Rustam Usmanov

The father-and-son team of Rustam and Damir Usmantov combines traditional forms with original shapes and motifs to create a distinct take on Uzbekistan's famed blue Rishtan pottery. Rustam Usmantov is credited with helping to preserve this tradition: After the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the local industry, Rustam opened a home studio where he was able to continue making this distinctive type of ceramics. The Usmantovs' work is made from a unique local clay, with forms created on a foot-kicked pottery wheel, then hand-painted and glazed with metal oxide. Rustam Usmantov was awarded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for handcrafted products and has exhibited his work internationally.