Within the walls of Moscow's Alpert Gallery in October 2019 successfully held the first solo exhibition of eco-artist Alexander Cheglakov entitled The Art of Nature, which presented several dozen works - both large interior compositions, and small figurines, lamps, wall panels.

Many famous artists Alexander Ponomarev and Vladimir Kovalev, interior designer Elina Tuktamisheva, film director, scriptwriter and producer Pavel Lungin, honorary member of Russian Academy of Arts, board member of Moscow Peace Foundation Alexander Dubrovin and many others attended the exhibition.

About Alpert Gallery

The mission of Alpert Gallery is to run various art, cultural and social projects, including art exhibitions, lectures, master classes, literary and musical evenings, meetings and seminars. The aim of the gallery is to give everybody the opportunity for self-development and self-realization.

Alpert Gallery is a unique space located in one of the old buildings that once belonged to the red barracks complex in Lefortovo, Moscow. The building, begun in 1770, has been reconstructed several times. The historical monument is now an original small town, adjoining the Lefortovo Nature and Landscape Museum-Reserve.

About the artist

Alexander Cheglakov is an artist who revives perennial fallen trees into unique pieces - both large and small interior compositions. Their plot depends on the size of the chosen part of the tree, which can be more than two hundred years old.

The main material for the author is dry, ecologically pure, non-living wood, which has been exposed to the environment for many years. Most often it is an intricately bent century-old oak, as well as spruce and birch.

History of the origin of creativity

Alexander Cheglakov, a dentist by profession, found his hobby and later recognition in unusual creativity. Several years ago, Alexander created an unusually shaped candlestick from dry hollow spruce, inspired by the natural beauty and texture of the wood. His first creative work eventually grew into a serious hobby and occupies an important place in the life of the artist.

Alexander Cheglakov looks for the trees in the woods on his own, sometimes literally digging his finds out from under a layer of snow, ice, moss, or from under the softened and so far unremarkable surface of the tree.

While searching for a suitable material, the artist also encounters various animals in the woods (hares, wild boars, roe deer and even deer) which often prompt and inspire Alexander Cheglakov to create new sculptural compositions. The main task of the artist, according to Alexander, is to find and show the inimitable beauty created by nature itself.

The artist's work does not harm nature, all his works are a kind of manifesto for the protection of living trees, and the special energy brings warmth and comfort to the house.

Sculptural compositions

The main features of the finished artwork depend on the found tree: it can be an unusual shape and protruding annual rings or a bizarre ornament of wood, which was left by bark beetles, as well as the color obtained after the application of special waxes.

In his compositions, depending on the final idea, the master adds fragments of ancient stained glass brought from Italy, pieces of Sicilian ceramics polished by the sea, intricate branches of Californian coral, or bronze animal figures.

Each work of Alexander Cheglakov is unique and inimitable. The whimsical shapes of cuttings evoke amazing emotions and a deep aesthetic pleasure.

For example, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Victory over Fascism, Alexander Cheglakov made an obelisk assembled from artifacts that he found in February 2020 in the forest, where fierce fighting took place in autumn 1941 near Moscow. From the collected artifacts a sculptural composition "The Last Frontier" was assembled in the form of a barbed anti-tank hedgehog clutching a roll of barbed wire from the war, used for protection against infantry, used cartridges from rifles and machine guns, a kettle mutilated from an explosion and a helmet of a soldier on which lies a "crown of thorns" of barbed wire, symbolising the soldiers' suffering.

Sophisticated art connoisseurs see the artist's sculptures as vivid images of frozen time, through which the eternal symbols of fragility of existence emerge. It is no coincidence that the artist's works decorate the interiors of such famous artists as Denis Matsuev, Vladimir Spivakov, Gennady Hazanov, Pavel Chukhrai, Vladimir Mashkov, Pavel Lungin, and other well-known personalities. There are also several pieces of the artist in private American collections in California and Miami.

Some of the master's artwork is included in the catalog of the Creative Union of Russian Artists (TskhR).

In addition, Alexander Cheglakov is a member of the jury of the "Family-Soul of Russia" art photo project competition.