"An artist always suffers from the fact that between him

and his work stands a vivid image of the world,

the power of which is almost impossible to convey.

But he hopes, always hopes, that at least a small

part of what excites him will reach the viewer and

push him towards further discovery of the world."

(Y. Pimenov)

How often in a person's life all the most interesting, valuable, and important things turn out to be within arm's reach, how often these complicated and meaningful states of existence are hidden in everyday trifles. How much tenderness is hidden in the touch of a beloved person, how much true love in the care of an older brother, how much delight in the spring air that accidentally bursts in through an open window, how much warmth in a dinner prepared with love by a mother, how much cozyness in the crackling logs in the stove...

The painter Rustam Yakhikhanov has an exceptionally diverse perception of reality! This artist captures the infinite diversity of the world around him, finding in it the special tones of his personal experiences and trying to express them in allegorical still lifes. It would seem there is nothing new or surprising to say in this genre, which is so everyday, even educational. How can it be reinterpreted and put to use in the expression of feelings and creative ideas? After all, there was already symbolism among the Dutch, Baroque games with still life by Arcimboldo, incredible trompe l'oeil (deceptive still lifes) that amazed the viewer, Cubists and Fauvists played with the form of this genre, and postmodernists created objects in space... How can this genre express the disturbing and important issues for the artist that he raises in his work in the modern era?

Rustam Yakhikhanov takes an innovative approach to his compositions: he uses allegorical images, so touching in their simplicity, to depict human life and humanity, telling stories about culture and destiny—partly of one specific people, and partly of each of us. These painting canvases need no interpretation—they tell their own stories, joyful and contradictory, complicated and prosaic, told among bitterness and laughter. The artist speaks about a reality that does not forgive indifference.
The art of realism, so accessible and, at first glance, obvious to any viewer, in Rustam Yakhikhanov's works turns out to be not a concept of form, but “a concept of the inner essence of life and art about life.” The artist shows a complicated and true reality, and through the unusual representation of ordinary things and phenomena, he gives each viewer a rare opportunity to experience that precious feeling of life.

Among the variety of narrative paintings and compositions with a story, there is one work that seems to stand out slightly from this general painting narrative. The still life “Morris and Caucasian Pitchers” is what started the entire exhibition project. It was precisely in this work that the interaction of objects, the still life theater, and scenes from life performed in the exhibition space were first heard. Particularly valuable in this canvas is the dialogue: a dialogue between cultures, a dialogue between countries, a dialogue between completely alien spheres of life. In each subsequent work, it begins to sound more active, more confident, and more narrative; moreover, some objects leave the still lifes to enter the exteriors of very different characters.

In all these picturesque scenes, one can sense the artist's tender attitude toward his “models.” Each jug has aged in its own special way, each has its own unique dents or embossed decorations, each is completely unique. With such careful attention to everyday objects, as if he were an antique collector, Rustam Yakhikhanov gives a second life to unique artifacts—items of material culture of almost museum value, witnesses of eras and generations. After all, objects play a much greater role in human life than is commonly believed.  They surround us, they are our neighbors at all times. Things are silent witnesses of life, often passed down, given away, sold at flea markets, but they always hold history within them, they encapsulate time. And they look at the viewer not from behind the glass display case of an ethnographic museum, but live and breathe life in his still lifes, and even more — they materialize in installations, giving visitors of the exhibition the opportunity to almost literally touch the breath of history.

The paintings in the exhibition space engage in dialogue with the artist's installations, allowing visitors to get to know the characters in the artist's works “personally,” to see their texture, the complex colors of the patina applied over time, and all the imperfections in their form acquired over the years. The jugs that have come out of the canvas dimension play out their everyday scenes in real time: this original solution by the artist makes the exhibition even more voluminous, allowing things to speak not only in the two-dimensional space of the painting, but also transforming them into participants in our real life in the moment. Some of the compositions of the installations are decided with a touch of humor, which makes them even more vital, adds a modern accent, and draws an invisible line, as if connecting generations.

Rustam Yakhikhanov's entire exhibition sounds like a quiet hymn to everyday life, to the simple joys of existence, but at the same time, the artist reflects and engages in dialogue both with himself and with the viewer about how different cultures can coexist harmoniously in one space, not in conflict, but in harmony, complementing each other.

Art historian

P.V. Nikitina