Most viewers know Alfrid Shaimardanov for his naive paintings filled with details and recognizable characters. The new exhibition at the Contemporary Art Gallery shows the artist from a different side - through abstract works that marked the beginning of his journey in art. In the two-light space of the gallery, about fifty works will be presented, where instead of plots and characters, color, texture, and form play the main role. These works were born as a quick emotional response to what is happening around and differ significantly from the artist's usual style. Among the exhibits are the geometric composition "Overkill," related to memories of the 1990s, a homage to the "Black Square," and a triptych dedicated to Pushkin, Mayakovsky, and Yesenin. The exhibition is complemented by a letter and engravings by the Italian artist Getulio Alviani, whose guidance once convinced Shaimardanov to take painting seriously. The exhibition offers a glimpse into the lesser-known period of the author's creativity and traces how his artistic language developed long before the works that brought him widespread fame.