Tashkent, Uzbekistan 1949-2008 Almaty, Kazakhstan

Rustam Khalfin is widely regarded as a foundational figure in Central Asian contemporary art. Born in Tashkent and trained in Moscow and St. Petersburg under Vladimir Sterligov, a direct disciple of Kazimir Malevich, Khalfin absorbed the ‘cup-cupola’ system of painting. This artistic framework was built around curved forms like cups and domes as fundamental, universal structures. They profoundly shaped Khalfin’s lifelong investigation into space and perception. It inspired him to notice local manifestations of this system as well: a yurt and pialas, the Central Asian tea bowls, embody this principle too.