Chapter 1

ENVIRONMENT

Anika’s Irises

Watercolor, paper

I was born a month before the civil war broke out in Tajikistan. The conflict lasted for 5 years and created danger and instability in all spheres of life. Many, including our family, lost their jobs or found that their salaries became devalued in a new economic reality. People had to adapt or leave.

Prior to USSR’s dissolution, my mother and grandmother were a part of mountaineers’ community - doctors, architects, engineers, mechanics, poets, construction managers and academics - who shared a love for skiing, hiking, rock climbing, and spending time together as a “Takob Kollektiv”.

They continued coming together every weekend for an outdoor outing in spite of the war, economic hardship, lack of infrastructure, water, and electricity. They engaged in mutual aid outside of the mountains, celebrated each other’s birthdays, mourned losses, and processed change together.

Fortunately, I became a part of this community and spent the first 16 years of my life feeling like I have a family of about 50 people, who I could always turn to for safety, knowledge, and fun. They taught me the value of friendship and camaraderie, of being egalitarian, of treasuring own integrity, of striving towards deeper understanding of the world, of doing hard things together and creating joy, even when the circumstances are unfavorable. They were encouraging and supportive of everyone’s artistic expression.

Outside of “Takob Kollektiv”, most adults and peers that I remember interacting with were showing care for others, even though life was tough and the changed economy provided more incentives to compete instead of cooperating.

Growing up, I came to believe that people always try to help each other, that there is clear “good” and “evil” in the world and the “good” always wins, and that values of community, integrity and pursuit of higher ideals are either universally accepted everywhere, or should be. I thought there are concrete truths to the universe outside the laws of physics.

I was also convinced that history was a progression toward justice, improvement, and nobler principles, and decided to study social sciences when it came to choosing bachelors. I was hoping to understand why “bad things happen” and how to solve them.

Another choice was studying art, but early on it was decided that that would be “selfish” and “risky”.

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Takob Kollektiv

Video

Re-edited from an original edit by Stas Mikhailov

Mountains and nature

Oil, acrylics, canvas

Various sizes

When I was 8, I unexpectedly won in an international art competition, which allowed me to get a scholarship to study 9 hours a week with fine painter Khurshed Mamadslanov for the next 8 years. In this time I learned basic fundamentals of art and design, and practiced in various mediums, eventually “graduating” to oil painting.

The subjects of my art from these years and a bit after is the artistic documentation of the natural world around me.

The paintings featured here are the pieces made after finishing the studies with Khurshed Mamdslanov.

*The piece to the center - right (rolling green hills and field of wildflowers) was made from watching a Youtube tutorial in 2015, and is based on another artist’s work.

Mountain Series

After spending many weekends actively exploring the outdoors, a lot of those places gained sentimental and spiritual significance to me. I associated these places with feeling most alive, most connected with others, and most in touch with outer and inner reality.

Takob At Night

Oil, canvas

A3

“Takob” is the name of the place where the Kollektiv gathered every winter weekend to ski.

Takob In Summer

Oil, canvas

A3

In summer, we visited Takob to clean the surrounding areas and hike trails from any trash that was hiding under the snow.

Takob At Night II

Acrylics, canvas

A3

There was something special about the way moonlight reflected off the snow at night.

Mountain Series

Sunset In Takob

Oil, canvas

A3

This was the first oil painting I made under the guidance of my teacher.

Takob in Fall

Oil, canvas

A3

Khoja Obi Garm

Acrylics, canvas

A3

Khoja Obi Garm is a former ski station not far from Takob. We went hiking there every spring and fall.

The Guardian & The Gardener

My grandmother Anika was one of my primary caregivers. She was an architect who loved gardening, and if it wasn’t for her skills, labor, and care, our family would starve during the civil war. She couldn’t participate in the regular hikes and skiing after 1998, but took me to her little garden on most summer weekends. There I spent countless hours digging, picking, reading, gazing, and enjoying Anika’s company.

Anika was a compassionate, intelligent, honest, self-directed, loving, generous towards both neighbors and strangers, and kind person, always vocally opposed to any abusive domination or injustice. With her wise approach and gentle touch buildings grew, plants bore nutritious fruit, and the people she interacted with blossomed. She modeled community-oriented behaviors and attitudes without dogmatic justifications, and showed how to accept different people with respect for their dignity.

Anika cultivated my appreciation for reading, nature, and art. She was very supportive and involved in these activities both emotionally and materially.

“Platonic” Series

This series explores the Platonic ideal of ‘floweriness’ - not the depiction of specific plants rooted in a particular time or place, but the idealized concept of a flower itself.

Peony

Acrylic, canvas

A4

Peonies were Anika’s favorite flowers. I made this painting for her.

Iris

Acrylic, canvas

A4

Anika grew irises and was the first person to show them to me, as well as facilitate plein airs, both in her garden and all over Dushanbe city when the different variations of irises bloomed.