Ubiquitously Uzbekistan – The Celebrated Bukharan Documentary Photographer Shavkat Boltayev

There was no mistake that Bukhara’s climate is that of the desert. On our second full day in Bukhara, we woke up to what seemed to be a sandstorm. We had already left the Oasis Boutique for the adventures of the day, but decided to return to our room to get our face masks.

We were amazed by how the sandstorm changed the character of Bukhara. We walked through the same streets in Bukhara for our sightseeing of the day, and only then realized what a great blessing it was that we had the sunshine of the previous day. The warmth, the charm, the brilliance of the golden shades of the desert—turned suddenly into a haziness. Strong winds greeted us by sweeping up dusts that seemed to have come from nowhere. The streets were deserted and clothed in a menacing veil of grayness. It was not just gloomy. On that day the nature of Uzbekistan spoke a language of calamities, through the droning rustles of swirling dusts.

We pressed on, as we had no time to lose for our sightseeing program of the day. Soon enough we made our way through the sandstorm to the photography gallery of Shavkat Boltayev.

An activity indoors was perfect for this weather. We found our calm again amidst the beautiful images of Uzbekistan taken by the native Bukharan photographer.

About Shavkat Boltayev

Shavkat Boltayev has Persian roots going back to generations, but his family has long settled down in Uzbekistan, specifically in Bukhara.

As an artist, Shavkat Boltayev is committed first to his hometown Bukhara and then to Uzbekistan, by taking wonderful photographs of all aspects of Uzbek life. Chiefly, he takes beautiful portraits of the Uzbek commoners, for decades documenting both the changing and static aspects of Uzbek culture.

Between tradition and modernity his lens lends a realistic angle to the truth and beauty that made Uzbekistan, and sometimes placing his camera at the crossroads of the country’s shifting socio-economic landscape.

From wedding to family portraits, from cooking to eating, from crafts-making to worshipping, Shavkat Boltayev’s photographs depict the most fundamental experiences of living and livelihood. Oftentimes the photographs are set against the iconic sceneries of Bukhara, and that shows how history comes alive and finds continuous relevance to this day.

During the mid-1980s, Shavkat Boltayev founded the first photo gallery in Bukhara, and the gallery continues to engage in the development of art and artists in Bukhara today.

A Tour of Shavkat Boltayev’s Photo Gallery

The photo gallery is not very big but it showcases many facets of Uzbek life that I would have never gotten around to see on my own (let alone shooting those similar photographs myself).

There is that calming quality to Shavkat Boltayev’s photographs, perhaps because they are down to earth and realist. The photographs cover a wide variety of subject matters, but at the forefront and in the center of these photographs, the awareness of history, the appreciation of minority cultures, the interaction between humans and nature, and the passion for his subjects come through.

My friend and I spent perhaps more time there than we originally intended. Toward the end, we had to struggle with which prints and postcards to buy. There were many interesting photos there.

In the Adamdar website Shavkat Boltayev documented his journey as an artist and photographer. It is a very engaging read, please visit the website here.

I’m not the biggest techie. When I give master classes, I tell my students, don’t ask me any technical questions. I don’t even use many of the functions on my camera. For me, the most important things are the process, the situation that I’m capturing, and its framing. – Shavkat Boltayev

The address of Shavkat Boltayev’s Photo Gallery is B.Naqshband #70, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.

Sources

Descriptions on site at the Photo Gallery of Shavkat Boltayev.

The Adamdar Website, A Man from Bukhara.