Artist Overcomes Obstacles, With Help From His Friends

02/04/2009

Fahritdin Yahshiev included his painting “Friends” in his recent exhibition at the National Gallery of Uzbekistan. With him are Gulsara Radjapova, the founder of the NGO Sanvikt (left), and his grandmother Klara Hodjimurodova

Fahritdin Yahshiev struggles to pull himself up the street in a beat-up wheelchair. He has difficulty speaking, and it takes a concerted effort for him to control his arms enough to shake hands with a visitor.

It’s nothing short of amazing that the smiling and good-natured 19-year-old has emerged as a budding professional artist. Often using a brush normally used for painting houses, he creates beautiful landscapes and city scenes that swirl with vibrant colors. His mountains and mosques, deserts and robed men are painted in a style shaped as much by his physical disabilities as by his experience growing up in Tashkent.

In January, Fahritdin held his first exhibition solely of his art at the National Arts Gallery of Uzbekistan. It was a big success: Along with selling several of the 30 paintings, the presentation in such a high-level forum was something he could never have imagined, he said.

“My grandmother and I didn’t expect it to be on that level,” he said. His grandmother Klara Hodjimurodova added: “The memory of it is deep in my mind.”

The exhibition was the latest in a series showcasing young artists who have developed their skills through art classes at Sanvikt, an NGO devoted to teaching art to orphans and children with disabilities. Since its founding in 1999, more than 300 children have developed as artists. They have won international awards in painting, sculpture, clothing design and other media, and several of the youngsters have continued their studies with an eye toward building careers as artists, said Gulsara Radjapova, the sculptor who founded Sanvikt.

“When Sanvikt participates in a contest, people know it’s going to be at a high level,” she said.

With the support of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, the World Bank, UNICEF, World Vision Uzbekistan and other partners, the NGO also has built a network to provide support for children with disabilities. It provides legal assistance, shares information with families and offers therapy and educational opportunities that children with disabilities would not have otherwise.
 
“The goal is to integrate disabled children into society, because they should not be limited,” said Larisa Hodjaeva, a project coordinator with Sanvikt. “This keeps them busy doing something, not limited to sitting within four walls doing nothing. They gain self-confidence.”

The art therapy helps the children improve the use of their arms and hands; teaches them about colors, shapes and perspective; opens doors in their mental and emotional lives; builds confidence in their skills; and helps them integrate better with the society around them, she said.

Fahritdin is a good example. When he first came to Sanvikt’s studio six years ago, he was afraid to hold a brush. When he did start to paint, it was only small pictures in dark, dreary colors. Today, his paintings are big and bold, filled with vibrant oranges and greens and blues. They are a reflection of the way he feels and thinks at the time he makes them, he said.

He has built friendships with other students and with the teachers – particularly with Gulsara’s husband Avazkhon Radjapov. Art has become the center of his life, Fahritdin said. The walls in his home are covered with his paintings; others are stacked on the table. His grandmother said he goes into his little studio with his chirping parakeets, turns on the radio and stays up all night painting.

Fahritdin’s recent exhibit, along with the earlier ones showing the best of Sanvikt students’ work, offer much-needed exposure and help lay the groundwork for continuing careers in the arts. They also show off the achievements of disabled people to a society that can use reminding of what those with disabilities can accomplish when given the chance, Hodjaeva added.

Some of these accomplishments are highlighted in Sanvikt’s quarterly newsletter, perhaps the only publication in Uzbekistan devoted to children’s disability issues. Recent issues focus on the children and their art, but also offer articles on health, prenatal care and support for people with disabilities. One piece was about seeing-eye dogs and other animals trained to help those with disabilities, a topic that Hodjaeva studied as a participant in the International Visitors program in the United States in 2008.

The point of all the NGO’s work is to help the children unlock their potential and find their place in society. “We want society to be more kind and merciful,” Hodjaeva said.

Or as Radjapova puts it as she repeats Sanvikt’s motto: “Hurry to do merciful work.”