A significant part of the legacy of Rustam Halfin is Pulota (emptiness + completeness) - the simplest plastic object obtained between the fingers clenched into a fist. It is a kind of the so-called Surplus element of art (according to K. Malevich).

Halfin, who was a disciple of Sterligov, and a follower of Malevich, constantly searched for such, which resulted in Pulots. According to the description of L. Blinova: The hand, squeezes creates an elementary plastic object - pulota. The embodied void appears as an elementary sculpture. Remaining empty, it can serve as a simple optical device, a means of fragmenting the field of view.

Rustam Khalfin compared pulota with the shape that the palm takes when making a traditional Kazakh delicacy — kurt. Pulota, in his understanding, embodied tactility - the basic concept of the nomads' consciousness. 

Alexander Brener in the book "Lives of Murdered Artists" recalls the following:

"One fine morning, Rustam noticed that the hand, squeezing, creates an elementary plastic object — pulota. Pulota is both emptiness and completeness, depending on the point of view. Pulota is a space inside a half-clenched fist. Children can look at the world through such a hole. Filled with clay or plasticine, pulota appears as a simple sculpture. Remaining empty, without filler, it can be a delightful optical device, a means of fragmenting the field of vision. The outline of the pool serves as an imaginary frame in the construction of the picture — and at the same time in a picturesque way, a character.

For an artist engaged in making a painting, there are two realities. The first is the reality of his own body, hands, and eyes included in the work. Fragments of this bodily reality necessarily fall into the picture. With the help of pulota, Halfin learned to operate the body-optical element in his way, in an extraordinary way. The second reality is ancient and modern art forms, structures, and geometries — the necessary historical material for creating a living picture. And again — pulota allowed Halfin to populate drawings and canvases with images and meanings. Bravo!"