CREATIVITY NEVER SLEEPS
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I still think, after 22 years, that the core to making art is grounded in this idea of the interchange or, put better, the exchange. YARAT Contemporary Art Space is a very good example of a young human-scale institution whose philosophy and spirit is based on exchanging visions among those who ‘YARAT’ (‘create’) and those who experience this very unique human quality: the capacity to transform feelings, ideas and instincts into images, objects, spaces and sounds. YARAT embodies the never-ending need to build, organise and transform places into symbolic venues for human interaction around that mysterious but also unavoidable activity called ‘art’. No art can live in a vacuum. No country can expect to be relevant for human development by excluding art from its social, political and cultural texture. No art can be relevant if not based on the necessity to express itself through dialogue and understanding. YARAT was founded on those two premises. Its goal should now be set in a dramatic and exciting changing context: that of its country within the world, to reinforce the idea of becoming a powerhouse and a magnet to attract and extract the best energies of local and international artists. Keep in mind that success will reside in the capacity to make the local a resource for the world and the world a resource for the local. The best path to success is where the ‘mere interchange’ will occur over and over and over. YARAT and be free.
FRANCESCO BONAMI
The very first exhibition I curated in 1993 was a small section of Aperto, the part of the Venice Biennale devoted to younger artists. The title I gave to that show was ‘The Mere Interchange’.
Published in 2015 on the occasion of the opening of the YARAT Contemporary Art Centre. 23rd March 2015 WWW.YARAT.AZ All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any other information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the rights holder. All efforts have been made to trace copyright holders. Any errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions if notice is given in writing to the rights holder.
Project Manager: Sadagat Isayeva Editor: Graham Erickson Graphic Design: A Plus B Studio, London Copy Editor: Benjamin Jones
Images © of the artist Text © of the authors (except where indicated) For the book in this form © YARAT
1295 DAYS 007 125 PROJECTS 063 130 ARTISTS 113 4 BUILDINGS 173
1 VISION 207
The limits and confines of a book mean it is almost impossible to detail every single day of progress. There is logic, obviously, in starting with Day 1. There is inherent significance, maybe, in selecting the other days featured. No two days are alike. There is no typical YARAT day. The almost random selection of days illustrates, if nothing else, that the safe, steady rhythm of routine has no place here. The chronological order does, though, show an organisation evolving in confidence and capability. We see YARAT increasing in cultural stature.
1295 DAYS
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Foreword by Aida Mahmudova Founder and Creative Director, YARAT Contemporary Art Space After four years spent absorbed in the cultivation of YARAT – from local education initiatives to international exhibition programmes, public festivals to grassroots artistic activity – the compiling of this book has allowed us to reflect on the past projects which have established YARAT as the entity it is today. Although YARAT has exhibited widely, for most of our four-year history we have operated without one central space. The opening of YARAT Contemporary Art Centre – a dedicated hub for contemporary art in Baku and the wider region – is a definitive milestone in our continuing journey. In putting together the pages of this book we have taken the time to step back and reflect on our journey so far, in order to share the YARAT story with others. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan has been home to cultural exchange and cross-cultivation throughout history. Baku itself, situated on the Caspian Sea at the foot of the Caucasus mountain range, is a natural artistic centre for this dynamic region. The wish to further inspire local audiences in the artistic possibilities of our community, coupled with a drive to nurture the talented artists of the region, is what initially compelled me and several other artists to create YARAT. Taking stock, or perhaps more accurately drawing breath, it is difficult to single out any one strand of YARAT’s story: all our projects weave together to create a unified organisation. Every step of YARAT’s journey, big or small, has contributed so importantly to creating what we share today. From annual Public Arts Festivals to pop-up film events, local YARAT initiatives have further enriched our capital city and continued to showcase Azerbaijan’s cultural wealth. Collaborative exhibitions, such as 2012’s ‘Merging Bridges’, have united key international artists – including
Sarah Lucas, Keith Coventry and James Turrell – with celebrated home-grown talents such as Rashad Alakbarov and Farid Rasulov. Further afield, it gave us enormous pride to bring artists from across Azerbaijan and our neighbouring countries to the 55th Venice Biennale for YARAT’s ‘Love Me, Love Me Not’ exhibition, establishing these artists as fresh and dynamic individuals helping to shape the international art landscape. YARAT’s education programme is, and will continue to be, one of the main priorities for our organisation. Educational events include a myriad of contemporary artistic processes, from video and photography to sculpture. YARAT’s international residency and master class programme has brought professors including the Dean of Academic Programmes at Central Saint Martins and Head of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art to teach in Baku. Our ARTIM programme has focussed on commissioning younger artists and has brought about exciting projects such as the ‘Завод’ (‘The Factory’) exhibition in 2013, which transformed 9
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an incredible disused factory in Baku into a temporary art space. The BACARART project in 2012 allowed children to create their own artistic endeavours, hopefully sowing some seeds of creative confidence in the process.
YAY Gallery has provided a commercial space in which to champion the careers of both emerging Azerbaijani artists and those who have gained international recognition in recent years. It has showcased innovative artists from across the world in Baku.
The opening of YAY Gallery and YARAT Studios in Baku have also marked particularly important moments. YARAT came about because a community of artists came together; YARAT Studios continue to facilitate this interactive process by creating a base for our residency programme, a designated centre for collaboration between our community of brilliant Azerbaijani artists and the diverse group of international artists who come to participate in YARAT’s programmes.
In their own unique ways, each and every one of the fantastically diverse events and educational projects explored in this book has contributed to making YARAT the multifaceted organisation it is today. Thank you to our supporters and our team for the first 1295 days. Our hope is that the coming chapters are as rich in creativity, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve tomorrow.
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ÖN SÖZ YARAT OPENS 0001
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0001 ÖN SÖZ ‘Ön Söz’ (meaning ‘Foreword’), the inaugural YARAT exhibition, was held at a Baku construction site on 6th September 2011. This location, with its visible foundations and evolving structure, was significant in its symbolism and reflection of the nascent stage of YARAT as an organisation.
for different perceptions of art for the viewer by presenting works in a diverse array of media and disciplines from installation, photography, video, sculpture and painting. ‘Ön Söz’ was a powerful distillation of the diverse artistic responses to the social, cultural, historical and aesthetic issues and challenges of modern life.
‘Ön Söz’ was a curation of twentyeight artists. The combination of well-established names and emerging talents demonstrated the idea of opportunity and recognition. This experimental show provided a base
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Rashad Alakbarov 'Portrait Made of Bottles' 2011
Aida Mahmudova 'Me for Myself' 2011
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Aida Mahmudova 'Me for Others' 2011
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EDUCATION: A FIRST LECTURE 0178
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0178 EDUCATION We are committed to building close relationships with the world’s great art galleries, schools and institutions. This is vital in supporting our dedication to fostering and developing the careers of future creative generations. These are artists who, in a diverse range of disciplines, respond to universal subjects with unique, intelligent and inspiring work.
YARAT Contemporary Art Space offers an array of educational events, open to everyone from professional artists to enthusiasts, children and academics. Enabling dialogue and collaboration between local and international artistic networks, YARAT organises lectures, workshops, master-classes and artists' residencies. The global source, and quality, of involvement in these events makes them a vital and highly respected creative educational facility.
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In 2011 YARAT launched ARTIM (meaning ‘progress’ in Azerbaijani), an annual youth support programme which aims to encourage the next generation of Azerbaijani creative talents to seek a career in the arts, and gives young aspiring artists the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional and credible context alongside established artists. ARTIM is part of YARAT's education programme, one of its core activities which continues to expand each year. 2014 tripled the initiatives of 2013 with a heightened international participation. Some of the outstanding art figures who visited Baku in 2013 were Mark Dunhill and Tamiko O’Brien
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(Central Saint Martins, London), Jordan Baseman (Royal College of Art, London) and Olga Nefedova, the founder of the Museum of Orientalism in Doha (Qatar). YARAT’s programme in 2013 was tailored to the needs of various audiences and included lectures by prominent British theatre director and choreographer Tim Supple and Swiss architect Ludger Hovestadt. In 2014, YARAT held workshops by prominent London-based photographers Mervyn Arthur and Rossella Emanuele, French videographer Robert Cahen, American choreographer Valerie Green and Egyptian artist and musician Salam Yousry.
