The art of unity

One of Uzbekistan’s most talented young artists, Nuriddin Rasulov, goes from strength to strength

Words: Manzura Tashmatova

It was Nuriddin Rasulov’s father who first noticed his artistic abilities, and took him to the workshop of Mukharram Ibragimova, Uzbekistan’s foremost woodcarving master. It happened that the workshop was located quite near their house, and this is where Rasulov made his first steps into the world of woodcarving.

Plunging headfirst into the creative process, he fell in love with the ornate patterns, the smell of the wood, the sound of the hammers – the whole atmosphere of the workshop. The first box Rasulov made became his prized piece; through creating it, he experienced the struggles of the craft and discovered that only through patience and hard work would he achieve results in life.

It wasn’t always easy; Rasulov says he had to work hard to develop his talent, and that it was his passion and dedication that got him to where he is today.

The Young Artist

In 2003, Rasulov entered the history department at the National Institute of Arts and Design Kamoliddi Bezhod (named after the 15th century Persian miniature painter). A year later, he began a professional career at the Gallery of Fine Arts of the National Bank of Uzbekistan. Working in the gallery gave him invaluable experience and kickstarted his creative path toward his life as an artist.

In 2008, Rasulov became a member of a group of young Uzbek artists known as "5 + 1", formed with his colleagues from the National Bank Gallery. Eleven years on from its formation, this creative group of artists continue to show their works in numerous exhibitions and are respected additions to the international art community.

Nuriddin Rasulov was the first to integrate the applied art of woodcarving into contemporary art. His first large-scale project was a giant labyrinth installation called The Dirty World. The installation was huge and formed an interactive environment where observers entered the maze through a door and walked along its corridors, where the walls were covered in islimi, or ‘Arabesque’, a form of detailed floral patterning. The structure of the labyrinth was built on an increasing basis, starting with a sketch, and then gradually adding depth and volume to the lines. The final result was a piece of decorative art symbolising an individual’s life path.

The labyrinth along which the viewer moved represented the road of life along which each person walks, observes and develops, often unaware at how quickly time passes. As it was a labyrinth, there were several paths that the viewer could take, one leading to a dead end, another to the exit. The symbolism of the work was interactive, leading the viewer to question how to find the right path, or getting lost in the intricacies and events along the way. Nuriddin’s message was simple: life is like a labyrinth – everyone has their own path and the right to choose.

A Life of Art

Nuriddin Rasulov's creative biography is extensive and he is a regular participant in and giver of seminars, masterclasses, lectures, and conferences on his craft. He is an active participant projects by curators such as Kamola Akilova (Doctor of Art History), academic leader Akbar Khakimov and Nigora Akhmedova (Doctor of Art History), and he works with the art critics of the NBU Gallery of Fine Arts.

In 2013, at the VII Tashkent International Biennale, Rasulov presented a new installation – Gravity – as part of a project called, “Measurement of the invisible world", curated by Gayane Umerova. The installation consisted of wooden ‘canvas’ faces, each part intricately carved out using traditional Islimi and Girih (Persian geometric patterning).

Lighting was used to create a magical atmosphere of playful shadows within the floral and geometric patterns. The piece was awarded "Best Youth Project" at the biennale and, as a result, Rasulov was invited to participate in the 5th International Biennale in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2015, where he showed his Flower of Hope installation, a piece that appealed to human feelings.

In 2016, Rasulov took part in the International Contemporary Art Festival, where he presented the installation, The Theory of Unity[1] . This conceptual piece offered the artist’s theory of unity and placed a call on humanity for mutual understanding. Using links of carved wooden strips assembled into a single structure, the work depicted the interconnectedness of all countries and peoples. Conflicts cause disagreements, disagreements give rise to threats, and threats are dangerous to all of humanity. In this way, a single link on its own may be weak and vulnerable, but the strength of humanity lies in unity, love and harmony. The work resonated with the audience and Rasulov was subsequently invited to take it to the 1st International Festival of Decorative and Applied Arts, which was held in Tashkent in November 2017.

Rasulov is always in search of new ideas and non-standard concepts for his works. He approaches each project vigorously, studying the topic thoroughly, thinking and experimenting. Always reinventing himself, he uses new methods and synthesises the foundations of applied art with the practical, continuously creating new platforms for his creativity.

A Bright Future

In recent years, Nuriddin Rasulov has been experimenting with new creative mediums, such as painting, and trying to work in fresh directions like abstraction, expressionism and minimalism. His paintings bring together amazing harmonies of colour, and incorporate signature bold brushstrokes. The images he depicts in his paintings are abstract but still manage to portray the artist’s common themes of creativity and forward-thinking, often evoking natural surroundings: a fresh breeze, spacious distance, the sound and undulations of sea waves.

In 2016, Rasumov’s first solo exhibition – Melody of the Soul – was held at the Kamaliddin Bekhzad Memorial Garden Museum of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan. Art critics and viewers warmly welcomed the chance to get acquainted with the works of such a young yet accomplished artist. And at the VIII Tashkent International Biennale of Contemporary Art, held in October 2018, Rasulov was awarded a gold medal.

A life of further success and new creative achievements is clearly on the horizon for Nuriddin Rasulov – the only question is: what will he do next?