By Vestnik Kavkaza
The Moscow House of Nationalities hosted recital and opening of a solo exhibition of photographs by the well-known Dagestani-Belarusian sculptor, poet, translator, and composer Khizri Gaziyevich Asadylayev
“I had dreamed about being a sculptor since I was a child,” Khizri Asadulayev says. “I have never strived to gain any awards. My only childhood desire is to be a real master of my craft – wherever my works are to be presented, they should be understandable and familiar. Today I can say that I have succeeded in this as a sculptor. My works are presented in many countries of the world, in private collections and museums, including Moscow. Two monuments erected in Moscow are my works.
I am a successful sculptor. The rest is with the soul component. Poetry came in the same way.I have published books, books of poems which are translated into Belarusian and Russian by wonderful poets. I am lucky from this point of view. The first translations of my poems were made by a Moscow poet, a talented person Lyudmila Maximchuk, a member of the Moscow and Russian Unions of Writers.
As for music, I released an album – a disc of my songs. They were arranged by a very talented composer, one of the most talented Belarusian composers, a person who has arranged such singers as Riccardo Fogli, Al Bano and Michel Legrand. It was an honor for me, and all the songs are arranged by him.
As a result I received offers from various artistic unions. I was a member of only the Union of Artists of Belarus. And they took me to the Union of Writers of Belarus, the Union of Musicians of Belarus.”
Speaking about the Caucasus works, Asadulayev said: “Work is an expression of feelings, thoughts, a vision of the world, and no more. When I visited my homeland, I always took a sketch-book with coloring and painted because it was a pleasure for me. There is only one work on the history of the Caucasus, it is about Chechnya. It is headlined “Chechnya, 1996.” The developments of those years touched me deeply, and I expressed my vision, my attitude to it. Only one work. I have a lot of philosophical works on what I am interested in. If you look at the presented works, you will understand it. One of latest works is “Dance of the Caspian Waves.” I decided to show what Dagestan is in a picture – a dzhigit and a Slavic girl are dancing on waves. They aren’t dancing the lezginka, they are dancing a waltz. It is not just simply Dagestan, but the whole of life. A group of fish is under the wave – it is boiling with life. The dance is a moment of life, joy. We enjoy together. This is the philosophy of my works in general.”
Denga Khalidov, member of the presidium of the Russian Congress of the Caucasus People, told Vestnik Kavkaza about him impressions from the exhibition: “Khizri Asadulayev is a talented sculptor, a talented artist, a creative person. Dynamism and imaginary are felt in his works presented here. It is unforgettable. At least if I decided to decorate my flat, I will buy or ask to present me something for sure. The exhibition really impresses. Khizri is a member of several creative unions in Belarus. In Belarus you have to be a master to be a member of a creative union. He is a member of the Union of Artists, the Union of Sculptors, the Union of Writers, the Union of Composers. It means a lot. Khizri is a talented person. We can be proud of him.”