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YARAT co-organised a series of workshops for kids (aged 5 to 12) at MOMA, Baku. These Sunday workshops became very popular as they offered a hands-on interactive learning experience delivered from professional artists. In 2015, YARAT will further develop its educational program by engaging established art professionals from all over the world. This year’s agenda will incorporate workshops, an artistin-residency programme, a regional art conference, Children’s Biennale, YARAT Film Club and a summer school programme involving tutors from top international Art Schools and Colleges. The YARAT artist-in-residence programme offers the opportunity to established international artists to engage with the unique creative culture of Azerbaijan while living and working in Baku for a period of 30 – 90 days. Although in the relatively nascent stage, Baku has a contemporary art scene which is vibrant, fascinating
and rapidly developing and evolving. A signature of the Baku scene is a frequent reference to the complex history of Azerbaijan. Visiting resident artists are invited to create a series of talks, lectures and workshops with local artists and students while continuing their own practice or projects in Baku. Visiting artists are welcomed to YARAT studios, a recently established regional platform for both emerging and established artists and a place for creative collaboration between local and international artists. International students who sign up for one of the YARAT courses can also use YARAT Studios, benefiting fully from the facilities and working environment encouraging them to grow both professionally and personally. At YARAT Studios, artists have the opportunity to push the boundaries of contemporary art, conduct artistic experiments and develop an understanding of, and a presence in, the art world.
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When I was invited by YARAT Contemporary Art Space to lead a ‘master class’ workshop in Baku in 2013, I was driven as much by curiosity at the prospect of visiting Azerbaijan, a country and culture in a state of transition, as by my interest in working with young artists and students. I soon learned that YARAT, led by Aida Mahmudova, has been instrumental in launching the careers of a new generation of Azerbaijan artists who are exhibiting their work internationally thanks to YARAT‘s valuable mentoring and professional support. More recently, YARAT has focused its attention on running educational programmes for a wide range of artists, designers and academic, as well as children and enthusiasts. The ‘sculpture and collaboration master class’ that I ran with my art practice collaborator Tamiko O’Brien (Dunhill 26
and O’Brien) was one of a series of studio practice workshops that YARAT organised with international participants. As these workshops become more established, with a comprehensive curriculum and improved facilities, aspiring Azerbaijani artists and designers are gaining exposure to contemporary concepts and practices enabling them to develop their own distinctive creative voice. During our week-long residency we were impressed by the appetite, openness and commitment demonstrated by the 12 participants, selected for the master class by YARAT through an open call. The workshop deliberately staged a series of ‘collisions’ – firstly in bringing two (or three) creative individuals together to make a single collaborative work, secondly by introducing a western set of art references, and thirdly by disrupting the formality
of the Academy’s classical gallery with a series of installations (and a performance) directly occupying the space without plinths or other mediating structures. Beginning with a set of propositions related to a bank of images of contemporary and historical sculpture, the participants worked through a carefully orchestrated series of exercises. Working in a rapid and informal way with materials, they were challenged to think and communicate through making. The resulting improvised models and constructions from clay, wood, metal, wire, plaster and found objects were in many cases bold and adventurous and, when transferred to the gallery on the final afternoon of the workshop, the assembled works brought an entirely unexpected energy into the classically academic space with its plaster cast classical figures on plinths. Five threehour sessions is not long to embark upon a completely new approach to making, sharing, critiquing and finally presenting new work.
The workshop demonstrated that working collaboratively can accelerate idea development and production and challenge individual making habits and styles. We were enormously encouraged by the positive outcome of the workshop and impressed by the enthusiasm and seriousness of the students. While hosting workshops for artists is a fundamental aspect of YARAT’s educational programme, raising the profile of contemporary art to new audiences is equally important. The launch of YARAT’s new centre in Baku will greatly expand the capacity to address this, and provide the conditions for contemporary art to evolve in the unique cultural context of Azerbaijan. Mark Dunhill Artist and Dean of Academic Programmes. Central Saint Martins University of the Arts, London.
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BEGINNING OF THE COLLECTION 0253
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Aida Mahmudova Details from 'On The Way Home By The Sea' Mixed media on canvas 2014
Ilkin Huseynov Detail from 'Remembering The Colour' series Watercolour on silver print 2014
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0253 THE COLLECTION Azerbaijan exists at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. It has long been a critical point of cultural exchange and cross-cultivation. From ancient civilisations depicted in the cave drawings of Gobustan, the Christian Albanian temples of the 1st Century AD and the first Turkic settlements of Atilla’s warriors, to rich Islamic traditions, Sufi poetry, Oriental music, architecture and crafts, and finally to Russian industrialism and the Soviet modernity, Azerbaijani heritage is highly diverse and fascinatingly complex. Maintaining close relations with its neighbours, Azerbaijani people have internalised the improvisations brought on by time and identify in equal measure with an array of seemingly distinct cultural constructs.
Baku is the perfect common ground for the arts from the region commonly referred to as the Caucasus and Central Asia. Similarities in religion, language, and, more recently, the common Soviet past, between the various nationalities and country-states populating the region, have been further reinforced by the dramatic socio-economic changes of the last twenty years. Connecting to global markets and influences for the first time in 70 years, artists were among the first to react and subsequently negotiate and reflect this transition in their works. YARAT’s permanent collection is presented for the first time with the opening of its new space. The first
Idris Khan Still from 'Lying In Wait' Three-channel video 2009
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Erbossyn Melnibekov 'Gattamelata in The Hide of Genghis Khan' Mixed media installation with horse hooves 1999
Faig Ahmed Detail from 'Threads' installation Wool threads 2012
Nevin Aladag Detail from 'Five Stones Game' Series of 38 fine art photograph prints 2009 – 12
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exhibition of the collection will bring together seminal works across media that are historically connected to the geo-culture of Azerbaijan and the potent sense of identity catalysed by exposure to radical socio-political changes.
infallibility of existing narratives, while others project quasi-utopian optimism for a better future. Nevertheless, all works shown in this collection are explorations into what it means to live today and construct, block by block, the new histories of tomorrow.
