21 March 2021 Text: Karolina Kluczewska | Images: Amir Isaev In the 1970s and 1980s, mosaics made of stones and opaque glass tiles called smalti covered nearly all corners of Soviet Tajikistan. Since then, many of them have disappeared, destroyed by the passing of time and weather conditions, but also as a result of spatial reconstruction, which has intensified in recent years. Back then, however, the mosaics transformed the space and, possibly, also the society. They not only made Tajikistan more colourful and vibrant but also promoted solidarity, mutual care and fairness. Visual monumental art used to be an enormous undertaking in Soviet times. Mosaics, in particular, were a form of art made for all people, whatever their educational level and profession, and regardless of whether they lived in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Dushanbe or rural Farkhor located along the Tajik-Afghan border. In Dushanbe alone there were more than 60 mosaic sites. They decorated the walls of schools, kindergartens, hospitals, factories, and apartment blocks in peripheral areas. Such state-funded, popular and publicly displayed art was rare in capitalist systems where cultural and artistic life was largely subordinated to market dynamics. Mosaics were undoubtedly an expression of Soviet ideology. Like other forms of state-sponsored art at that time, they were supposed to foster a socialist spirit right across the USSR. Mosaics were created in line with the socialist realism tradition: a theory and method which implied an optimistic, idealised representation of the Soviet present and future. Precisely because of their social mission, government funding from the central budget was allocated to scores of artists, not just in Tajikistan but throughout the Soviet Union, who received generous stipends and training in the best art schools of the vast country. Yet it would be an oversimplification to call the mosaics propaganda art. Tajik Soviet-era mosaics are a fascinating object of social inquiry not only because of their mesmerising aesthetics, but also because they reveal the complexity of Soviet art, and life in general. They show that there was simultaneously one universal and many local Soviet ideologies, or rather, that Sovietness was defined not only in Moscow. Tajik policy-makers, artists and citizens re-appropriated and renegotiated Soviet ideals by infusing them with local values and beliefs, and made them their own. Thus, the Tajik mosaics display common Soviet motives: cotton farms, everyday work in large-scale factories, education and healthcare. At the same time, they feature local symbols of beauty, with long braids and thick eyebrows, and celebrate multigenerational and extended families. They reveal an admiration for local dances and nature. Occasionally, they even echo Islamic motives and draw on Sufi philosophy. An exemplary set of such multi-layered depictions is the 1975 group of mosaics by Murivat Beknazarov, one of the most prominent Tajik artists. He was born in 1943 in the Vanj district in the Pamiri mountains, and, after his father’s death, was raised in a boarding school in Khorog. After completing his fine art studies in Dushanbe, Beknazarov received a prestigious scholarship to study at the Estonian Art Institute in Tallinn. In 1975, at the age of 32 years, he was commissioned to prepare mosaics for a kindergarten located near the eastern gates of Dushanbe. The order came from the Ministry of Water Resources, which was responsible for the maintenance of this institution. The only requirement was that the composition should encourage child development and be age-appropriate for pupils. Beknazarov, together with a supporting team of three other artists, worked on this commission for two years. The results of this work were three mosaic panels covering external walls of kindergarten buildings. The first panel features boys and girls playing with kites, the second depicts a gymnastic class, and the third shows a teacher instructing children about fauna and flora. In many respects, the tryptic is highly political, as the three images convey several components of Soviet ideology. The mosaics promote physical exercise and a healthy, active lifestyle, which were core principles of an able- bodied Soviet nation. The three scenes also encourage a morally virtuous regard for society by showing teamwork, solidarity, and unity among the pupils, and promoting life in harmony with nature. The importance of education is also featured through images of children listening to the teacher. Moreover, the artworks show boys and girls playing together, pointing to the Soviet ideal of gender equality. Some of these values were, undeniably, imposed by the central Soviet government in Moscow, but others were already inherent in Tajik society. Importantly, however, Beknazarov himself has never regarded his art as ideological. His personal beliefs were rooted in his faith in humanity, which transcended political concerns. As the artist recalls, through the kindergarten mosaics he wanted to share optimism and hope in the future. His aim was to encourage children to aspire to perfection in whatever they do, but without forgetting about the needs of others. He wanted children to look at his artworks and strive for harmony and the gracefulness of butterflies and flamingos, which the mosaics feature. Beknazarov’s figures have dark eyes and thick black hair, resembling the type of beauty valued in his native Vanj, and recall the majesty characteristic of Persian miniatures. It is also remarkable that the artist employed only natural stones in its construction: red and brown ones from Shahritus, black and green ones from Norak, and white marble from Varzob. In this way, he wanted to pay homage to his beloved homeland, Tajikistan. Mosaics reshaped the physical and cultural landscape of Soviet Tajikistan. It was local artists, such as Beknazarov, who were the agents for this transformation. art mosaics soviet symbols ! Dancing feet: a love story " An overview of Tajik handicraft You may also like ! " # $ Nikolay Sadukov, Yakub Begimov | 1979 year Murivat Beknazarov | late 1970s Murivat Beknazarov | 1984 year Murivat Beknazarov | late 1970s Murivat Beknazarov | 1975-1977 Murivat Beknazarov | 1975-1977 Architecture Architecture Art & Artists Art & Artists Cinema Cinema Culture Culture Fashion & Design Fashion & Design Life in Tajikistan Life in Tajikistan Photography Photography Travel Travel March 2021 March 2021 Categories Archives Work with us Work with us ________________________________________________ Subscribe to our newsletter Enter your email address SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE Our footage does not necessarily reflect the view of the Tajik Cultural Centre. 110 Clarendon Rd, Notting Hill London W11 2HR +44 (0) 207 613 22 50 info@tajikculture.org © 2021 | All Rights Reserved Support us Support us ART & ARTISTS TRAVEL Dancing feet: a love story LIFE IN TAJIKISTAN TRAVEL Common ground: the Tajik Pamirs and Pakistan’s Hunza valley Art for the people: mosaics that transformed Soviet Tajikistan Explore Special projects About English Тоҷикӣ #