Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tashkent’s Center of National Arts is housing prominent Uzbek artist Ortikali Kozokov’s solo exhibition. The opening ceremony of the art show was held today to coincide with the artist’s 50th anniversary and brought together his colleagues, art professionals, friends, fans, members of the diplomatic corps and journalists. Organized by the Fund Forum and MEROS Association of Artists, Art Historians and Craftsmen, the exhibition will last until November 27.

Prominent art professional and academic Akmar Hakimov, poet Raim Farkhadiy, the Consul of Egypt in Uzbekistan Mr. Akhmed Khamed and a specialist of the Egyptian Cultural Center Said El Magribiy, among others, delivered congratulatory speeches during the ceremony.

Born in 1960 in Namangan region, Kozokov is a member of the Fund Forum’s Board of Trustees, the Creative Union of Artists of Uzbekistan, and MEROS Association. He has been awarded Gold Medal of the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan (1997) and the title of Honored Art Professional of Uzbekistan (1997). Kozokov has trained a large number of young talented artists.

As an artist, Kozokov has achieved significant success. He has given solo shows in Washington (1991), Moscow (1994), Izmir, Turkey (1995), Nagano, Japan (1999), and Lubeck, Germany (1997). His works can be seen in museums, art galleries and private collections in Cyprus, US, France, Italy, Japan, UK, Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Morocco, Canada, Israel, Netherlands and South Korea.

The exhibition provides a sort of an overview of the artist’s many years of creative endeavors and features works that reflect his creative world, extensive experience and accomplishments.

“I have known Ortikali Kozokov for a long time,” says artist Marat Sadykov. “His creative work appeals to me in terms of his way of thinking and, of course, his workmanship. His works contain philosophical and poetic messages”.

The artist makes perfect use of realistic genres: landscapes, and portraits. His exhibition shows that Kozokov is dedicated to avante-garde, a profound category in fine art in terms of creative potential, which is believed to be a pushing of the boundaries of art. Not every artist has found the strength and determination to accomplish the avante-garde of their imagination and skills. Kozokov, however, has fared exceptionally well in this regard. In his works, the elaborate and stark western vanguard blends smoothly with subtle oriental lyricism.

It may be next to impossible to convey in a text the mingling of colors, senses and ideas offered by Kozokov’s works. Seeing them with one’s own eyes would do the job.