Some artists reference the symbolism of ancient traditions, some find nostalgia in transitory moments of the everyday, and some question the
Aida Mahmudova’s epic seascape overlooks the Caspian Sea, remaining in constant conversation with the dominant element of the Centre’s
Nilbar Gures 'Clothier Backstage' Open phone-booth series C-print 2011
Niyaz Najafov 'Volleyball Players' Oil on canvas 2009
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environment. The canvas, executed in mixed media, is evocative of the artist’s home, which can be, like the Sea itself, both welcoming and hostile. Sanan Aleskerov’s 'Transparency of Simplicity' (2013) series further delineates the locale through close ups on seemingly insignificant and transient markers of landscape, such as a cellophane curtain blowing in the wind (‘Blue Wind’). Rashad Babayev’s works, ‘Dervish’ (2014) and ‘Poetic Sculpture’ (2014), pay homage to religious and literary roots which form the culture of the region today. Faig Ahmed’s ‘Threads’ (2012) and Rashad Alakbarov’s ‘Shebeke’ (2012) decompose
traditional crafts into their elements and repurpose their semiology to give them a new voice. Historical narratives are evoked in Erbossyn Meldibekov’s ‘Gattamelata in the Hide of Genghis Khan’ (1999), referencing the traditional image of the Central Asian Steppe, yet stripping it of its identity. The desire to be marked in history through monumentality, so familiar to the Soviet psyche and wittily refused in this seminal work, is juxtaposed with the unfailing desire to be a part of history, explored in the work of Taus Makhacheva, ‘Let Me Be Part of a Narrative’ (2012). Her three-channel video work explores the way traditional forms of public
Koka Ramishvili Still from 'Milk' Colour video with sound 2010
Rashad Babayev Poetic Sculpture Mixed media 2014
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Taus Makhacheva Still from 'Let Me Be Part of a Narrative' Three-channel video 2012
Orkhan Huseynov Still from 'Atelier Sovetsky' Eight-channel video 2014
showcase change over time, are reintroduced through media and in turn shape local identity. Social problems and inequalities, reinforced through generations, are addressed in Sitara Ibrahimova’s and Ilkin Huseynov’s photographic series, which, like Makhacheva, portray a local case that stands for more general concerns. Other artists, such as Niyaz Najafov, Ramal Kazim and young filmmakers Zamir Suleymanov and Emin Azizbayli, direct their gaze inwards and paint an introverted view of a contemporary personality, portraying anxiety associated with the convergence of the old and the new, as well as the routine of everyday life. The idiosyncratic routines of the post-perestroika
generation are further addressed in Olga Chernysheva’s Screen series, in which repetitive activity shapes local philosophy. Repetition takes a different shape in Farid Rasulov’s ‘Inertia’ (2007) – as the butcher cuts through meat, played backwards, the artist questions our perceptions and gives a seemingly commonplace occurrence an existential edge. Progress associated with capitalism, globalisation imagery and accelerated construction tends to erase memories of the vernacular in its wake. Orkhan Huseynov, in his multi-channel video work, ‘Atelier Sovetsky’ (2014), presents a nostalgic portrait of stereotypical dwellers of a nowgentrified district of Baku and their
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Olga Chernysheva Left 'Black Dot' Monitor, digital file on loop 2013 Right 'Screens – Exercises' Monitor, digital file on loop 2013
Ramal Kazim 'Drunk' Sanguine, watercolor on paper 2012/13 Mahmud Rustamov 'Sleeping on the Horizon' Marble, bronze, granite 2014
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Rashad Alakbarov 'Shebeke' Metal, light source 2012
Farid Rasulov Still from 'Inertia' Video 2007
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often questionable lifestyle. Nostalgia is felt even more strongly in Nevin Aladag’s Five Stone Game photo-series (2009-2012) depicting actions of a childhood game commonly shared across the Anatolian and Central Asian region. The work accentuates the ability of folklore, carried through generations, to enter the collective unconscious and transcend borders. Koka Ramishvili’s works offer a take on different imagery able to transcend all barriers, namely that of commodification and advertising. His discreet, almost miniature videos depict anonymous contemporary ideals identified through consumption. Nilbar Gures highlights the absurdity inherent in capitalist dreams by
Sanan Aleskerov 'Blue Wind' Transparency of Simplicity series Digital print on plexiglass 2013
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contrasting seemingly unchartered and almost forgotten environments with a high-fashion aesthetic. Idris Khan’s encompassing, three-channel video installation, ‘Lying in Wait’ (2009), concludes the exhibition. It proposes a way to interact with knowledge as the dancer navigates endless rows of books through choreographed abstracted movements. Perhaps, we are all just lying in wait for the contemporary times to resolve themselves, so we can call our actions history. Suad Garayeva Curatorial Director YARAT CAC
Sitara Ibrahimova Detail from 'A Boy Is OK, a Girl Is NOT' Video 2014
Zamir Suleymanov Still from 'Determination' Video 2013
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YAY GALLERY OPENS 0401
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0401 YAY GALLERY OPENS YAY Gallery is one of the leading contemporary art galleries in Azerbaijan. It was set up as a social enterprise project, representing pioneering Azerbaijani artists across several generations and genres. Sales are shared between the artists and YARAT, who reinvest the proceeds in their wide-ranging activites. Established in Baku in 2012, it has championed the careers of key Azerbaijani artists. Some who have enjoyed international acclaim in
recent years include Farid Rasulov, Rashad Alakbarov, Aida Mahmudova, Faig Ahmed, Orkhan Huseynov and Reza Hazare. Through their ambitious curatorial work, YAY Gallery also gives local audiences in Baku the chance to see some of the most innovative artists from across the globe. This has included solo exhibitions by the French experimental performance artists Les Gens d’Uterpans and prominent Iranian artist Mahmoud Bakhshi.
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Courtesy of Jelena Kaludjerovic
My stay in Azerbaijan was essential for the projects I did there. Although two months sounds like a long time, the production had to be pre-organised in detail since the project I was working on was very demanding. Of great importance was the help from the people working with me. I especially want to thank Anastasia and Rovshan from YAY Gallery and Ulviya for finding an amazing girl, Fidan, to perform in my video project ‘Je Suis Malade’, as well as Umay, without whom I think we would have not been able to finish the works and open the exhibition on time. Of course I want to thank all the people from YARAT for inviting me and giving me the opportunity to realise my ideas (Aida, Farid, Ben, Yana, Leyla, etc). Dejan Kaludjerovic 44
It was a truly insightful experience to spend a week in Baku working with the YARAT team. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Azerbaijan, its history, food and culture. One of the highlights of my solo exhibition at YAY gallery was the way my work could connect and relate to the historical architecture of the Old City in Baku. I’m talking here about one of the works that we installed on the façade of the gallery. It was a very spontaneous decision, and thanks again to the great YAY team who made this happen. Mahmoud Bakhshi
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FIRST CHARITY PROJECT 0442
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0442 BACARART BACARART is a charitable collaboration between The State Committee for the Affairs of Families, Women and Children and YARAT. BACARART, founded in 2012, is dedicated to providing equal opportunities to children and enabling and encouraging their involvement in artistic activities. Although now in only its third year, the project has been an admirable success and has formed a strong link between our committee and YARAT. There is a highly social and humanistic focus to this project run by YARAT, an organisation which aims to promote Azerbaijani art all over the world, providing an opportunity for children and adolescents from disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to demonstrate their creative potential to the general public. Providing children with a pursuit, while ensuring their active artistic involvement, helping them to spend their leisure time effectively and taking part in similar projects are all commendable activities in terms of child welfare policy. In this regard, the projects that are successfully accomplished under the leadership of Aida Mahmudova, the founder and director of YARAT Contemporary Art Space, do not only
support the progress of contemporary art, but also allow children and young people to grow up with ideas based on modern approaches, the principles of social justice and volunteering, as well as promoting innovative interests. By giving them some of their best memories, BACARART gives a taste of real achievement, fulfilment and self-esteem to fifty talented children and teenagers from different regions of the country, often for the very first time in their lives. This will encourage the talented youngsters on to new achievements, having already had the chance to enjoy the fruits of their creative labours at such a young age. In all the workshops organised by YARAT during this project, we observed equality, sincerity and a relaxed environment, established between the gifted children and the professional artists who were teaching them the fundamentals of artistic techniques and styles. We wish them much success in the future and would be truly grateful to continue our successful partnership with YARAT. Hijran Huseynova Chair, The State Committee for the Affairs of Families, Women and Children
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Sharif Sharifov (15 years old) Artwork from BACARART Khinalig, Azerbaijan
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Elgun Mammadov (11 years old) Artwork from BACARART Agdam, Azerbaijan
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YARAT CENTRE OPENS 1295
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1295 YARAT CENTRE OPENS March 2015 sees YARAT opening its first permanent gallery space with the transformation of an imposing Soviet era naval building, overlooking the Caspian Sea.
The YARAT CAC will be a significant addition to the cultural, artistic and educational landscape of Azerbaijan and the surrounding regions and a quietly confident statement on the evolving status of the country as an element of the cultural world.
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Shirin Neshat working on the photograph Humay from The Home of My Eyes series at her studio in New York. January 2015. Photographed by David Regen.
YARAT plays the most significant role in cultivating contemporary art culture in a country that is fast developing into one of the most sophisticated and attractive nations in the world. YARAT is pioneering a forum that offers an opportunity for Azerbaijani artists to discover and build their own cultural identity within the larger international, contemporary art platform. The new generation of artists in Azerbaijan will continue to profit not only from YARAT’s educational program, but also its newly built contemporary exhibition space, showcasing both local and international artists. Shirin Neshat
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Every project is a pioneering trip to a new frontier. The inherent reward is the process itself. A completed project is a formidable success. The purpose of art and creativity is to provoke and, often, divide opinion. The YARAT catalogue is rich with projects which define this impetus. In our selection of projects for this book we, of course, began with the very first YARAT project. This will always have heavy significance: The casting off journey in a voyage. The accompanying four projects were selected with impartiality. As there are no typical YARAT days so, too, there are no typical YARAT projects. The resultant difficulty in explaining this infinite creative ambition is the only downside and is a small hindrance for the privilege of observing and conducting unrestricted artistic energy.
