The Art of Industrial Development from a Lost Age

Virtual exhibition of watercolor works by Gairat Baimatov & Human House Gallery. Uzbekistan

The Human House Gallery presents a virtual exhibition of watercolor works by the Ukrainian artist of Uzbek descent, Gairat Baimatov, titled “The Art of Industrial Development from a Lost Age”, available on the gallery’s website. Gairat Baimatov’s works in the genre of industrial landscape belong to his creative period of the 1980s, a time when the artist managed to visit every corner of the Soviet Union as part of the all-Union mobile creative groups organized by the Union of Artists of the USSR. The exhibition combines 15 watercolors from two series. In 1981 in Kyiv, he created a series under the provisional title “Industrial Ukraine,” and in 1984 in Magnitogorsk, he painted “Kuzbass Industrial.”

The first motifs related to the genre of industrial landscape began to appear in the first third of the 20th century when industrialization was gaining momentum in the USSR. It was then that the genre managed to secure its place in visual art and demonstrate its relevance as an ideological tool. However, the industrial landscape gained particular significance in the post-war period, when the country’s reconstruction was a task for every Soviet citizen. Art, as always in history, reflected the changes occurring in the country, society, and everyday life. This new wave of landscape motifs provided Soviet artists with the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, but now in the performance of a new realistic direction.

Gairat Baimatov recalls that the 1970s were years of a widespread fascination with watercolor. At that time, every artist dreamed of participating in all-Union watercolor exhibitions, but the selection was strict. For young Gairat, working in a creative group was an excellent professional school, as most of these groups, consisting of 20-25 people, included experienced and famous artists. As a result, a cycle of works was created, which today serve as a unique chronicle of Soviet industrialism.

The exhibition features works created through high-quality (gigapixel) digitization, which conveys all the nuances of Baimatov’s artistic technique. For each work, a digital passport was issued on the latest id.art platform developed by .ART, based on blockchain technology, confirming the authenticity of both the original work and its digital copy. Additionally, as part of the project, a collection of commemorative NFTs was released, available for purchase on the major blockchain platform OpenSea.

The virtual 3D gallery allows visitors to stroll through the exhibition hall and, using simple navigation, view all works and read text descriptions. Particularly valuable are the video clips in which Gairat talks about the exhibition and each piece. The project’s authors had to use artificial intelligence technologies and combine generated videos with Gairat’s speech, as he is currently unable to travel from Ukraine to Tashkent or record videos independently.

Created in the Soviet era, Baimatov’s watercolors have gained particular expressiveness and relevance today. They remind us of the enduring strength, deep thoughts, and heroic labors of the people of that era. At the same time, they serve as a document of the epoch and an opportunity to critically reflect on Soviet industrial utopias and the environmental impact of human activity in the modern era. Although progress has moved forward, leaving behind the technologies and needs of that time, the emotions and dreams of that generation continue to live most vividly and youthfully in their artistic legacy.

All works presented are ready for sale, and the funds raised will go directly to Gairat Baimatov, who currently lives and is actively involved in volunteer activities in the village of Sorochintsy in the Poltava region of Ukraine.

Organizer:
Human House Gallery

Project Team:
Artist: Gairat Baimatov
Idea and Curator: Lola Saifi
Digital Curator: Vladimir Opredelenov
Scientific Curator: Nail Farhatdinov
Photographer: Ernest Kurtveliev
Coordinator: Sevara Magrupova
Consultant: Lyudmila Baimatova
Technical Editor and Content Manager: Julia Buzina
Video Editing: Timur Irgashev
Technical Support: Denis Yakovlev, Alexey Brastilov, Nazarkhan Karimov
Project Supported by .ART

Project Links:
Official project page and online exhibition: https://human-house.com/the-art-of-industrial-development-from-a-lost-age
Portfolio page of the collection and digital passports: https://humanhouse.id.art
NFT collection page: https://opensea.io/HumanHouse

About Human House Gallery
Human House gallery (https://human-house.com) is an innovative cultural venue that fosters a community interested in the development and support of culture and art. At Human House, one can not only purchase decorative arts, clothing, or paintings but also participate in events, learn new skills, or simply gain new experiences. The gallery also assists many emerging creative individuals in starting their activities and has already nurtured over 30 fashion and craft brands.
Recently, Human House’s activities have become closely intertwined with internet technologies. They are expanding their online sales and teaching others to do the same. They create online exhibitions, generate digital passports for paintings, and also serve as an ambassador for the global .art domain. This is why they have decided to further explore the possibilities available on the internet and teach these skills to their colleagues, artists, designers, and craftsmen.
In 2023, the Human House Gallery brand participated in the six-month training program eBay Central Asia Hub – 2023 and won a prize place in the top ten entrepreneurs of Uzbekistan, subsequently receiving a grant that contributes to the development of the business on the eBay trading platform.

Human House Gallery on major marketplaces for artists:
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HumanHouse
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/str/humanhousegallery
ID.art: https://humanhouse.id.art/
Artpal: https://www.artpal.com/humanhouseuz
Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/all?query=Lola%20Saifi

About .ART

is a global company managing all internet domains in the .art zone and developing digital platforms for creating free portfolio websites, issuing digital passports for artworks, and other services for all creative individuals and those working with art and culture.
https://art.art – General information about the company and a blog with the latest news from the ART world.
https://get.art – Here, you can purchase .art domains without markup and create a portfolio website (contact Human House Gallery for a special promo code for discounts).
https://id.art – A platform for managing collections, creating digital passports, and issuing NFTs for artists, collectors, and galleries.