**Расих Ахметвалиев. Вечереет. 2007 г.**

Erarta Museum presents poetic paintings by the famous Ufa artist Rasikh Akhmetvaliev

Travel in time and space
French picturesqueness brought to the Bashkir landscapes
The author, whose works are presented in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery

Ufa is an unusually expressive place, from the Scythian-Sarmatian era to the present day, constantly generating vibrant cultural phenomena. In the 19th century, Sergey Aksakov and Mikhail Nesterov came out of here, and in the 20th and 21st - Yuri Shevchuk, Zemfira, Morgenstern, Rinat Voligamsi. It is not the first time that Erarta turns to Ufa contemporary art: several years ago, the museum hosted a large exhibition “UFAlogy”, where the works of Rasikh Akhmetvaliev were also presented.

The exhibition "Warm Wind" - the artist’s first exhibition in St. Petersburg - opens up another facet of the Ufa school: not conceptual, not Sots-Art, but picturesque. Akhmetvaliev perceives life poetically: he does not consider it shameful to create a beautiful painting, to pay attention to color and mood. The artist is called "Bashkir French" not only because he lived in Paris for several years, but also because of the peculiarities of his attitude, perception of culture, tastes. In the work of the author, one can feel the involvement in the values of the Paris School.

Rasikh Akhmetvaliev’s painting is like a May meadow, where women and horses walk freely and happily. He brings French picturesqueness to Bashkir landscapes, and to artistic travels through eras and countries, from Byzantium to Spain; through her prism he interprets eternal plots, captures the variability of space. There is nothing deliberate in his creative manner - everything is natural, balanced, friendly towards a person. The artist’s works resemble a breath of warm wind - a faithful companion of those wandering through time and space. Their path begins and ends somewhere in the endless expanses of the spring steppe.

About the author:

Rasikh Akhmetvaliev began his career in the mid-80s. His name is associated with the creation of the well-known group "Genghis Khan", in the organization of exhibitions and projects of which he subsequently took an active part. In 2001-2008, Akhmetvaliev lived in France, where he collaborated with the Bartoux and Visio Dell’Arte galleries. Over the years, he has presented more than 30 personal exhibitions in Russia and abroad, his works are kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in the Novosibirsk State Art Museum, in the National Cultural Center "Kazan" and in other public and private collections.

Rasikh Akhmetvaliev. Warm wind Automatic translate

Музей современного искусства Эрарта