Otabek Irmatov

Uzbekistan

Year(s) attended: 2007, 2008, 2010

Painting (Ornamental)

A native of Tashkent, Otabek began painting miniatures at an early age and studied the craft as an apprentice to Tashkent masters for seven years before opening his own workshop in 1999. He makes his own papier-mâché boxes and, drawing from the pre-Islamic period when it was permissible to depict people and animals, decorates the boxes with elaborate scenes of love, friendship and amusement. Otabek has exhibited in Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Kazakhstan as well as museums in Germany, France and England.