Genady Lakoba. Gennady Lakoba

Gennady Lakoba

Genady Lakoba - is a name in modern art which, I hope will represent our epoch with dignity for the following generation. This is a serious artist creating not just «things» (it becoming popular now), but works of art. Possessing a strong natural gift, in his creative activities Genagy Lakoba uses a great stock of culture and art awareness which allows to seek for his own self in different creative trends and hearing from the masters of times, to create his own recognizable style.

In modern sculpture it is impossible to distinguish predominant style. And artistic, who doesn’t avoid influences, anyway choose the individual way, that corresponds to internal needs. And may be it sounds paradoxical, but during the last years of XX-th century, following the traditions in needs more courage, than innovations. Attempts to surprise became normal, and even routine… Genady Lakoba follows the classic way in his art. However, classic- it is only perfect expression of sculpture ideas, which embody in different forms in pristine «Venuses», statues of Ancient Egypt, Sculptures of Mayol and Matveev.

However, XX-th century with its estrangement of form, invade in art of Lakoba. Lines of marble figures with naked pivot of sculpture, stringing fragments-sections – it is own discovery of Lakoba, original analitic method in sculpture.

Genady Lakoba belongs to those artists, who got a real pleasure of creative process. It’s a joy of new ideas, of long and persistent attempts and even of «artistic suffering». In sculpture Lakoba does not stop on founded, but he always looks for new means for making his feelings come true. Artist knows plastic language of antiquity and XXth century. But even that range is not enough for Lakoba. He feels the need to express in other materials in graphics and paintings, in ceramics and tapestry. All that kind of art combine in creative work of artist, no hindering each other, they destroy «shop» canons, borrowing expressive opportunities and synthesizing new ones.

However, Lakoba’s main stream in creative activities is sculpture. Works of Lakoba, made on canvas or paper, are distinguished by one peculiarity, extremely rare in works of «clear» painters: characters of artist transferred on, keep their tree-dimension, visible, almost tangible volume.

Character of artist, character of his works inevitably absorbs impressions of the childhood. Genady Lakoba grew up in Abkhazia, where filing of beauty fascinate even people, who do not have artistic imagination.

The plots with dolmens – ancient megalithic constructions, preserved in Abkhazia, have become a particular topic in the master’s creative activities. According to one of the hypothesis, this majestic constructions of great stone slabs primary served as a sanctuary, only after that they started to be used for burials. G. Lakoba finds out in his creative work that hypothesis, unknown in science: he inserted in dolmens life. The inside space of dolmen accompany to lines of female body, that puts down the stone couch, with warning it.

Strong feeling of forms, from architectural to picturesque, indication to bold and free generalization lead the artist to creation of big works of monumental art. From the end of 90’s artist work with tapestry. That type of monumental-decorative art became synthetic for Lakoba, he chose sculptural certainty of forms, rich picturesque, calm confidence of rhythmical relation and bring charm of artificial work, that is characteristic to tapestry.

Such rare «polyphony», astonishing coexistence of different style of imitative arts in creative works of one master, show the character of talent of Lakoba, clear and versatile. However, all ways of that interesting artist form united and indivisible-his own way in art.

Larisa Skobkina, Hall of St. Petersburg, «Manezh»