IN A MAGIC BOX

It is easy to say that there are no hopeless situations by observing other people's problems from outside. But as soon as you are left along to deal with unexpected situations in your own life, let alone the dramatic events, you become lost and do not know what to do next. If you have enough strength and courage to cool off and say to yourself “Well, I will do what I should do whatever happens!” and then take a deep breath to go on living, because you have to. Not to survive, but live...

In 1987, two students of the Institute of Petroleum and Chemistry developed an affinity for journalism. Neither Lala nor Iskander could ever thing that their hobby would soon become a profession spanning many years. They were the editors of the Institute’s TV channel called Student Life. He was responsible for the Azerbaijani version, she for the Russian one. The hobby was sort of a launching pad, which ensured their professional yet successful development as talented journalists. However, in the late 1990s—early 2000s, faced with difficult life circumstances, they had to go through the throes of testing the strength of human character. Iskander got sick. Lala decided to stay next to her husband and left journalism. The Sardarly family had to go through a difficult period of their life. They had to live themselves and raise their only son.

To create means to live

They left the city. Somewhere out there, among plants and small pets, life began to improve. Both needed to give a new meaning to their life, to occupy themselves with something that could inspire and give confidence in the future. Since 2010, applied art has become an almost professional engagement, although neither Iskander nor Lala had studied the intricacies of this trend in visual arts professionally. Today, however, their works are displayed in many international exhibitions. Their handmade boxes and jewel-cases are in private collections of many connoisseurs around the world. The chest made by Iskander and decorated in national motives is now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Cyprus, which has not yet opened officially. But the work of the Azerbaijani master is the only exhibit representing the art of easel painting.

Recently, thank to the support of the Press Council of Azerbaijan and publishing house Azerikitab, Lala and Iskander Sardarly held their personal exhibition of 60 works. Not only relatives and friends of the artists but also intellectuals and journalists attended the exhibition to see and praise the authentic works of the spouses with admiration. Journalism or applied arts, creative people can always touch the magic of art through their skills and talents. The guests were shown a wide variety of chests and caskets, jewellery made as Oriental beads, and so on. They were able to study carefully each piece, trying to determine the nature of ornaments, styles and the intriguing combination of Eastern and Western motifs. Initially planned as a creative report of the artists in front of a larger local audience, it soon became a place for creative and analytical debates. Looking at the result of this creative experiment, it was impossible to even imagine what difficulties these two had gone through before they heard praises and the words of acknowledgement. As their son, Toghrul, recalls:

"Dad started with making funny houses for small pets that we had. And mom used to make jewellery for women. It was necessary to make a special box to keep the precious items. That's how dad made his first box and his passion for applied art began."

"And then?"

"Then he made various caskets, chests and boxes... Anything that he could imagine materialised in decorations and forms. As a result, he came up with a new style of applied art full of Indian, Egyptian, Arabic, and then a combination of Oriental and Azerbaijani motifs."

"In other words, he is generally focused on Oriental motifs?"

"Not exactly. There are many small chests and caskets with European motifs too. After all, we historically live at the junction of Western and Eastern cultures!"

This was so true, because the items displayed at the exhibition were an organic mixture of many ornamental traditions of different nations. Both Eastern and European traditions were pleasing the eyes of visitors with the elegance of aesthetically attractive colours and informative textures. It is well known that the ornaments in the culture of every nation is a coded message to the world with a wish for well-being and prosperity. That is why European themes also contained pieces of oriental ornaments. Incidentally, due to the Great Migration, all nations have become so mixed up that the organic fusion of cultural traditions of the East and the West now seems both natural and logical.

"What about this one? Was it ordered or yet another fantasy of the master?"

"His fantasy! Although some pieces have been made for a specific purpose, for example, as a birthday present."

"Looking at the creativity of your parents, did not you want to do something with your own hands either?"

"I did indeed. This case for storing jewelry is something special. I called it Xenia."

The case has an elegant form and a mixed ornamental composition, again as a mixture of Byzantine and Azerbaijani ornamental details. Inside are Scandinavian runic signs, symbols of augmentation, say, of welfare, for example. Or symbols of spiritual development. In Greek, xenia stands for a short poem usually presented as a gift to the guest. And the Slavs believed that the name Xenia wanders the earth for good deeds. Does Toghrul know these details of symbolic connection of the name and his creation? Maybe for him, it means the power that aims to multiply the good deeds.

LATIS

LATIS is a shortened version of names Lala, Toghrul and Iskander. It is used as a brand, as a sign of the quality of family creations and relations.

Perhaps one of the Azerbaijani artists out there is already making similar chests and boxes. But the works of Iskander deserve attention, study, and, most importantly, use in everyday life, in cinema, perhaps even in the theatre. And also in private collections of those who love oriental flavours in the applied art. After all, this is a real handmade product.