Biography - Alime Gusenova

Early years, childhood

It all starts from childhood. And childhood starts from family. The way of life, in my opinion, is not only a choice of career, but also an understanding of one's place in society, a choice of priorities in life, a relationship with people. When I imagined who I would be in the future, I saw a family with children, a kind and caring husband, interesting work and loyal friends.

From an early age, my life was connected with creative work. At school I was on the editorial board, participated in competitions, drew a lot, knitted, crocheted etc.

Return to Crimea

In 1995, my family and I moved to Crimea. After graduating from a rural school in 1998, I entered Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University to study labor protection in mechanical engineering. Having received my diploma, I did not work a single day in my specialty field. I had a women's clothing store in Bakhchisarai, the business was promising, I liked the process of communicating with clients.

The choice of a future profession is a very important decision because work takes up a great part of a person's life.

Professional creative activity

My professional artistic career began in 2009. Having visited the exhibition of the gold thread embroideresses, graduates of youth center "Arslan" in Bakhchisarai, I was amazed by the embroidered items presented at the exposition. Then I decided to master this art form myself. On the same day, I signed up for a traditional embroidery course "Myklama" under the guidance of a talented master Zarema Mustafayeva. Later on, I learned such sewing techniques as “Tatar ishleme” and “telli” from a famous and gifted embroideress, a skilled master of her craft, Esma Osman. Having mastered all types of traditional sewing, I began to study in depth the Crimean Tatar ornament. My future husband became my mentor – the ceramic artist Eldar Gusenov. I would also like to mention the artist Mamut Churlu, who generously shared with me valuable information regarding decorative and applied arts, conducted various seminars and master classes on this topic. This incredibly stimulated me to study art deeper and raised my professional artistic level.

Thus, creating my works, I began to participate in exhibitions, became a member of the creative association "Chatyrdag", curated by the Honored Artist of Ukraine, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and Ukraine - Mamut Churlu. Then I took part in international festivals and events dedicated to decorative and applied arts. In 2010 I participated in the festival of artistic creation in Poland, in the city of Lublin.

Family

In June of 2013, my husband Eldar Gusenov and I decided to make a creative family. In the autumn that same year, we represented Crimea together at the international traditional festival of folk art in Istanbul.

Family and creativity went hand in hand. In 2014, we had a wonderful son, Eden. Four years later, our daughter Naile was born. I am immensely grateful to the Almighty for the opportunity to do what I love.

About me

Most of my products are purchased by private collectors from different foreign countries.

For me, creativity is the development of my spirituality, which can later have an impact on others. This is a way and ability to see beauty, to feel the versatility, colorfulness of the world around you. It is in these moments when a person is sincere and emotional, the artistic results turn out to be great. Creativity is an important part of life. It helps everyone to express themselves, to highlight their individuality and, of course, to enrich our beautiful world with new sensations and emotions.

I continue exploring new facets of our culture and developing myself in this area. As the folk wisdom says, «Beshikten mezargaje ogren», which means "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave". I am very pleased and inspired to be able to contribute to the revival, preservation and development of our unique and rich Crimean culture.

Embroideress’s works

1. Kurankap - a case for the holy book.
2. Fes – a Crimean-Tatar woman’s headdress. Made in the "bukme" technique - lace sewing.
3. Marama – a Crimean-Tatar woman’s head cover. Made using the "Tatar ishleme" technique - double-sided flat satin stitch.
4. Fes and cuffs (yen kapaklar) - a set, a woman's headdress and cuffs to the sleeves of the dress. Made in the " boyunjak ishi" technique - beadwork.
5. Saat kap - a case for men’s watches. It was popular at the beginning of the 20th century. "Bukme" embroidery.