NEON ARTIST

After graduating from the Azim Azimzada art school as a painting and drawing teacher, the son of the famous sculptor Kamal Alakbarov, Farid, was engaged in painting or sculpture. Then, there was the faculty of Glass and Ceramics at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts. In 2001, he was invited to Sweden to work with a group of teenagers in Kiruna. By the way, Farid is still interested in working with children - despite his busy schedule, he takes the time to visit children's homes and boarding schools on charitable missions. For example, he conducts classes for visually impaired children in one of the capital's orphanages. At the Village SOS children's home, he has painted the interior for free. Farid recently opened his own art studio Lightneon, which quickly became a leader in the field of neon design and lighting effects.

- First of all, tell us about neon painting? For our country, it is a completely new direction in art.

- Indeed, it is quite a new direction in art. It is based on the effect of the reflection of neon colours in the light of a UV lamp. It creates the illusion of illumination and gives the effect of 3D. That is pictures come out three-dimensional and "live".

- How did you become engaged in this kind of art?

- I am a professional painter and grew up in a family of painters - my father and brother were my mentors from childhood. I started to paint at a very young age. I've been doing neon painting for six years. How did my passion start? From usual curiosity. I stumbled across information about unusual effects in painting on the Internet and learned about the so-called luminous pigment. It is a dry powder that has the ability to absorb energy from natural or artificial sources of light and emits it in the form of visible radiation in the dark. I ordered some luminous material and started to experiment. First, I painted the ceiling in my son's room. We liked the starry sky that is seen only when it gets dark. One of my friends saw the unusual ceiling in the room, told his friends, and they told their own friends. So I got my first clients.

- Who are your usual customers: the owners of clubs and restaurants, or people who want to change the design of their apartments?

- When I began my "neon" activity, the first thing I did was that I bet on nightclubs and restaurants. But experience showed that private clients contact me more often: They ask me to paint the ceilings or walls in their apartments. People are tired of wallpaper and usual paint. They want something unusual, individual. After all, the design of the apartment is practically the design of life! We spend most of the time in our apartment, so it's a very important place in the life of every person, because our mood often depends on what is around us, especially as such a picture does not interfere with the interior. After all, neon paint is not visible in normal light and glows only in the dark with ultraviolet. The picture on your ceiling or wall disappears when you turn the UV off. Only after turning on the UV lights in the evening, can you change the familiar surroundings and make it mysterious and unusual.

- Where can I see your works?

- I have decorated Dalga Plaza, Avand, Kral, Arka, Niagara, Golden Ring, Marakesh, Zqan holding, Messinat holding, BP, Palmalife resort, Comp US and many other hotels, offices and restaurants. Recently, I was invited to Chechnya. The assistant to the head of the Chechen

Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, saw my works on Facebook and asked me to decorate the hall and living rooms in one of the children's homes. The customer asked me to draw on the wall of the hall a mosque that Ramzan Kadyrov had built in honour of his father. It turned out to be an incredible sight! During this time, my works were presented at four exhibitions. My first solo exhibition was held in Stockholm in 2002. Then there was the exhibition "On the Edge of Darkness and Light" in Yeni Gallery (Baku) and the Magic Neon exhibition. The last exhibition Neon Party had a charitable nature and took place at the Jale Plaza mall in March of last year.

- How complex is the technique of neon painting? Can one learn it?

- For those who have no idea about airbrushing, it will be very difficult to draw anything even on the wall. Airbrushing is one of the fine art painting techniques which uses the airbrush as a tool for applying liquid or powder dye. Also, you need to be able to work in the dark in the light of UV lamps. I prepare the paint with my own special recipe. The thing is that phosphorus, which is not environmentally friendly, is added to the finished paint. I prepare the paint from pigments of natural origin - Red Sea corals, and without any chemical additives. So that it is completely hypoallergenic.

- As far as I know, you lived in Sweden for about two years. Tell us how you ended up there?

- I worked in printing production at the time and designed catalogues and booklets. Then I was invited to try my hand as a drawing and logistics teacher in a high school in the Swedish city of Kiruna. I wanted new impressions and new experiences, and, of course, I accepted the invitation to go to Sweden. I worked there for a year and a half.

- Why didn't you stay there forever?

- Why? Imagine a country where it is almost always cold and wet. Besides, the Swedes love to drink, whereas I am a total abstainer. And living in Sweden for 18 months, I realized that we are totally different. We have different values. They raise their children and live differently. The Swedish system of education is based on permissiveness. Children are literally led by the hand, are not burdened with work and are surrounded with care until they are 18. After they come of age, they are suddenly released into the world of adults, and the young man suddenly faces real life and real problems. No wonder Sweden has one of the highest suicide rates among 20-22-year olds.

- And how do you bring up your son?

- As I can. Rahim is eight years old. He loves animals. He draws well. He tries to draw something special. He has a great imagination just like any child.

- Farid, are you always so calm and level-headed? What can make you angry?

- Over the last five years, I have been doing yoga, which has naturally affected my character. My life has changed a lot. I learned to accept life as it is. And by the way, when a person is calm, it is easier for him to fulfill himself. I believe that people have problems because of unawareness of their own actions and reaction to them. We must learn how to respond to what is happening with us. Accept all that is sent to you from above. When you learn to accept good and bad things without strong emotional outbursts and without resistance, harmony begins in your life.