Alexander samodurov

Aleksandr Samodurov was born in Voronezh (Russia) in 1952. His father was a military serviceman and the family had to move from place to place very frequently. Sasha changed schools and friends, he had to adapt to new conditions and people all the time. This contributed to the development of his communication and networking skills, and later to the organization of teams to implement his creative projects. Craving for the stage and his creative talent were embodied in the realization of school and student theatre productions, KVN games, Student Spring Talent Shows, including during the period of his study at the Lipetsk State Pedagogical Institute.

Aleksandr quickly became aware of his main vocation: theatre and directing. But when working on the stage, one cannot help but be involved in its design, and when working with people, one cannot help but be skilled in visualizing images. That is why he became keen on painting and at the same time mastered the specialty of a production designer, the skills of which he honed while serving in the Soviet Army.

In 1976 he and his family moved to Aktyubinsk (today it’s Aktobe, the Republic of Kazakhstan) and the artist’s creativity grew into a profession. At first, he was a production designer at the Aktyubrentgen plant, then in the House of Culture of Metallurgists, House of Culture of Chemists, drawing teacher in several schools of Aktyubinsk successively, later, when he was employed by radio and television companies, an advertising agency, the artist was engaged in creation of corporate identity of organizations and design for advertising.

At the same time, he was the artistic director, director, as well as a set, costume and poster designer at the theatre under the Aktyubrentgen plant.

In 1979 the first production, a musical with dances and songs based on Kuprin’s fairy tale “Blue Star” took place. Then two more performances were staged at Aktyubrentgen based on E. Shitko’s play “The Alien” and V. Belov’s play “Kashchey the Deathless”. The latter was banned due to the censorship of the party after three demonstrations, after which Aleksandr left the Aktyubrentgen plant and established his own theatre company, KRUG Theatre Studio.

The company of KRUG included young creative people from enterprises and higher education institutions of the city, for whom the theatre became a chance for creative personal fulfillment. Aleksandr Samodurov taught the young people theatrical skills, and they together staged topical theatrical plays with great talent, which couldn’t but become bright events in the cultural life of the city and the republic and winners in festivals, and later won the Grand Prix of the all-union review competition among amateur theatre companies held in Tashkent in 1988.

For the entire period of its existence, KRUG Theatre Studio, which received the title of the People’s Theatre in 1985, staged more than ten large-scale performances, participated in numerous shows at various venues of the city with theatrical miniatures.

The two elements of art, theatre and painting, run through Aleksandr Samodurov’s entire professional career. Intertwining, they grant synergy to his theatrical projects and the artist’s paintings.

Throughout the period of his life and work in Aktyubinsk, Aleksandr Samodurov actively participates in the cultural life of the city: he was the artistic director of the Theatre of Miniatures, the KVN team of the State Medical Academy, Aktyubinsk Higher Flight School, he organized and directed large city holidays at the request of the administration of the city and the region. At the same time, he taught drawing, gave lectures and held seminars devoted to directing and speech culture at the city’s enterprises and at Aktyubinsk Culture and Education Center. Numerous students, who made their first creative steps thanks to Aleksandr Samodurov’s participation, later became professional actors, radio and television presenters, heads of creative associations.

Since 1991, Aleksandr Samodurov has been involved in projects of RIKA-TV Media Group, being in different timepoints the chief director, head of authorial programs, director of outdoor advertising department, head of the group of design of advertising layouts in the Autograph newspaper and executive director of Aktobe Radio. He trained broadcasters, scriptwriters and cameramen and produces authorial programs. At Aktobe Radio, he trained DJs for the going on the air, wrote scripts for commercials, developed and hosted on-air programs.

«Factories shut down, large and small businesses closed down. People who used to attend performances now went to the market and private retail outlets. Hunger, cold, rolling blackouts all over the city, unemployment. My artistic skills saved me. Cooperatives and small shops that have appeared required signs and advertising.»

The state restructuring, separation of Kazakhstan from the USSR, the era of hardships and commodity deficit of 1990s changed the usual way of life. In that difficult time, working at several jobs, Aleksandr Samodurov found an opportunity to generate extra income: he painted the first large billboards and signs in the city in decorative paint and enamel. Since 1994, holding the position of the chief designer of AKTEKS Advertising Agency, he has been creating the first experimental works in a new collage technique.

«The ORACAL adhesive advertising film was brought to the city, but the plotters that cut the film had not yet appeared. So, I took scissors. I started to cut letters according to templates from the film and glue them to painted surfaces. I glued and glued: day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out. There were small letters and very big ones, long texts and short names made of them. Once, at the end of the working day, looking at the scraps of the Oracal film on the floor, I suddenly thought “Why don’t I make a picture with them? And I made it: the first big art panel.»

The sculptural, even theatrical, composition in Aleksandr Samodurov’s works can create the illusion that the artist worked in paints. This pushes the viewer away from the usual visual perception, inspiring take a good look at the work. The author’s technique is a unique symbiosis of modern and academic fine art.

Using classical principles of composition, at the same time he changed the traditional tools of an artist: instead of brushes he used scissors, and instead of paints, colored film. The techniques, materials and subjects of Aleksandr Samodurov’s works changed the way we look at familiar things and at the same time left some understatement, turning the viewer of his works into an active participant of creative reflection not only on the proposed subjects, but also on the significance of analogue thinking in the digital age, on the fact that human beings are not bionic creatures, but living carriers of emotions, creativity and critical thinking.

For more than 25 years of creating artworks in a unique collage technique, the artist has made more than 50 works. Aleksandr Samodurov was awarded multiple certificates of acknowledgement, honorary certificates and diplomas as a director and artistic director of creative teams. Works of the artist are kept in state institutions of Kazakhstan and private collections.