125 PROJECTS
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001 ÖN SÖZ 002 FUTURE SHORTS 003 012 BAKU PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL 077 004 FUTURE SHORTS 005 MERGING BRIDGES 006 GRID 2012 007 FUTURE SHORTS 008 SITUATION PAT 009 CHRISTIE’S ON THE CASPIAN 010 COMMONIST 011 NEXT LEVEL 012 ARSENIUM 013 BACARART 014 FUTURE SHORTS 015 ALUMINIUM 65
016 RAMAL KAZIM SOLO EXHIBITION 017 STALEMATE 018 TRANSPARENCY OF SIMPLICITY 019 İNDİ 020 PARTICIPATE 021 9TH APARTMENT 022 REFLECTION 023 POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE 024 INTROSPECTION 025 GOOD DOG 026 HOME, SWEET HOME 027 FOURCHETTE 028 VIP UNDERPASS 029 THE WONDERFUL BESTIARY 66
030 PLAYING NUMBERS 031 FUTURE SHORTS 032 55TH VENICE BIENNALE 033 BLACK WOMAN 034 INTERNAL PEACE 035 TELL ME YOUR SECRET 036 YARD ART 037 SAVE THE EARTH 038 PARKCYCLE SWARM 039 DESIGN ACTIVISM & PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 040 MANIMALS 041 ART BY KIDS 042 FUTURE SHORTS 043 MODERN POETRY FESTIVAL 67
044 RUBBER DUCK 045 HOME SWEET HOME 046 ART GANJA – 2013 047 INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY 048 PRIVATE MUSEUM 049 THE OTHER CITY 050 3ABOД 051 MIAMI SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 052 INNER CITY 053 RETROSPECTIVE 054 LECTURE BY APL 315 055 ART IN PRINT 056 ARTIST TALK BY ALI HASANOV 057 ECHO 68
058 PG LARGE USED PROJECT 059 CAUTION! COLLABORATION IN PROGRESS! 060 FUTURE SHORTS 061 SOLO EXHIBITION OF ALAIN ZIMERAY 062 COLD HANDS WARM HEART 063 GIRLS PREFER OILMEN 064 FUTURE SHORTS 065 WORDS 066 TWO STATES OF BEING 067 WHAT IS SUCCESS? 068 X-EVENT 2.6, LE GOUT 69
069 X-EVENT 2.3, LES CHUTES 070 TRIGGERING ON ( Y )OUR CREATIVITY 071 LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT HAC BAKU 085 072 CHINGIZ BABAYEV’S WORKSHOP 073 MEDITERRANEAN VS CASPIAN 074 BACARART 2014 075 SALAM YOUSRY’S WORKSHOP 076 JAHANGIR SELIMKHANOV’S MASTER CLASSES 70
077 FUTURE SHORTS 078 ARTIM 093 079 CURATORS WANT TO BE ARTISTS AND ARTISTS WANT TO BE CURATORS 080 ART DUBAI 2014, MARKER 101 081 GRID 2014 082 12TH EDITION OF AVESTA ART, SWEDEN 083 ARTIST TALK BY DAVID MONTGOMERY 084 TALKCLOUD 085 TALK BY MAHMOUD BAKHSHI 086 TALK BY TIMO NASSERI 087 ART BY KIDS 71
088 NUDA VERITAS 089 BE HEALTHY AND CREATE! 090 HIDING MAPS 091 A TIME FOR DREAMS 092 PHOTOGRAPHY SUMMER SCHOOL 093 BLUE BACKGROUND 094 BIRGITTA HOSEA'S WORKSHOP 095 VALERIE GREEN'S WORKSHOP 096 MEGAPOLIS 097 WORLD POLO 098 FUTURE SHORTS 099 ANESTHESIA 100 COSMOSCOW 72
101 FUTURE SHORTS 102 SHADOW VOICES 103 AZERBAIJAN AND WORLD'S ART LECTURES EVENINGS 104 ISLAND 105 SABINA SHIKHLINSKAYA'S WORKSHOP 106 VIENNA FAIR NEW CONTEMPORARY 107 107 VIENNA TALKS 108 ARTIST RESIDENCY DEJAN KALUDJEROVIC 109 INVASION 110 STONE 111 MAKING EVERYDAY OBJECTS SPECIAL 73
112 PRINTED PHYSICS 113 ROBERT CAHEN’S WORKSHOP 114 VIDEO ART SCREENING DAY 115 BEHANCE PORTFOLIO REVIEW DAY 116 CONTEMPORARY ISTANBUL 2014 117 CONVERSATIONS 118 BACARART 2014 119 E∙PHEM∙ER∙A 120 URBAN VOICE 121 REGIME OF IMAGES 122 ARTIST RESIDENCY PAOLA ANZICHÉ 123 GRID 2015 74
124 ISOLATION ROOM 125 HOME OF MY EYES
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003 PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL
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Workshop by STUDIO P.T.H. PARTICIPATE, Baku Public Art Festival 2013
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003 PUBLIC ART FESTIVAL Public Art, Space & Time Public art is fast evolving alongside twenty-first century changes within the social and cultural landscape in line with rapid advancements in technology, globalisation and commerce. The current climate in which we reside is dictated by wireless technology and instant connectivity via social media platforms and email that allows for information and images to travel and be absorbed in real time. Today, public art is intended to be part of this ‘lived in’ experience, corresponding with audiences’ variable social, cultural and political viewpoints. More often than not, art that is situated within the public domain is a direct response
Natalya Pastukhova 'Good Dog' PARTICIPATE, Baku Public Art Festival 2013
to cities that are on the move and inhabitants who are equally in motion, making it possible for public art to be viewed and experienced as an intrinsic part of the fabric of society. In response to the shifts that are occurring in major metropolises such as Baku, where YARAT Contemporary Art Space is located and has been operating since 2011, there is an evident focus on the importance of uniting two disparate entities: art and the general public. Symptomatic of similar post-Soviet landscapes, the art historical trajectory between modern and contemporary art has
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Her Excellency Mehriban Aliyeva The First Lady of Azerbaijan attending a Public Art Festival event, 2012
not followed a linear path in Azerbaijan. Instead, contemporary art history is still unfolding and developing on its own terms, which is largely driven by artists who play an important role in the making of this history and who take on multiple roles as curators and peer critics. Artist-led initiatives like YARAT and, prior to that, the now defunct ‘Wings of Time’ (‘Zamanin Ganadlari’), which was founded in 2000 by the late Leyla Akhundzadeh and a group of artists, are examples of artist-run organisations centred in the capital city of Baku. In particular, YARAT has been instrumental in integrating artists, art and the general public, and has organised a city-wide public art festival since 2012. Although still in its infancy, the festival has been positively received by the city of Baku due to its
interactive nature and accompanying education programme of free talks and workshops. Now in its third year, I have been invited by YARAT to curate the 2015 Public Art Festival in the public spaces of Baku at the same time as the First European Games, making this an important landmark event for both local and international audiences. The Third Public Art Festival is entitled ‘A Drop of Sky’ and will take place within various locations throughout the city as well as virtually with the inclusion of internet-based components. The festival takes its inspiration from the thinking and ideas of fourteenth century Persian-Turkic polymath Nasir al-Din al Tusi and twentieth century Russian Futurist poet Velimir Khlebnikov and explores ideas
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related to the thinking sciences such as philosophy, astronomy, logic and mathematics. These ideas, although rooted in the scientific domain, are important within the context of public art since they provide a window into how artists are articulating the developing natural, scientific and technological shifts currently occurring in cities like Baku and beyond. International participants include artist and New York University professor Wafaa Bilal, artist and Stanford University professor Ala Ebtekar and artist and professor at Middlesex University (UK) Ergin Cavusoglu, as well as emerging Azerbaijani younger
Altai Sadikhzade 'Khazri' 012 Baku Public Art Festival 2012
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generation artists Nazrin Mammadova and Farhad Farzaliyev. These artists work with diverse media, including performance, architecture, sculpture, anamorphic drawings, text and video games. Ultimately, their projects will serve to map divergent artistic movements through an interactive process uniting public art with the lived experience, highlighting how art can adapt and shape-shift to everyday life. Sara Raza YARAT Third Public Art Festival Curator and Guggenheim UBS MAP Curator for Middle East & North Africa
Florentijn Hofman 'Rubber Duck' PARTICIPATE, Baku Public Art Festival 2013
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071 LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT
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Shoja Azari Still from 'The King of Black' 2013
Slavs and Tatars 'Molla Nasreddin, the Antimodernist' 2012
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071 LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT ‘Love Me, Love Me Not’ was a ground-breaking exhibition of contemporary art from Azerbaijan and its neighbouring countries. Produced and supported by YARAT and curated by Dina Nasser-Khadivi, it was originally presented as part of the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013. Featuring work by 16 artists from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, and Georgia, the exhibition opened on 3rd April 2014
and ran until 25th May. The venue, Baku’s magnificent Heydar Aliyev Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid, is itself a cultural landmark. In this spectacular setting, ‘Love Me, Love Me Not’ was a memorable and significant event. After Venice, its tenure in Baku marked a creative and spiritual cycle, a return to the point of origin.
