The artist who made Perm smile and cry
You may not remember the sculptor’s name, but you certainly know his works. It is impossible to pass by the monument «Permyak — Salty Ears» — it is one of the city’s calling cards. The author is a local, artist and sculptor Rustam Ismagilov. He has dozens of urban projects behind him, each with its own story, and almost every resident of Perm has encountered his work at least once. And recently he presented a project that brings tears to the eyes.
«Urban Legends» are stories about people whose efforts give Perm its distinctive voice. Their deeds become part of the city’s face. The project’s partner is the federal developer Brusnika, a company that respects the character of each place and believes a city’s true soul lives in its people. In Perm, Brusnika is renovating Tikhiy Kompros (Perm) while collecting stories about locals. Next year, residents will choose who becomes the city’s chief legend.
As a child he loved hammering nails
When your father is the well-known artist Ravil Ismagilov, and every holiday is spent among creators, life itself leads you to art. Rustam spent his whole childhood in studios. He was especially drawn to the studio of Stanislav Kovalyov, Uncle Slava, an illustrator of fairy tales with a unique style.
«It was even more interesting with him than with my father. My dad was then busy with large-scale projects such as the “Ural” Hotel and the “Rodina” cinema and concert hall,» recalls Rustam Ismagilov.
At the same time, Rustam did not consider himself gifted. In art school it seemed to him that classmates coped better. But curiosity and the drive to make something new never let go. He loved tinkering, hammering nails, hauling “treasures” home from dumpsters and turning them into something new. Later this passion flowed into working with metal.
«I don’t think I had another choice. I grew up in that milieu,» says Rustam. «Father never insisted, but gently showed that creativity is a path on which you always find yourself. Today I repeat the same words to my children and tell everyone: “Do creative work. In it you will definitely find yourself.”»
Painting, drawing, and scrap metal
It was fortunate that at that time the Akademiya khudozhestv (Academy of Arts) opened in Perm, and Rustam Ismagilov enrolled there straight after school in the Decorative and Applied Arts Department.
«As it happened, I didn’t particularly love painting, but I was very good at it. Drawing interested me far more, yet it turned out worse. I think because painting is more intuitive, emotional — it came more easily,» the artist recalls.
In the end, painting and graphics were completely displaced by working with metal — especially with scrap.
«In the village I found an abandoned forge, dragged a welding machine there, and began experimenting. We welded things there together with my father. My parents supported me and didn’t overload me with garden chores — enormous thanks to them for that,» says Rustam Ismagilov. «My love of scrap metal started in childhood and is alive to this day. Imagine: a design bureau developed some part, a lathe operator manufactured it, it passed through hundreds of hands — an enormous meaning is already embedded in it. And I give it a second life so it doesn’t disappear into the melt. So it can serve people again!»
It is no surprise that Rustam Ismagilov’s first public work was done in precisely this technique: a memorial plaque to cinema projectionist Vladimir Samoylovich on the building of Teatr «U Mosta» (“At the Bridge” Theatre).
«Permyak — Salty Ears»
True fame came to Rustam Ismagilov in 2005, when he had not yet turned 30. With little hope of success, he decided to take part in the competition for the «Permyak — Salty Ears» art object.
«At first, like everyone, I drew little men with sacks on their backs, but then I stopped to think: who exactly is a Permyak — Salty Ears?» the artist said of the sketch’s creation. «I began looking for information, analyzing, and realized they were men and women, Komi-Permyaks, Tatars, and Bashkirs — completely different nationalities. Such diversity didn’t allow for a single image of a person. Then I came to the idea that a Permyak — Salty Ears is each of us! And I decided to depict it as a tantamoreska — a face-in-hole board with ears.»
Everything turned out simple, logical, laconic, and brilliant. The monument became a calling card of Perm; it is one of residents’ favorite art objects and a magnet for tourists.
From snow to stainless steel
Rustam Ismagilov works with different materials, and in this he sees his strength — constant research and discovery. That is why his portfolio includes metal, stone, concrete, even foam plastic and snow. For a time he was seriously carried away with working in snow and took part in various competitions every year. Twice he won the «Winter Vernissage» Cup.
Now it seems hard to find another artist whose works are represented in such numbers in Perm and the krai. Thus, Rustam Ismagilov is by right a popular and legendary author. To his credit are the monument to a plumber — recently moved from the Pushkin Baths to Lenin Street — the countdown clock in Tatishchev Square, and a portrait of Diaghilev on a gymnasium building. A couple of years ago a monument to a gas mask was installed in Zakamsk (Perm). It became a visual rhyme to «Permyak — Salty Ears» — the same kind of frame, only with a special mask. And many thousands of residents of Perm, Russians, and even people abroad own his works, because it was Rustam Ismagilov who created the designs for the Perm Marathon medals. He based them on the Komi-Permyak hunting calendar.
An installation that won’t let go
One of Rustam Ismagilov’s latest high-profile works is «SSh-40» for Muzey sovremennogo iskusstva PERMM (PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art). The installation is dedicated to the Lysva helmet, which was produced during the Great Patriotic War. In total, the plant manufactured more than 10 million units.
«I am, of course, familiar with the history of the Lysva helmet, but for this work I again went to the museum to study everything in more detail. Ten and a half million helmets — that number amazed me, and I began to wonder how to convey it visually. With digits? With images? Nothing fit. I had long wanted to work with mirrors, and then the thought flashed to use reflections — it looks as if this one helmet grows into infinity. Later, music by Mark Bernes was added to the display, and now this combination literally brings you to tears. I myself cannot stay there long. The theme of the Great Patriotic War is close to many, because in our country this tragedy touched practically every family. My grandfather went missing in action.»
A life without vacations
Today Rustam Ismagilov teaches at the Academy of Arts himself, instructing students in working with various materials and sharing his experience. In his words, it is an excellent reason to be somewhere other than the studio and to talk with people.
«In my whole life I took a vacation abroad only once; all my other trips are in one way or another connected with work. I have no hobby, so in essence I have nothing to rest from. I have a job that brings only joy, and the constant change of formats and materials never lets me get bored.»
Rustam did not speak about future projects — for now that is a secret. But from his words it is clear that work is in full swing. And, knowing Ismagilov, there is no doubt: very soon a new story will appear in Perm that everyone will be talking about.
