The Unique Crimean Tatar Cultural Heritage is Revealed in the Newly Opened Exhibition "Qalqan/Shield" in the "Mission" Gallery
On May 8, the exhibition "Qalqan/Shield" opened in the "Mission" gallery at the State Cultural Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, which attracted the attention of the general public. The event was held in the presence of high-ranking guests - the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Maria Angelieva, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Olesya Ilashchuk, the artist Rustem Skibin and many other diplomats and guests .
The director of the State Cultural Institute, Snezhana Yoveva, welcomed the guests and noted that the opening of the exhibition and the personal visit of the artist Rustem Skibin in Sofia, in these extremely difficult times, is a great honor for all who respected the event at the "Mission" gallery.
Deputy Minister Maria Angelieva emphasized in her speech that the exhibition is a very important act of support and solidarity: "The project of the famous Crimean-Tatar artist Rustem Skibin, entitled "Shield", is a kind of true creative expression of the challenges and trials of time, in on the eve of the holiday that unites us more than ever in European solidarity and common human values - May 9, the Day of Europe, the day of peace and unity, I am pleased to be here in the "Mission" gallery at the State Cultural Institute and to open a really interesting international exhibition, for which I congratulate the organizers from the Institute and the Embassy of Ukraine in Bulgaria."
His Excellency Ilashchuk shared an important message dedicated to the importance of the exhibition: "We dedicate the project "Shield" of the most famous Crimean-Tatar master Rustem Skibin to a very important and difficult anniversary. Eighty years ago, by order of Stalin, all Crimean Tatars were deported from Crimea , with almost half of them dying on the way or in the first years of their lives in exile. This is one of the worst crimes of the twentieth century - forced deportation and loss of their native home for decades." Ambassador Ilashchuk added: "Issues regarding Crimea and ensuring the rights of the Crimean Tatar people are on the main agenda of the leadership of our country."
The exhibition presents ceramic panels and informational posters that reveal historical ornaments and the rich cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars. The creativity of Rustem Skibin contributes to the preservation of the memory and identity of a nation.
About his work, Rustem Skibin shares: "For several centuries, this type of Crimean art has practically not been studied. The heritage of masterpieces of our art is kept in world museum collections and is unknown to the general public. This is connected with the destruction, persecution and blocking on the part of Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the modern Russian Federation of the cultural heritage and identity of the indigenous population of Crimea - Crimean Tatars, Karaims and Krymchaks."
Rustem Skibin, working for 20 years on this project, was born in Samarkand in 1996 and graduated from the Samarkand School of Arts. After the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, he returned to Crimea and began to actively research, revive and develop the ancient Crimean Tatar crafts. His unique style of polychrome painting on ceramics entitled "Quru Isar" is recognized as a new global brand of Crimea and Ukraine.
The artistic project was realized with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Bulgaria, the State Cultural Institute of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, the NGO "El Chebier", the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion and the United Initiative "Crimean Front" .
The "Shield" exhibition is open to visitors every weekday and will continue until May 17, 2024.
Photos: Stefan Markov