By Vestnik Kavkaza
These days the Central House of Artists is holding the Moscow art show “CHA 2013: Process.” President of the International Confederation of Unions of Artists, chairman of the Azerbaijani Union of Artists, Farkhad Khalilov gave interview to Vestnik Kavkaza.
- What is your opinion about the work of the International confederation of Unions of Artists?
- This exhibition demonstrates efforts of the confederation. Organization of such a big exhibition, gathering of so many independent countries – it is very difficult. I think that the confederation is very active today from the point of view of organization of exhibitions, meetings of artists, and so on. The confederations firmly stand on its legs. Every meeting of artists is an event which forms an artist’s future. There are works of not only the confederation, but also non-confederation projects, and they are interesting – amazing artists from Russian provinces. To hold this meeting is a big success, and it is worth spending some resources. The show exists for years, and every year it is expanded. Today all Baltic countries are participating, they would like to be in a deep contact with the confederation.
It makes us optimistic. The project will grow and change. Books by many wonderful writers are being published, bug albums on the confederation, art, all countries. It is a serious work.
- Do works by young Azerbaijani artists differ from works by Soviet artists?
- They pleased me so much. There is a prominent sculptor who lives in Moscow. It is a very beautiful exposition. As for differences, the Soviet period has its drawbacks, but also it has advantages. The ideological pressure encouraged resistance which led to positive results. Probably we cannot present those works like we present modern young artists, but they were interested as well. The exposition presents a project by artists who drew in the Soviet period when they were under 35. Amazing artists are here – from Natasha Nesterova to Lubennikov. These are beautiful works. An artist will always be. He has always been an opposition in a sense. It must be so. I cannot say today young artists live easily, even though they can demonstrate anything. Sometimes it is even more difficult for them. They have economic problems. We had them either, but they were not in the first raw. Our foreign friends didn’t understood how could we spent last money and didn’t know what would be tomorrow. Today these problems are tough. I think they influence. They create difficulties. An artist has to think that he must sell his pictures. It is hard and serious. It is important that we see here young people who remain artists, nevertheless. I think it is typical for all times. All generations have their own time which they will remember as the best.
Of course there are differences as time goes by. The Soviet Union moved forward too. Probably we had no a big amount of information, but we got somehow the information which we needed. And Moscow with its exhibitions, cellars, outstanding masters… I think it was interesting. I wish our young artists to live as interestingly as we did.
