David Parry working with the Eurasian Creative Guild

7 Day Literary and Art Week concluded amidst dreams and hopes
Source: http://eurasianperspective.co.uk/2018/10/11/7-day-literary-and-art-week-concluded-amidst-dreams-and-hopes/)

LONDON(Raza Syed/Sohail Loun):The second 7 Day Literary and Art Week 2018, which brought together writers, poets, intellectuals and experts from  all over the world and various walks of life, concluded on 7th Oct 2018(Sunday )with a musical night of dazzling performances in London.

The festival was launched a Fitzroy House where guests and participants from throughout the UK and abroad were warmly welcomed at a ceremony hosted by Sarah Eicker and Anna Lari.

The second Literary and Art Week organised by the Eurasian Creative Guild  was a celebration of new fiction, nonfiction and poetry as well as painting, drawing and sculpture by contemporary Eurasian writers and artists.

Comprising a dynamic and varied programme of 25 events, it showcased work by both established and emerging writers, poets and artists  many of whom were visiting or being represented in the UK for the first time, through readings, discussions and networking, as well as exhibitions interspersed with outstanding performances by renowned musicians.

Guests were then invited to the 5th Base Gallery in Whitechapel for the opening of ‘Living and Dreaming’; an exhibition of contemporary Belarusian art organised by Belarus’ Belbrand Association and the Art Haos Gallery in collaboration with Pro Art & Co.

This was the first time that selected artists had displayed their work outside Belarus and offered audiences a rare opportunity to witness how contemporary art is evolving in the post USSR era. Influences of the country’s grand-masters Mark Chagall and Leon Bakst could clearly be discerned, alongside subjects drawn from traditional folklore but there were also international references including Chinese scroll paintings and Impressionist-style landscapes. In addition to the 5th Base gallery, art was also exhibited in the other venues and altogether, 20 artists, from 5 countries (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus) were presented including : Gulnara Makhmudova, Gulzada Hamra, Yulia Krylova, Alesia Isa, Alexander Perlin, Maria Kosheleva, Anastasiya Shilyagina, Maria Larionova, Pavel Grebennikov, Roman Sakovich, Varvara Viborova, Olga Grouss, Alexander Yushkevich, Egor Batalyonok, Nicolay Buschik, Alexandra Demidova, Vasilij Kostuchenko, Ivan Semiletov, Anna Silivonchik, Alexandra Shibneva.

The 4th day of Literary Week began at the Celebrity Drop-in Centre at St. Peter’s Anglo-Catholic Church in Clapham, London, hosted by former Chair and long-time champion of ECG, Rev.David Parry. David was then joined by Danielle Irandoost at Yunus Emre, to conduct a discussion on the intriguing interplay between art, espionage and the occult sciences within a distinctively Central Asian context whilst referencing amongst others, writer, painter, theosophist, archaeologist and philosopher,Nicholas Roerich.

Talking about the Festival, Guest and participants said that the festival had made a mark on the cultural life here and stating that Eurasian Creative Guild has become “a prominent voice of Central Asian’s intellectual journey.”

Anna Komar (Belarus) closed the session with a selection of deeply moving poems from“Recycled”, inspired by a young woman’s harrowing experiences of love and abuse. She was joined by her editor John Farndon who warmly endorsed her poetic talent.Perhaps this was the most remarkable programme of the event.

Marat Akhmedjanov founder of Eurasian Creative Guild, thanked all the literary community for making the festival a grand success. He said that the platform is an institution with a huge vision and an ecosystem of multiple projects.

Talking about the Festival, Guest and participants said that the festival had made a mark on the cultural life here and stating that Eurasian Creative Guild has become “a prominent voice of Central Asian’s intellectual journey.”