One Hundred and Forty Moments of Beauty at Ashgabat's New Art Location on Aga Berdiyev Street
There are places in Ashgabat where the urban rhythm slows down, and the usual bustle gives way to contemplation. On Aga Berdiyev Street, at the Union of Artists' Art Gallery, an exhibition is running until March 1st, bringing together forty artists from different generations—from established masters to the young and daring.
This is precisely what makes the exhibition so interesting: different genres, different perspectives, and different eras seem to merge within a single magical "flask"—the intimate gallery space, which has recently become a new focal point on Ashgabat's cultural map.
Located practically next door to the Turkmen State Specialized Art School, it creates a foundation for the development of a creative community in this area of the city. In good weather, you can encounter young people with easels on these streets, painting trees, shadows, and the flow of life itself. This could create a new art route that decentralizes the capital's culture and transforms the area into a small Turkmen "Montmartre."
The diversification of the location of cultural "anchors" will undoubtedly contribute to the enrichment of the city's aesthetic atmosphere, but it is also a sign of the accumulation of great creative energy in the artistic community, literally ready to burst forth, seeking its audience...
Famous artists at the exhibition include Khodjamukhammet Churiev, Kamil Veliakhmedov, Chary Amangeldyev, Allamurat Mukhamedov, Juma Amandurdy, Medzhek Charyev, and many others. If you're even slightly familiar with the world of contemporary art in Turkmenistan, you'll recognize their works without even looking at the "branded" signature on the canvas. However, surprises are possible, as the artists love to experiment.
It's interesting that artists, like composers, often title their works so succinctly that the uninitiated might think the artist isn't overly concerned with the title: "Composition," "Spring," "Concert No....," or "...for...." , while we would like more detailed explanations.
In fact, by pouring their thoughts, soulful labor, and performance into their work, artists and musicians—artists in the broadest sense of the word—don't impose their worlds on the viewer, inviting them to interpret what they see or hear. Creative freedom is a generative system, generating freedom of will and choice.
But it can be very interesting to discover the true meaning behind a particular image. At a previous solo exhibition at this same gallery, we were fortunate to meet the artist, Khodzhamukhammet Churiev. It turns out he's one of the initiators of this gallery's revival. Naturally, we couldn't resist asking about the meaning of his pictorial metaphors, which conveyed not merely superficial decorativeness but a profound philosophical subtext. And the conversation with the artist turned out to be a real revelation...
...Yes, in our impressions, we viewers, recipients, often float on the surface of meanings, but sometimes something strikes a chord, and our own associations, memories, or reflections arise. That's probably how we connect with art. When it resonates with your voice and your soul.
Among the approximately 140 works featured in this exhibition are Annageldy Jumaniyazov, Guvanch Khodzhaniyazov, Rakhman Rakhmanov, Gulnaz Rozykulova, Shadzhan Akmukhammedov and Ovezmukhammed Akmukhammedov, and Lyudmila Nabirkina. These names hold a treasure trove of precious impressions. Like pearl divers, these artists dive into the depths of their feelings and thoughts, bringing us those moments of life we would otherwise pass by without noticing the beauty of this world, the present moment.
Often, paintings can be purchased at such exhibitions, meaning you can take a pearl home with you. This won't be a time to uncover it for special occasions; this sparkle of creativity will ennoble your space continually, never fading, unlike pompous decor.
Your guide through this world of images can be the exhibition's curator, art historian Jeren Klycheva.
Visit the exhibition before March 1 at 135/1 Aga Berdyyev Street. For more information, please call +993 64 618791.