Faig Ahmed Detail from 'Threads' installation 2012
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Orkhan Huseynov 'The Life of Bruce Lye' Installation 2008
Farhad Moshiri 'Kiosk de CuriositĂŠ' Installation 2011
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Mahmoud Bakhshi 'Mother of Nation' from The Industrial Revolution series 2009 – 2013
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The YARAT Team Artists, staff and collaborators at the 55th Venice Biennale 2013
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078 ARTIM
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078 ARTIM In 2011 YARAT launched ARTIM (meaning ‘progress’ in Azerbaijani), an annual youth support programme which aims to inspire the next generation of Azerbaijani creative talents to seek a career in the arts, and gives young aspiring artists the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional context alongside established artists.
Young artists are encouraged to produce works in the genre of modern conceptual art, based on materials studied in museums with the help of specialists from the world of culture. They also learn to develop conceptual art skills through modern technology in synthesis with traditional genres of art. Each ARTIM project focuses on a new theme and exhibits the works in different locations for around two months.
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080 ART DUBAI
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080 ART DUBAI ‘Marker’ at Art Dubai was another major international event that helped to further develop exposure for Azerbaijani art internationally, as well as demonstrating YARAT’s gathering participation in the international art scene. The gallery programme was curated by the artists Slavs and Tatars, and took Central Asia and the Caucasus as its focus, through a celebration of the complexities of faith, identity and language of the region. YARAT exhibited several artists whose works addressed subjects as diverse as collective memory, traditional dance, landscape and musical performance.
of socialist realism in the 1950s and 1960s, artists born in the 1920s were set alongside those who came to maturity after Azerbaijan’s 1991 independence, as well as today’s generation. This showcased a real evolution of art, forming connections between the old, traditional styles and the new generation, who are still pushing artistic boundaries through the use of new media and ideas. To reflect this expansion in approaches, video, painting, mixed-media and sculpture were all included in YARAT’s varied exhibition.
Works were selected to include artists born throughout the 20th Century, creating an exhibition spanning three different generations of artists. Having developing under the paradigm
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Orkhan Huseynov Still from 'Dancing With No Sound' Video 2011
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106 VIENNA FOCUS
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106 VIENNA FOCUS 2014 marked the 10th anniversary of VIENNAFAIR, Austria’s largest contemporary art fair. A vital platform for contemporary art from Central, Eastern and South-eastern Europe, VIENNAFAIR has since widened its focus to include Azerbaijan, leading to the participation of YARAT. The VIENNA Focus section is devoted to institutions, non-profit organisations and cultural embassies. YARAT was the exclusive partner for all Azerbaijan participation. At ‘VIENNAFAIR: The New Contemporary’, YARAT artists created a body of work which references and reflects the rich and complex cultural history of Sovetsky (Soviet), an important historic area of Baku. Artists reflected the solidarity and principles which united Sovetsky’s communities during the cultural shift and severe external pressures over many years.
The district of Sovetsky is characterised by challenging living conditions, cramped, low buildings and narrow roads, resulting from a history of ill-considered construction. This occurred initially with the arrival of migrant farmers from surrounding villages in the second half of the 19th Century and then reached a peak during the early Soviet period from 1917 to 1925. The quarter is equally renowned, paradoxically, for its ornate architecture, elaborate window grates and grand, ancient wooden doors. Sovetsky also has an important role in the recording and documenting of the country’s history. Many prominent figures from 20th Century Azerbaijani culture were born in Sovetsky and are critically important preservers of Azerbaijani culture.
His Excellency Mr. Heinz Fischer The President of Austria attending the YARAT booth
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Orkhan Huseynov 'Atelier Sovetsky' Video installation 2014
Sanan Aleskerov Untitled Scan from analogue photo, digitally manipulated, digital print, plastification 2003, 2014
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Aida Mahmudova Untitled Installation Wood, stainless steel, iron 2014
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YARAT is art. Founded by Aida Mahmudova and a collective of fellow artists. We are instinctively and intuitively responsive to artists and their reason. For some artists, the relationship with YARAT will be transitional while some will maintain a more permanent union. It is important, for us, that every artist enjoys, during their YARAT tenure, an environment and experience of powerful creativity and artistic control. We hope that every artist learns as much from us as we gain valuable insight and inspiration from them. The artists we work with are as varied and diverse as the projects they present. How to choose just 5 artists from a beguiling and fascinating roster? Again, we select our very first artist. Beyond this, we allow chance to curate. We, however, encourage and recommend further investigation into any of the individuals listed.
