• Odamboy studied woodcarving from the young age of 12
• He focuses on recognisable botanical patterns
• His house is now an open museum

Living in Khiva and its surroundings all his life, Odamboy Masharipov has dedicated himself to the ancient craft of woodcarving with the flair of local tradition. In his teenage years he studied at the workshop of the People’s Master of Uzbekistan Haytmat Boghbekov. Odamboy opened his own workshop in 2002 with the blessing of his teacher and since then he has taught numerous apprentices of his own. Odamboy creates household objects such as tables and chairs, and decorates large-scale architectural elements, including gates and columns. He expands on the regional school of ornamentation that features detailed and dynamic patterns mostly depicting local trees and blooms. His work has earned him several prizes and a widespread authority as a master craftsman.