Bored Panda contacted Salavat and asked him some questions about his work, starting with the inspiration to begin creating sculptures on the tip of a pencil. We were wondering how the artist discovered his passion for this unique form of art. We learned that: “About 10 years ago, I started studying miniature art. In the process of this creative search, I was interested in pencil graphite as an interesting material. Most people use a pencil as a tool, but I decided to use a pencil as a material for creating works of art.”
Fidai also shared with us what made a graphite pencil so special to him that he decided to use it as the main medium for his sculptures: “Graphite is a very fragile material and carving a sculpture on such a small scale is a big challenge for me. Also, when I got into it, very few artists cut anything out of graphite, there were literally only a few of them. I managed to take this art form to a new level and make pencil graphite microsculpture popular all over the world.”
The artist was kind enough to tell us more about the creative process behind his work and the tools he uses while working on a new piece: “I use a craft knife with interchangeable blades and a microscope to create sculptures on the tip of a pencil. I use regular school pencils with a 2mm and 5mm tip, which can be bought at any store. The process of creating a microsculpture is like meditation for me. I have to concentrate on the tip of the pencil and literally listen to my heartbeat. Every movement of the tip of the blade must be carefully precise.”
While looking at tiny sculptures created by Salavat, it’s easy to guess they could have taken a lot of time to be completed and demanded a lot of patience throughout the whole process. Asked what the biggest challenges the artist faces while working on his micro-sculptures, he answered: “Sculptures are very fragile and often break. It doesn't upset me because it's part of the process. I've been creating a sculpture in my imagination for a long time. It's like creating a 3D model on a computer, only everything happens in my head. If I've imagined how it can be done, then I'm just doing it.”
Lastly, we wanted to know more about the sculptor’s aspirations and goals for the future of his art career. Fidai shared with us: “Right now, my personal exhibition is taking place at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson, Arizona USA, where more than 50 of my best works are presented. Next, this exhibition will move to other cities and states. My big dream is to create a museum of microsculptures made of graphite. Not only would my works be displayed, but also sculptures by other authors from all over the world who followed my example.”