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130 ARTISTS
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001 AFET BAGHIROVA 002 AFRUZ AMIGHI 003 AGA OUSSEINOV 004 AGIL ABDULLAYEV 005 AIDA MAHMUDOVA 006 ALAIN ZIMERAY 007 ALEX HODA 008 ALI HASANOV 009 ALI BANISADR 010 ALTAI SADIKHZADEH 011 ASHRAF MURAD 012 ANIOL MACAU 013 ANNIE MORRIS 014 ANNIE VIGIER 015 ARIF HUSEYNOV 016 ARTHUR BONDAR 017 ARZUMAN MIRZASOY 115
018 AYDIN BAGHIROV 019 AYGUN HASANOVA 020 BIRGITTA HOSEA 021 BRUCE HIGH QUALITY FOUNDATION 022 BUTUNAY HAGVERDIYEV 023 CATHERINE SHOVLIN 024 CECILIA CRONELID 025 CHIEN-CHI CHANG 026 CHINGIZ BABAYEV 027 DANA TURCOVIC 028 DANIEL MCGRATH 029 DAVID MONTGOMERY 030 DEJAN KALUDJEROVIC 031 DILARA ATAKISHIYEVA 032 DJEMMA SATTAR 033 ELCHIN VELIYEV 116
034 ELTURAN MAMMADOV 035 ELDAR GURBAN 036 ELIYAR ALIMIRZAYEV 037 EMIL MEJNUNOV 038 EMIN AZIZBEYLI 039 FAIG AHMED 125 040 FAIG AKBAROV 041 FAKHRIYYA MAMMADOVA 135 042 FARAH RAHIM ISMAIL 043 FARHAD HAGVERDI 044 FARHAD MOSHIRI 045 FARID RASULOV 046 FARHAD FARZALIYEV 047 FIDAN SEYIDOVA 048 FLORENTIJN HOFMAN 049 FRANCESC RUIZ 117
050 FRANCK APERTET 051 FUAD SALAYEV 052 GEORGE YOUNG 053 GURAM TSIBAKHASHVILI 054 HUSEYN HAGVERDI 145 055 IDRIS KHAN 056 ILIKO ZAUTASHVILI 057 ILKIN HUSEYNOV 058 IRINA ELDAROVA 059 JAAP DE VRIES 060 JAMES TURRELL 061 JAVAD MIRJAVADOV 062 JAVID GULIYEV 063 JENS PETERSON-BERGER 064 JOHN BELA 118
065 JORDAN BASEMAN 066 JOSE VINCENT 067 KEITH COVENTRY 068 KUTLUG ATAMAN 069 LALA GASIM 070 LALA GARAYEVA 071 LEYLA ALIYEVA 072 LEYLA AGHAYEVA 073 LUDGER HOVESTADT 074 MAHMOUD BAKHSHI 075 MAHMUD RUSTAMOV 076 MAMMAD MUSTAFAYEV 077 MAMMAD RASHIDOV 078 MARGRET EICHER 079 MARK JENKINS 080 MEHRIBAN SHAMSADINSKAYA 119
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081 MEHDI MAMMADOV 082 MIRNADIR ZEYNALOV 083 MUSEYIB AMIROV 084 NATALIA PASTUKHOVA 085 NAZIM RAHMANOV 086 NAIL ALAKBAROV 087 NAZRIN MAMMADOVA 088 NEIL CLEMENTS 089 NIYAZ NAJAFOV 090 OKSANA YUSHKO 091 OLYMPIA SCARRY 092 ORKHAN HUSEYNOV 093 ORKHAN MAMMADOV 094 PAOLA ANZICHÉ 095 PARVIZ JAFAROV 096 PAUL FRYER 097 RAMAL KAZIM 155
098 RASHAD ALAKBAROV 165 099 RASHAD BABAYEV 100 REZA HAZARE 101 RYAN MOSLEY 102 SHAARBEK AMANKUL 103 SHARGIYA RAHMANLI 104 SABINA SHIKHLINSKAYA 105 SAMIR SALAHOV 106 SANAN ALESKEROV 107 SARAH LUCAS 108 SHOJA AZARI 109 SITARA IBRAHIMOVA 110 SALAM YOUSRY 111 SHIRIN NESHAT 112 SEBASTIAN BERGNE 113 TAHMIN ALI 114 TAMIKO O’BRIEN 121
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115 TAMUNA CHADUNELI 116 TARLAN GORCHU 117 TAHIR SALAHOV 118 TAUS MAKHACHEVA 119 TEYMUR DAIMI 120 TEYMUR RUSTAMOV 121 THOMAS DWORZAK 122 TIMO NASSERI 123 VUSAL RAHIM 124 VALERIE GREEN 125 VUGAR MURADOV 126 WILLIAM COBBING 127 YELENA HAGVERDIYEVA 128 ZAMIR SULEYMANOV 129 ZAKIR HUSEYNOV 130 ZARNISHAN YUSIF
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039 FAIG AHMED
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Detail from 'Threads' installation, woollen threads 2012
039 FAIG AHMED b.1982, Baku. Lives and works in Baku. Faig Ahmed graduated from the Sculpture Faculty of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art in Baku in 2004. Since 2003 he has been working with various media, including painting, video and installation. He is currently studying the artistic qualities of traditional Azerbaijani rugs – he disassembles their conventional structure, rearranges the resulting components and then combines these fragments with contemporary sculptural forms. He thinks that our opinions and decisions result from the influences of our childhood. If we could know all the details of someone’s life we could easily predict their reactions and choices. Tradition is the main
factor that creates society as a selfregulated system. Changes in unwritten rules happen under the influence of global modern culture. The carpet is a symbol of the invincible traditions of the East, a visualization of an indestructible icon. But in his art he sees culture differently. It is more about the expectation of a reaction because it is precisely this change in points-of-view that changes the world. Slight alterations in the form of a carpet dramatically change its structure and maybe make it more suitable for modern life. Eastern culture is visually very rich. Ahmed covers it all in minimalistic forms, destroying the stereotypes of the tradition and redrawing new modern boundaries.
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Please describe your artistic work before and after starting your cooperation with YARAT. Contemporary art in Azerbaijan has gone through a number of phases. In my opinion, there were three phases, and I joined the second wave of artists in 2004 – 2005. Everything was new to me and I processed every bit of information at the speed of light, also because there was not much information to begin with. Eventually I started to take part in exhibitions abroad, and I started to understand the interrelation between the artist and the art world. YARAT did not exist at the time, but such an organisation was exactly what we needed to rally all the artists together. And that is exactly what happened. YARAT gave me stability, and, above all, ample room to practice and experiment. And this was the third, and strongest, wave. All that was before YARAT remained and started to grow even stronger, but then also on a professional level.
'Gravitation – Anti-Gravitation' Mixed media, forex, handmade, woollen threads 2014
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'Gravitation – Anti-Gravitation' Mixed media, forex, handmade, woollen threads 2014
What were the most important moments in your artistic career since the creation of YARAT over three years ago? I know that “the first is always the sweetest”. And I will never forget my first exhibition, ‘Ön Söz’ (‘Foreword’), and the preparation work for it. Especially the night before the opening, when we stayed up until 6am hanging artworks. It was truly great! The second important moment was the Venice Biennale. Though it was the second time for me, I was still just as excited as the first. It was a step up in responsibility for me, as the work was enormous, and many important critics were in attendance. I remember that day vividly, and it was a successful project for everyone. The third milestone was not my participation as an artist, but my experience as a curator. The project was called ‘Завод’ (‘The Factory’) and all the participants were young artists. I had already worked as a curator, but this was a different experience, and I think I gained incredible insight into organisational matters. This project was also important because many young artists were able to bring their first projects to life, and after that they started to actively take part in other YARAT projects as well.
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'Gara' Handmade, woollen carpet 2014
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'Invert' Handmade, woollen carpet 2014
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'Impossible Viscosity' Handmade, woollen carpet 2014 'Outflow' Handmade, woollen carpet 2014
In your opinion, what are YARAT’s key structural features that have fostered such a swift and progressive development of contemporary art in Azerbaijan? One of the key features for the organisation’s success is Aida herself. As founder, she immediately set the pace of the organisation, and to this day the entire team works at that pace. This was no coincidence, but came about from Aida’s experience as an artist herself. She knows perfectly well how an organisation for artists should be. Another important factor is the artistic staff who pour their hearts into their work and into this organisation. This is a simple but essential cooperation that has set the goals for everyone. Today we see the result, not only at home, but also abroad. I am convinced that the success of every endeavour depends on your passion. All of those who have cooperated and cooperate today with YARAT love the arts. 132
Which opportunities arose for you thanks to cooperation with YAY Gallery? YAY has given stability to my artistic activities. The commercial world of art is quite large, but treacherous at the same time. YAY is a pillar I can freely lean on while working with galleries from all over the world. YAY Gallery secures the financing for projects and educational programmes, also for established artists, and this is an important engine for artistic creation. There are many issues that artists are not capable of addressing, such as artwork shipments, documentation, legal matters and so on. YAY plays the role of a stabilising agent in a chaotic art world, but at the same time it does so without influencing artistic freedom. It is a perfect match.
Detail from 'Disconnection' Installation Woollen threads 2014
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041 FAKHRIYYA MAMMADOVA
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'Wedding' Girlish Dreams Digital photographs 2008
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041 FAKHRIYYA MAMMADOVA b. 1974, Baku. Lives and works in Baku. Fakhriyya Mammadova is an artistdesigner and photographer. She graduated from the Design Faculty of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art in Baku in 2005. She has been a member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan since 2002 and a member of the Union of Photographers of Azerbaijan since 2004. She does restoration work on ceramics and sculpture and experiments with macro-photography.
In her photo installations, Mammadova uses objects and materials of differing textures. Her first work of this kind was shown in the exhibition ‘Wings of Time’ in Baku in 2000. Currently, Fakhriyya works with conceptual photography which aims to capture the transitory moments of life.
