Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Neon has come a long way since its discovery in the late 19th century to attract artists with its bright light and colors, and found its way into the art. The artistic uses for neon tubing became more apparent, and people continued to experiment with the fragile medium.

Neon art is painting based on the effect of the reflection of neon under ultraviolet light and thanks to the illusion of the glow and 3D effect the pictures become alive.

Farid Alakbarov, is one of the most important contemporary Azerbaijani artists and perceived as one of the most iconic neon artists. He has recently opened a new house museum with attractive title “Farhause.”

The unique neon museum located in Baku’s Novkhani village consists of two floors, decorated in neon style from facade to interior. The choice of the museum’s location is not accidental, as the artist has been in love with the sea in all its ever-changing moods since childhood and he believes the fresh air of the sea gives a completely different feeling, allowing one to breathe freely.

Literally all surfaces from floor to ceiling in the museum were covered with neon painting, glowing under ultraviolet light. In his works Farid seeks to create a unique pictorial world, and he uses combinations of normal and fluorescent colors which also "work" in the absence of light, creating an amazing effect of glow in the dark.

Head of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Museum Sector Azada Huseynova, addressing the opening ceremony, highlighted the exclusivity and originality of Farid’s creations.

“We are constantly working with the artists, but we have never met the person who has such a unique skill, as Farid. He is one of those people who constantly work on himself and develop,” she said.

Farid is among the few artists of the East, who decorates interiors of the public and residential buildings with the neon painting.

The artist first came up with the idea to work with neon paints at the disco when he saw people wearing white shirts and this white color resonated while interacting with ultraviolet light.

Then Farid started to examine how it is interconnected, found the pigments that glow under ultraviolet light and began to experiment and work with them, creating different paints using them for fabric, for the body and stone.

In the end it all turned into an exhibition that Farid organized 10 years ago. After that he started working on it, and now he offers his services, mainly such as design of children's rooms -- the effect of a starry sky.

Farid’s works are very popular in Baku and abroad, where he exhibited his works and gave master classes.

--

Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz