The exhibition “A Thousand and One Lamps” is a new project launched by the Rakhimov dynasty and organized by Usto-Shogird School of Ceramics with support from the Fund Forum, IJOD Association of Artists, Art Historians, and Craftsmen. On display are 1001 ceramic lamps. The Fund Forum is planning to present this exhibition in Moscow in June this year as part of the annual Uzbek Culture Evening. Once complete, the exhibition will continue its work in the School of Ceramics in Tashkent until July 2010.

The Rakhimovs` dynasty, one of the most famous in Tashkent, spans six generations of ceramics masters. Presently, representatives of the dynasty are Akbar Rakhimov and his son Alisher, who continue to perpetuate the dynasty`s traditions. Usto-Shogird, the first school of ceramics of the Rakhimov dynasty in Tashkent, was established in April 2005 with the assistance of the Fund Forum.

“This project is thought-provoking. It makes you think about life, about the hectic world and eternal values,” says Alisher Rakhimov, the author of the project. “People always gravitate toward light. And this is the very philosophy we have tried to express by showing people a thousand lamps in diverse shapes and styles.”

This skillful master parlays clay into true works of art. The pieces on display have diverse shapes. They include candlesticks, hanging lamps, floor lamps and wall lamps. To create the lamps, the master used ancient restorative techniques and new original methods of the dynasty. According to Akbar Rakhimov, the making of all the lamps took roughly six months.