'A Moment' 1 Nardaran Scene Digital print 2008
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'I Am Tired' Digital print 2003
'Time for Walking' Digital print 2006
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How do you consider your artistic activity before and after beginning to work closely with YARAT Contemporary Art Space? For the three years of its existence, YARAT has made a huge contribution to the development of Azerbaijani contemporary art, both in Azerbaijan and abroad. I am proud to have been contributing with my work to the development of YARAT during these years, and I hope to continue to progress and give as much value as possible to YARAT in the future. YARAT created a platform for artists where we can experiment with real materials. So now we do not only have sketches – it's great when these sketches are translated into real objects and give pleasure to the public.
Please highlight the most exiting moments in your artistic career that you have had during the three years that YARAT Contemporary Art Space has existed? For each artist recognition is very important. The path to this lies through multiple exhibitions and projects, not only in their country but also abroad. In this sense, YARAT has given me the chance to take part in international projects and so to be recognised for my work.
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'One Week with Anna' Digital print 2009
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'DĂŠja Vu' Digital print 2006
Can you speak about the opportunities given to you by YAY Gallery? YAY Gallery was the next logical step in the development of the YARAT structure. Of course, YARAT did it for the benefit of the artists. So far, the gallery has held exhibitions of talented young artists as well as all the prominent artists. I am looking forward to my solo exhibition this spring. It will be a great opportunity for me to show everyone how I see the world.
What, in your opinion, are the key aspects of the structure of YARAT that have enabled it to achieve such a boost in the growth of the contemporary art scene in Azerbaijan? YARAT is an organisation that has developed rapidly. YARAT attracts the right resources in the creation of its projects. YARAT strongly supports artists, inspires children's creativity and pays great attention to arts education for children and adults.
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'Breakfast' Digital print 2006
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'Stone' Exhibition MOMA Baku
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054 HUSEYN HAGVERDI b.1956, Baku. Lives and works in Baku. Huseyn Hagverdi graduated from Azimzadeh State Art College in Baku in 1975 and from the Vera Mukhina Higher School of Art and design in St Petersburg in 1980. Hagverdi has worked with different media, including sculpture, drawing and monumental art. He produced the statue of St. Maria at the Catholic Cathedral in Baku and a monumental mosaic panel of the Caspian Legend in the Sangachal oil terminal. In 2003 he was named an Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan. Hagverdi is equally proficient in sculpture, graphic work and painting. In addition, he is an avid photographer and video artist. However, he is known to the majority of people, both in Azerbaijan and abroad, primarily as a sculptor and it was as such that he has participated in numerous exhibitions and symposiums both in Azerbaijan and abroad since 1980. Hagverdi has many smaller sized sculptures. However, he is equally successful in monumental works. Thus, his mosaic ‘The Legend of the Caspian Sea’ was perfectly integrated into the territory of the Sangachal oil and gas terminal. Hagverdi is also the artist who created the statue of the
Virgin Mary adorning the Baku Catholic Church. The generalized, laconic form of this massive sculpture is a reflection of Hagverdi’s general artistic vision: he develops a topic in depth, highlighting its most significant aspects and ignoring the trivialities. Throughout the past decade, Hagverdi has participated increasingly often in group exhibitions and solo shows, showcasing his graphic works and paintings as well as his particular concept of visual art. The huge canvases on which space is intricately distorted, reflect the multidimensional mosaic of the world. The most striking examples are his photographic compositions and video art for ‘USSRremix’, on which he collaborated with several other Azerbaijani artists. Utilising the same principle – uniting, as in a mosaic, diverse fragments to create a single composition he has approached his abstract monochromatic composition ‘Our Time’, which consists of five parts.
'Embrace' Toned limestone 2014
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Please describe your artistic work before and after starting your cooperation with YARAT. YARAT’s arrival marked a new phase in the development of contemporary art in Azerbaijan. As you know, the first steps in this field were taken by the so-called artists of the ‘Absheron School’ of art back in the 60s and 70s. After that, there were the ‘Testing’ and ‘Labyrinth’ groups, where we worked as young aspiring artists. In the 2000s, there were several independent initiatives and projects, but they were all aimed at their own individual ends and not linked together. Without a doubt, YARAT created the creative platform for our art, which made us feel needed and which gave us an impulse for further growth.
'Hermit' Toned limestone 2014
What were the most important moments in your artistic career since the creation of YARAT over three years ago? Since its inception, YARAT has completed a multitude of projects and exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad. One of YARAT’s first projects was the ‘012 Baku Public Art Festival’, the first public art festival to take place in Baku, which generated significant attention. Another major project I would mention is the ‘Fly to Baku’ exhibition, which took place in world capitals such as London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Vienna and Moscow. This project became an important step in the campaign for contemporary art in Azerbaijan, and in presenting our artists to the world. ‘The Other City’ exhibition was my project with Rashad Alakbarov. It was an important step forward in my artistic work as a graphic artist, instead of a sculptor.
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Huseyn Hagverdi in the working process
'Head' Stone 2014
From 'Rhythm of the City' series Pastel on paper 2014
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From 'Decorations for a Play that Hasn't Been Written' series Pastel on paper 2013
Which opportunities arose for you thanks to cooperation with YAY Gallery? My solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Baku, entitled ‘Stone’, was a curatorial project. It featured works made with stones, which I had been working on for a long time. A solo exhibition is always an opportunity to be exposed to a wide audience, and to further establish oneself. YAY Gallery was opened to support artists. This includes participating in local exhibitions, but also the opportunity to take part and exhibit in international projects.
In your opinion, what are YARAT’s key structural features that have fostered such a swift and progressive development of contemporary art in Azerbaijan? YARAT is an organisation with a professional stance and clear goals. It has forged a positive, creative atmosphere and healthy artistic competition. The organisation supports a wide range of ideas and projects, and it seeks out and exposes young talent. YARAT opens its doors to everyone who wants to live to create.
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Untitled Mixed media on canvas 2012
From 'Cosmogonic Stories' series Mixed media on canvas 2013
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'Thinking Crazy' Mixed media on canvas 2011
097 RAMAL KAZIM b. 1987, Ganja. Lives and works in Baku. Ramal graduated from Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art. As an emerging artist, his highly creative and evolving work has already included painting, drawing and sculpture. The most immediate observation of Kazim’s work is the incredibly tense physicality of his subjects. As he himself states, “the expression of the soul is the body”, and the torment of the soul, through the medium of the body, is evident in his paintings. The avant-garde hyperbolised forms are essential characteristics of Ramal’s works. Even though the artist loves the
specific style of diminished perspective as a rule in his paintings, he still aims to show fully dimensional figures. A clear example of the distinctive feature of his figures is the severe pain that can be felt from Ramal’s portrayal of broken and distorted character features. The important aspects of Ramal’s works are his unique palette and the artistic dialogue in which the forms that he creates are fascinatingly involved. His simple painting style does not get lost in harsh reality, through his emphasis on acutely stressed works.
'Abstinence' Mixed media on canvas 2012
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How do you approach your creative activities after close cooperation with YARAT Contemporary Art Space? After close cooperation with YARAT Contemporary Art Space, I have become more confident to achieve my goals, and I quit spending time on small or even big technical problems. Alongside these, I’m able to work more quickly, and I am also able to be open to the public and the world.
'Genocide' Sepia on paper 2011
Underline the most unforgettable and brightest moments in your career, since YARAT Contemporary Art Space has been in existence. The most important moments in my career include my participation in a non-traditional exhibition organized in London by Adam Raymond, my solo exhibition held with special care by YAY Gallery, and my recent residency in Milan at the end of 2014.
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'Protest' Pencil, sepia on paper 2012
'Cibic Rubik' Sanguine, oil pastels on paper 2012
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'Cat Feeder' Sanguine, oil on canvas 2011
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'Car Crash' Sepia on paper 2012
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'Hollow Man' Oil on canvas 2012
'Passion' Watercolour on paper 2012
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What kind of opportunities has YAY Gallery created for you? YAY Gallery has strengthened our material resources, organised for the artworks’ public sale, and given resources to the artists’ creative qualities. I can also mention its positive impact on me, and its close support in the realisation of my innovative ideas.
