Solo Exhibition of Durdy Bairamov in Ashgabat

Ashgabat, 15 April 2008 (nCa) --- It was the first time that both the floors of the exhibition hall were full to the capacity. People were packed like sardines and there was just no space to walk around. Dozens of latecomers were waiting outside impatiently. No wonder, this was the solo exhibition of Durdy Bairamov, the best and most prolific portrait painter of Turkmenistan.

One of the guests said, “Is artist higher than man or is man higher than artist?” The question must remain unanswered because Bairamov is a great man and a great artist.

Bairamov has turned seventy and the exhibition is a gesture of love and respect for the man who has been giving beauty and greatness to the world for more than half a century.

Beauty is what every artist gives through his work but how can one give greatness?

It is difficult to explain in words – the fact will only hit home after you have seen hundreds of his portraits on display. As a rule, he never paints a smiling face; instead he practices the rare knack of bringing out the greatness that is concealed in each one of us. There is hush, there is vision; his subjects are in awe of themselves.

Bairamov has painted almost everyone who was anyone in the art and literature world of Turkmenistan during the last forty years or so. And, he has painted people, people, people.

The love that is the engine of his work makes him return to his family every so often. A whole room is full of the Gozel series, his epic in pastel colours to his wife.

His daughters and his grandchildren are also featured prominently in his works.

Occasionally Bairamov’s works burst into a flurry of colours but generally he picks from the somber side of his palette. Even though is colours are dark, the mood is not. There is always hope, wisdom and an illusive something that can vaguely be called the promise of a dream.

Born in 1938 in Bairamaly, a town at the site of the ancient Merv, Bairamov studied in Ashgabat and Moscow. He has received several decorations and honours, including the ‘People’s Artist of Turkmenistan.’ His works have been displayed in Russia, Germany, Hungary, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Soon, his solo exhibition will be held in Dubai.