A trip to France through the eyes of Turkmen artists - the exhibition "Paris-Mary" in Ashgabat
"To see Paris is the greatest happiness. The capital of France left an indelible impression on me," People's Artist of Turkmenistan Annadurdy Muradaliyev recalls at the opening ceremony of the Paris-Mary exhibition.
The exhibition, which opened on the first of March in the Nadar Gallery at the French Institute in Ashgabat, presented paintings by Turkmen painters Annadurdy Muradaliev, Tokar Tugurov, Kossek Nurmyradov and Gurbangeldy Gurbanov, who worked at the residence of the prestigious Arts Town in Paris over the years.
Each painting conveys a particle of the unique Paris, its history, architecture, captivating aura. The elements of Turkmen color found on the canvases of the artists create a harmonious combination of European and Asian cultures.
― I have long had good relations with artists from Mary, whose creative school represents a special page of the culture of Turkmenistan. Our current authors had the opportunity not just to visit Paris, but to live there for several months, work in a workshop, hold individual exhibitions. - says the organizer of the event, the director of the French Institute in Ashgabat, Romain Gouvernay.
As the French Ambassador to Turkmenistan Isabelle Ginel noted, there is a multifaceted experience of interaction between the Turkmen and French schools of painting, and the current meeting is a clear confirmation of the development of the cultural dialogue between the two countries.
The opening of the vernissage was attended by heads of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations working in Ashgabat, journalists of local and foreign media, the public and youth.
Among the works presented is a painting by Kossek Nurmuradov "Paris" depicting architectural landmarks and the main symbol of the French capital of France - the Eiffel Tower.
But in Tokar Tugurov's painting "Camels", the silhouette of this tower flaunts on the T-shirt of a boy who, surrounded by "desert ships", dreamed of distant lands where they could deliver him.
Tokar Tugurov has not been with us for more than thirteen years, but his memory is still alive to this day, as are the pleasant memories of Turkmen artists about Paris, which once hospitably welcomed them in its busy creative life.
Artur PETROSYANTS
