Travel of Teapots
April 1 in Bishkek has opened the very unusual exhibition-competition under the name “International exhibition of teapots”.
The
initiative and idea proceeded from known “on an invention” in narrow art
environment of the experts - architect and artist Ulan Dzhaparov. He not
only has provoked the artists-friends, inviting them to partnership and
inducing them to arrive from Alma-Ata, Tashkent and even Novosibirsk,
but also has managed to stir measured-slow Bishkek art life, thinking
up general idea for an exhibition. And as we think, it was successful
with him.
It was not simply an exhibition, but a competition with three nominations - photo and graphics, object and performance, and video.
Bishkek
The town is smaller than Almaty, and in it was kept more architecture with characteristic for the Soviet period by details and sculptures, such as the girl with oar. Here, as the townspeople says, always is little bit warmer than at our town in five degrees, and consequently here already had time to blossom apricot tree which, unfortunately, have touched first frost. Here is the sky of very sated colour, and clouds of greater twist, and they say, here’s sunset of incomparable beauty.
Debutantes and maitres
Along with well-known, in an exhibition participated some beginning artists. Their imagination only begins to drive the revolutions, but they are full of enthusiasm and stimulus to create further. It was appreciable at personal acquaintance to some of the students of art educational institutions. Their excitement, inexperience inspired the special sympathy.
Maitres – Vyatcheslav Akhunov (Tashkent), Valery Ruppel (Bishkek) - differently reacted to an exposition. Someone criticized it, someone was indulgent, but to see each other in a new context it was pleasant for all...
Teapots
Now about teapots.
They were most different, from the most usual form the executed in traditions of decorative applied production up to absolute abstracted from direct teapot’s function, with any additional subtext and sense, and quite admitted, and as souvenir.
The well-known stone teapots of Viktor and Elena Vorobiev from Almaty were those by all.
Here it was possible to see teapots-lusters and teapots-aquariums, teapots-watch and teapots-valenki, and even teapots for pharaohs!
Jury
It consists of three men: Marat Surulu (film director), Valery Orozumbekov (architect) and Nazipa Ezhenova (art-expert).
The criteria serving as guiding line for their choice of the winners were the following: quality and professionalism, design thinking and unexpected point of view.
In opinion of Nazipa Ezhenova, the miscalculation of the organizers of competition: the attention was necessary, nevertheless, on the young artists. And it was necessary to award them, for they have stimulus for the further creativity.
If I was the member of jury...
I have thought up such nominations as “the most cheerful teapot”, and would commend the award in it to Seva Demidov His series of teapots dazzled with most various paint...
“The most aggressive teapot” would be that dressed in camouflage skin and had the name “New green tea” by Ablikim Akmullaev (awarded by the diploma for a civil position); nomination “The most touching teapot” I’d have given to Vorobiev for white “messenger’s” teapot; the wittiest teapot would be “a teapot for pharaoh”!
Performances
Most important performance, suitable to the given exhibition, nevertheless was not, namely there was not a great and infinite tea-drinking, giving to a general plan spirituality and humanity. But we have seen others two performances presented by the lovely ladies.
First of them was referred to as “Iranian Tea-drinking”. It was designed by Zhanetta Dzhaparova. Putting on in a costume of the Iranian woman, she has impregnated previously cord by kerosene and, spreading it out as the snake in shape of spiral around of a glass, set on the fire. Then, she puts on her head a gas mask, and starts to drink tea through straw. The good plan has sunk a little in her excitement, but the spectators have understood what exactly she wanted them up to inform...
Next was artist from Alma-Ata Gania Tchagataeva. Playing record of the birds’ singing, she has settled down on stage, and directly in front she started thoughtfully to pour into a jug handful of tea leaves, while a formed tea mountain not bury under itself a clay vessel.
Then she has given the form of the poured mass and has dipped into it her own face previously greased with honey. Face has become covered by black spots.
Thus, on her plan, there was a unification between her and teapot, between her and aroma, between her and the irreal...
Certainly, at this action there was a magic. As against Zhanetta, Gania was filled of internal reliance and calmness, in spite of even casually broken teapot.
Awarded
In nomination “OBJECT” the award have divided E. and V. Vorobiev, as the initiators of a tea theme for all works, submitted in the exposition, and Niaz Arapbaev - for the witty decision of work “Tea together”.
Two diplomas in this nomination were handed “for a civil position” to object “New green tea” by A. Akmullaev and to installation “Do not bow to teapots” by Mikhail Tamilov.
In nomination “photo and graphics” have to appear awarded Shailoo Dzheksembaev for his photo “Sarcophagus, or Teapot for pharaohs”, and also for a series of photos – Erken Baizhurov.
In nomination “performances and video” the diplomas have received Dila Khalmurzina and Dzamila Tolkotcheva for her video “Gruppen-tea”.
Grand Prize «Winter performance»
He Grand Prize has received the master of Kyrgyz modern art Valery Ruppel for a series of photos and video under the name “Winter performance“. On snow-covered field two boys play with thrown out broken teapot. They kick it, throw it upwards, playing with each other in easy game giving the used, apparently, already dead subject a new life... The thing has turned out philosophical, sad and kind simultaneously, something, most likely by stylistics reminding Japanese hokku and netzke.
So originally and unexpectedly the rather rigidly given theme also was realized.
And in this work Valery himself was only author of the idea, which has involved in process Peter Felkh (the author of a photo and the chamber of Alexander Gof and installation Dmitry Dudnikov). The author in the text to the explanatory slip which especially has noted jury has told: “... The process of familiarizing “of teapots“ to teapots has many appearances also is non-uniform by quantity of components of its essential concepts”.
We have shown only one side of this important program, and we hope that nostalgic atmosphere of winter day, the feeling of loneliness and easy sorrow, captured in that day of all participants of performance, only confirms a bygone idea of opportunity of poetry in life of a teapot».
Asya Nurieva