impressed the flashmob attendees. It depicted two ripe pomegranates and a tahya on a plate. This seemingly unusual combination symbolized that these ripe pomegranates were grown under the sun of Turkmenistan.
The exhibition featured a wide variety of artistic genres: paints, pencils, watercolors. Some children incorporated collage techniques into their works. A few drawings were done in a new style — visual poetry, where words were used as part of the images.
Among the most interesting works was the painting “Sunset” by Sahra Orazova, a student of Ashgabat Secondary School No. 15. Faced with the theme “Day” and “Night,” Sahra chose to depict the transitional moment — and painted a beautiful pink landscape.
When asked whether she had studied art, the girl replied that she once wanted to become an artist and took lessons with a tutor, but later became passionate about the French language. However, judging by her work, her good taste and artistic skills have clearly remained.
The “Big Laundry” flashmob is held twice a year. The joyful event was well received by the children, and it will likely continue in the future.
