Katib Safar ogly Mamedov

Katib Safar ogly Mamedov (Azerb. Katib Səfər oğlu Məmmədov; born October 10, 1963, Kirovabad, USSR) is a Ukrainian sculptor, educator, and associate professor. He holds the titles of People's Artist of Ukraine (2019), Honored Artist of Ukraine (2008), and Laureate of the International I.Ye. Repin Prize (2012). He is also an Honored Cultural Worker (2013). Mamedov has been a member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine since 1997 and has served on the board of the "Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine" since 1999.

Biography:
Katib Mamedov was born on October 10, 1963, near Kirovabad (now Ganja), Azerbaijan, in a large family. His father, Safar Zeynalabdin ogly Mamedov (b. 1934), was an aircraft technician with a creative spirit and various talents, including poetry and music, and worked as a foreman and agronomist, developing several new grape varieties. His mother, Yakshi Misir kyzy Mamedova (b. 1937), worked on a state farm and raised six children.

Mamedov's childhood was closely tied to nature. From an early age, he was curious, read, drew, and sculpted figures. His father greatly influenced him as an artist, building him a treehouse that inspired his imagination. After eighth grade, Mamedov attended Kirovabad Vocational School No. 15. He served in the Soviet Army (Air Forces, Lipetsk) from 1982 to 1984. After demobilization, he returned home but soon went to work in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic due to family circumstances. While working as a builder, he enrolled in the Moscow Regional Pedagogical Institute (correspondence department, studio painting and graphics) and studied there from 1985 to 1987.

In 1987, by chance, he found himself in Kharkiv. From 1987 to 1988, he worked as a master at the Department of Sculpture of the Kharkiv Art and Industrial Institute, then studied at the Institute's Faculty of Sculpture from 1988. Since 1993, he has been a lecturer at the Department of Sculpture of what is now the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. Mamedov lives and works in Ukraine. His works are held in museums, galleries, and private collections worldwide.

Family:
Married, father of three sons and a daughter.

Creativity:
Participating in exhibitions since 1990, Mamedov is recognized by professionals for his outstanding talent. His sculpture is noted for its sincerity and warmth, distancing itself from academicism. He describes his artistic mission as capturing beautiful moments of life and preserving them for future generations, striving to warm people's hearts through his works.

He has created many monuments and memorials, including:

• 2001: Monument "Flame of Knowledge" in Kharkiv
• 2006: Monument to Elle the Cannibal (a character from "The Twelve Chairs") in Kharkiv
• 2009: Monument to the First Teacher in Dergachi, Kharkiv region
• 2013: Monuments to Saints John of Kronstadt and Seraphim of Sarov in Donetsk
• 2015: Monument to Russian clown Alik Nisanov
  He has created many memorial plaques dedicated to figures such as M. I. Koshkin, O. V. Soich, N. A. Sobol, Nizami Ganjavi, Taras Shevchenko, Ataturk, Muslim Magomayev, Yuri Nikulin, Giuseppe Verdi, and Giacomo Puccini, among others.

Recognition:
State titles:

• Honored Artist of Ukraine (2008)
• People's Artist of Ukraine (2019)

Social awards and titles:

• Kharkiv Citizen of the Year (2007)
• Medal of the I. Ye. Repin International Prize (2012)
• Medal “Honored Cultural Worker” (2013)
• Title of Associate Professor (2014)
• Medal “Honorary Badge of President's Administration of Ukraine” (2016)
• Medal “MAHMUD KASHGARI-1000” (2016)
• Order of Distinction of the Kharkiv Regional Council “Slobozhansky Glory” (2016)
• Honorary Citizen of Kharkiv (2021)
• Medals “Nizami Ganjavi” (2022, TURKSOY)

Mission statement:
"A sculptor is someone who strives to capture the beautiful moments of life and preserve them for future generations. My mission is to create works that warm human souls. I always strive to share joy and warmth with people. And if their hearts are touched, that means my work was not in vain."