The toy whistles and figurines of the Ural self-taught sculptor Nikolai Zykov are housed in galleries and private collections in France, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the USA. They are also included in the collections of Russian museums in Moscow, Suzdal, Sergiev Posad, and Yekaterinburg.
Zykov arranged his first exhibition just right in the courtyard of his house. A regular bus went through the village of Beloyarsky, where the craftsman lived. While waiting for the bus, passengers often walked around the neighborhood. The emerging author took advantage of this. He placed his clay sculpture toys on benches under the trees and invited people to look at them.
It took some time before Nikolai Zykov started wood carving. At first, he was interested in clay modeling, later he briefly studied at the stone-cutting department of the Ural College of Applied Arts and Design in Nizhny Tagil. It was only in the early 1980s that he first tried carving, following the example of his older brother Vladimir, who created wooden wall masks.
One of the most unusual works of the artist is a half-meter pyramid assembled from 50 whistle toys. The master told about the whistles in an interview,
Zykov arranged his first exhibition just right in the courtyard of his house. A regular bus went through the village of Beloyarsky, where the craftsman lived. While waiting for the bus, passengers often walked around the neighborhood. The emerging author took advantage of this. He placed his clay sculpture toys on benches under the trees and invited people to look at them.
It took some time before Nikolai Zykov started wood carving. At first, he was interested in clay modeling, later he briefly studied at the stone-cutting department of the Ural College of Applied Arts and Design in Nizhny Tagil. It was only in the early 1980s that he first tried carving, following the example of his older brother Vladimir, who created wooden wall masks.
According to Zykov, apart from the Russian folklore characters, he was inspired by mythical heroes and historical figures. The sculptor made the figures of wooden household and wood spirits, as well as the sculptures of the two-faced Janus (the demiurge god from Ancient Roman mythology), the legendary ruler Attila the Hun, and others.
One of the most unusual works of the artist is a half-meter pyramid assembled from 50 whistle toys. The master told about the whistles in an interview,
