Life laws of Tahir Salakhov
Tahir Salakhov is famous. The popularity and recognition of this outstanding painter is exemplified by his successful, multifaceted activities including being an artist, set designer, teacher, and a major public influencer. In each of these vectors, he makes his mark.
The M.O.S.T.: Previously, you held the position as the first secretary of the Union of Artists of the USSR, where you supervised creative connections with foreign countries. During that time, how wide was the area of international cultural contacts of the Union?
Tahir: The time was not easy, it was during the Cold War. Creative contacts were limited mainly to socialist countries. Despite all of the obstacles, the leadership of the Union of Artists of the USSR did everything possible for the interaction of the artists from different countries. Since the late 1980s, early 1990s largescale projects were held in Moscow and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), which included personal exhibitions of famous Western artists including Günther Uecker, Robert Rauschenberg, Gilbert & George, Jean Tinguely, Giorgio Morandi, Rufino Tamayo, James Rosenquist, Jannis Kounellis, among many others.
The M.O.S.T.: Along with the personal exhibitions, you had the idea of holding thematic art exhibitions such as the “Twelve European Artists” from the collection of Lenz Schönberg, “Forty Artists of New York,” “French Academy of Arts,” among others.
Tahir: These projects aroused wide interest among numerous visitors, and their stories are worthy of being continued. Each foreign author’s exhibition displayed similar themes, which showed works by Soviet artists abroad. Implementing such projects was not an easy task, but it was worth it because these exhibitions inspired new perspectives and interesting acquaintances, which often developed into friendly relations. For many years we had a friendship with American artist, Robert Rauschenberg, who unfortunately passed away 10 years ago. Thanks to Robert, who invited me to the opening of his exhibition in Berlin, I witnessed the historic event of the fall of the Berlin Wall.