Artists

Oktay Shikhaliyev graduated from the Art School named after Azim Azimzade in 1952, and High Art School of Leningrad named after Mukhin in 1958. 

As the winner of the Youth Festival in 1958 in republic, he was awarded the gold medal and diploma. Since 1960 he became a member of the USSR Union of Painters. Since 1964 he started teaching at Art Institute named after M. Aliyev. At present, he works as teacher, professor in the Azerbaijan State Academy of Art 

O. Shikhaliyev has been given honorary titles “Honored painter of Republic of Azerbaijan” in 1982 and  “The People\'s Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan” in 1992. 

Fuad Gafarov graduated from the Art School named after A. Azimzade in 1968, and in 1975 from Azerbaijan State Art Institute, Faculty of design and industrial graphics. In 1969, he participated in design projects, both individually and jointly, as well as in art exhibitions.

In 1976, he became a member of the Union of Painters of the USSR. He was a participant in a number of international and individual exhibitions. From 1972 until 1981 he attended professional development courses of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR. At the same time, he studied in the State Academic Grand Theatre (Bolshoy Theatre) of the USSR with the aim of improvement of professional skills.

In 1982, he started to work as a painter of the Azerbaijan State Drama Theater named after M. Azizbeyov, as well as teaching at the Institute of the Arts of Azerbaijan. Fuad Gafarov repeatedly was awarded with diplomas and prizes of the Ministries of Culture of the USSR and Azerbaijan for design and artistic performances of spectacles. In 1992 he had received an invitation to hold an individual exhibition in Turkey. At same time he was invited to teach at Konya city, to teach at the University of Seljuk.

He lives in Turkey since 1995.