Iroda Adil
Iroda Adil FRSASA
Inspired by people above everything else, Iroda came from a fairly modern Uzbek family who did not discourage her love of art. When young, her father loved the outdoors and painting, but being the only son was discouraged from an artistic career by his family. Instead he became a geologist and then studied for a higher degree in St Petersburg. Iroda spent time there and it is the colours of the north, and of autumn when she was born that are her favourites – softer, muted greys for example, rather than the bright Asian colours predominant in Uzbekistan where she grew up. Like her father, Iroda always loved art. Although good at academic subjects, nothing mattered much for her except art.
Iroda attended art college in Tashkent for four years. Her school recommended that she apply for university in St Petersburg but she lacked the confidence to apply at that age without her father’s assistance. One teacher told her that she would be the best artist in Uzbekistan if only she were a man, and that she painted “like a man”.
She spent a further six years studying art at university in Tashkent, coming third over the entire USSR for her final diploma artwork and thus winning the bronze medal for her year. Her rigorous art education is reflected in her works as well as the values of persistence and hard work.
Being female, Iroda was expected to become a teacher rather than a practising artist. After graduation, she spent one year teaching watercolour and still life to first year university students while concurrently studying for the first year of a Masters Degree, before coming to Australia at the age of twenty-five with her husband.
Iroda spent time in Sydney raising children, learning English, and studying at the University of Western Sydney for a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She also obtained a building licence so that she could assist her husband with his business, worked as a translator (she speaks Uzbek, Russian and Ugui as well as English), and began putting works in small exhibitions.
2022 - Winner of People’s Choice Painting Award - Artworx Gallery & Gift SALA Exhibition
