CONTEMPORARY ART CODE
Alfiz
Sabirov
“ There is a breath of life in both carpets and bronze ”
Alfiz Sabirov ’ s sculptural works in many ways are not the usual classical art , but a fusion of mythological images , ethnic motifs , rethinking of national culture . To find new means of expression , the artist decides to daring experiments in other areas , for example , combining carpets with bronze fragments . We talk to Alfiz Sabirov about roots of myth-making , fantasy images which are embodied in a variety of materials , time and culture codes .
►Tell us about your origin and family . How much has the Tatar culture , its history influenced your work ?
- I grew up in a Tatar family in the village of Ishimovo , Perm Territory . My mother always said that we were from the White wolf family . The names of the villages are derived from the people ’ s names who once settled in these places a long time ago . Our surname is formed from the word sabyr meant patience . We grew up in complete freedom , love , traditions and
Photo by Pavel Ogloblin customs . I was very fond of fairy tales , and I can say it was the beginning . Culture , traditions , way of life , environment and place where we grew up have influenced my worldview . But love for volume did not appear immediately . I think that all that information from the ancestors of many generations “ woke up ” in me at one certain moment
►How and when did you start your career ?
- When I was one or two , I painted my father ’ s passport with a pen . My parents had the imprudence to leave such an important document . To some extent , it was symbolic . This was my first graphic .
In 2005 , I graduated from the Perm Pedagogical College N4 with a degree in Fine Arts and Drawing . I wanted to return to the village and become a teacher . But my college teacher gave me advice to continue my studies . I am still grateful to him . This is the way I had to take , but I did not feel it . In the same 2005 I entered the Russian Academy of Painting , Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Glazunov ( Ural branch in Perm ). In the workshops , I saw live how metal melted . It was a special action : the molten metal then reminded me of milk . It was magic ! Then I asked myself whether I could master this material and could be a unity with it . Foundry process and , in general , sculpture made of bronze is magic , where you can make everything from one material , and the sky , and water , and mountains , create an entire universe .
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