The Magic of Lola Tillyaeva’s Coloring Book, Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Color

 

Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Color, is a stunning foray into the world of adult coloring books. It’s an ambitious, unique work that is bound to inspire imitation. Handsomely bound and packed with stunning illustrations, it is the work of Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva and spans 2,000-years of Uzbek culture and history.

So as not to overwhelm the reader, the huge array of artefacts and artworks depicted are organized by theme; architecture, murals, carvings, textiles, etc. Together they tell the story of Uzbekistan’s rich and diverse cultural legacy - a captivating blend of influences spanning Persia, India, China and Siberia.

Though superficially an adult colouring book, Lola Tillyaeva’s ambitions run far beyond the standard offerings of this genre. Each image is accompanied by an informative text which helps position it into its correct cultural context. The opposing page presents the reader with a detailed line sketch of the same. A blank canvas, it invites readers to color the object as the spirit moves them.

A brief glance through online reviews is revealing. One mum praised Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s book for stimulating discussion with her “four-year old about the importance of the preservation of art and artefacts and learning about other cultures…” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41093451-uzbekistan). This was exactly the reaction Lola had aimed to achieve.

The line sketches purposely incorporate blank areas to reflect any missing sections in the original. In this way, the reader is confronted with the conundrum faced by museum curators the world over; to try and replicate what has been lost or emphasise what remains. As the above reviewer went on to say, “We have art books in the house that the children examine, but I don’t think they internalized or made as much a connection as this one did,” (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41093451-uzbekistan). In this way, Lola Tillyaeva’s publication transcends her subject and engenders a wider interest in art for its own sake.

Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Colour is not Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s first artistic project. She is also responsible for The Droplet. 12 meters in height and constructed of aluminium tubing, the installation represents a stylised droplet of falling water. First launched in Paris in 2017, it will tour other European cities and is designed to stimulate debate around the issue of water scarcity. In Lola Tillyaeva’s own words, “I believe that art has an incredible capacity to inspire, encourage and unite people around a cause, due to its ability to touch the human soul,” (https://www.lolakarimova.com/the-droplet).

 

A hardcover publication containing 144 pages of gorgeous, lovingly presented images, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva’s book would also make an eye-catching coffee-table piece. An Uzbek herself, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva is well-known for her pride in her nation’s history and culture. One suspects that Lola is also aiming to foster interest more generally in Uzbekistan’s diverse, colourful and fascinating heritage. This is the great success of Uzbekistan: An Experience of Cultural Treasures to Colour. The book effortlessly bridges several disparate worlds. Not merely a source of hours of relaxing artistic expression, it also manages to educate and provoke reflection.