'Red Papers' Oil on canvas 2012
What are the main factors of the structure of the YARAT organisation, which have caused such a rise in Azerbaijani contemporary art? It comprises a proper and more mature approach, close observation of art development in the world, as well as the influence of the organisation on its artists to define their own direction. The substantial manifestation of the contemporary art world’s attention on Azerbaijan comprises a more coherent developmental direction. 163
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'Shebeke' Metal, light source 2012
098 RASHAD ALAKBAROV b.1979, Baku. Lives and works in Baku.
Rashad Alakbarov graduated from the Faculty of Decorative Arts at Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art in Baku (2001). He has worked with different media, including painting, sculpture, theatrical decoration, video art and architectural design, but the use of shadows in his installations has become the main direction in the artist's conceptual work. The first public showing of this type of work was at the 'Wings of Time' exhibition in Baku in 2000. His works are held in private collections in Azerbaijan, Turkey, Italy and Russia. The works of Alakbarov comprise massive installations, but not the typical kind which are aimed at direct sensory perception – they contain more subtlety. Objects, either diverse or homogenous, are arranged in such a manner that shadows cast on a wall, under proper lighting, have little to do with the image of the initial installation. From this duality lies the magic of Rashad Alakbarov’s works.
The artist has a broad range of creativity within the general theme of these works. Alakbarov’s shadow work is portrayed on the surface of walls and includes the images of the city as well as mythological and other characters. This has included ‘012 Baku Public Art’ project and the ‘Themis’ installation. ‘Ön Söz’ and ‘The Other City’ were also significant exhibitions for his personal development. The installations are created with relatively simple objects, such as plastic pipes and metal wires that he collects and uses to construct the installations himself. At the same time he significantly emphasises the concept of the Eastern world in his works. Thematically, his recent works are mainly associated with global social problems. With these works the artist focuses attention on problems and demonstrates that he is far from oblivious towards what is happening in the world today.
'Shebeke' Metal, light source 2012
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'All That Glitters Is Not Gold' Metal, light source 2014
Please describe your artistic work before and after starting your cooperation with YARAT. After close cooperation with YARAT, I can see that the attitudes of all Azerbaijani artists, as well as mine, have radically changed. I consider both the way of thinking and the more professional approach to art as the main factors in this change. Before the establishment of YARAT Contemporary Art Space, exhibitions were also held, but, personally, I began to regard the art more seriously and professionally after the arrival of YARAT, while I had an opportunity to spend my time and energy wholly on developing my art. YARAT and the effort of its team on contemporary Azerbaijani art and artists’ development and conditions (international and local exhibitions, projects, education, residences, trainings and seminars by professionals, lectures and others) have built up an incredibly well promoted and improved modern art. See it for yourself!
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'Try To Save' Metal, light source 2013
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What were the most important moments in your artistic career since the creation of YARAT over three years ago? Within the period of YARAT’s existence, the most unforgettable moment in my professional career occurred for my first exhibition, the ‘Ön Söz’ project. After this exhibition, I began to think differently and discovered new aspects in me. This discovery is about my attitude to contemporary art and vice versa. The ‘Public Art’ project also changed my feelings about society and art, and, undoubtedly, the ‘Love Me, Love Me Not’ project did the same.
'Miniature'
Metal, light source In your opinion, what are YARAT’s 2013 key structural features that have fostered such a swift and progressive development of contemporary art in Azerbaijan? YARAT’s founder, Aida Mahmudova, is also an artist. This constitutes the main point, I think, and everything emanates from there. Being an artist means being inside art. Being inside this art means loving it. Loving it means protecting and developing it professionally. All of the YARAT team, as professionals, inspired and moulded by this attitude, give their best efforts to the improvement and promotion of the organisation.
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'Cui Bono' Rope, light source 2014
Which opportunities arose for you thanks to cooperation with YAY Gallery? Finally, I would like especially to mention one crucial point in this case, the fact that YAY Gallery was formed, not just to promote and display young artists, but also to support them commercially. The existence of YAY Gallery enhances views and perspectives of Azerbaijani artists more and more. YAY Gallery has the important role of protecting artists’ rights. And this comprises one of the most crucial factors.
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Some abide by the proverb that the tea is more important than the cup. For architects, however, the commission of an art gallery or museum remains the trophy of a career. The truth is probably somewhere within this arc. YARAT is based in a collection of 4 buildings. The buildings share an energy and dynamic. All respond to, and conduct a current of intelligent creativity. We believe fervently that art, in both its creation and appreciation, is a fundamental instrument in elevating and enriching the quality of life. There are grander and more extravagant buildings in the global art landscape. We are quietly proud, however, of our modest but beautiful architecture. It’s honesty, cultural and historic reference, beauty of proportion, form and material harmonises perfectly with our values and vision. The industry of creativity is a complex alchemy of magic and logic. We feel it is important to acknowledge every person involved in the process. Whilst the following pages offer a brief view into the YARAT environment we think the only way to gain absolute understanding is to visit us. 172
4 BUILDINGS
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001 YAY GALLERY 177 002 YARAT STUDIOS 183 003 OFFICES 191 004 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE 199
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YAY GALLERY 001
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001 YAY GALLERY Located in the heart of Baku’s Old City, YAY Gallery sits elegantly within a UNESCO world heritage site. The gallery was founded by YARAT as part of their commitment to supporting the art infrastructure in Azerbaijan. Although the gallery is commercial, it is committed to the not-for-profit ethos of YARAT. YAY (which means ‘share’ in Azerbaijani) divides the proceeds from sales of works between the artists and further funding for YARAT’s varied activities. In addition to six annual exhibitions, the gallery has established a strong following for its programme of talks, screenings and publications.
Artists represented by YAY Gallery have gone on to take part in residencies and exhibitions internationally. Nazrin Mammadova, Rashad Alakbarov and Farid Rasulov were invited to the prestigious Delfina Foundation Residency in London in June 2014. Faig Ahmed was nominated for the revered Jameel Prize in 2013 and exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In June 2014, YAY Gallery took the work of Nazrin Mammadova and Farhad Farzaliyev to START art fair, London.
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YARAT STUDIOS 002
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002 YARAT STUDIOS Opened in November 2014, YARAT Studios is a dedicated creative space for artists in Baku, a complex of eleven studios and residential space, used by both Azerbaijani and visiting international artists. YARAT Studios provides an atmosphere of creative collaboration where emerging and established local artists can interact with foreign artists. The primary purpose of YARAT Studios is to provide artists with opportunities and a creative working environment that inspires them to grow professionally and personally. YARAT Studios offers artists the opportunity to challenge and push the boundaries of contemporary art by enabling radical artistic experiments.
The new studios also enable YARAT to evolve their existing residency programme by hosting full-time residencies for international artists. Inaugurated in 2014, the programme forms a key part of YARAT’s education programme. As well as conducting research and working on their own projects, the artists-in-residence are invited to participate in the education programme by holding workshops and talks. As a place to share artistic visions and ideas and an environment in which artists inspire each other in new individual and collective projects, YARAT Studios is already widely recognised as critical in the creation of a lasting cultural dialogue between artists and art institutions, both at home and abroad.
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OFFICES
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003 OFFICES A creative organisation is a balance of magic and logic. There is a tired formula in books that chronicle art organisations where only the obviously creative activities and people are featured. This, to us, is a failing. Everybody who is a part of YARAT is worthy of inclusion. The intelligent and effective management ensures that creative energy is allowed to reach its optimum potential. The offices at YARAT may, possibly, lack the rich
visual drama of the gallery and studios. Look, however, and you will see the dedication, passion and gift which runs deeply through all of YARAT. The creativity, the energy that never sleeps, which is central to our artistic purpose, informs the offices as much as it runs through the studios and into the galleries.
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004 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTRE Intelligent and intuitive architecture has created a stunning, contemporary 2000 square metre exhibition space. The two-storey building will present four exhibitions annually, featuring established and emerging international artists. The building, in addition, will house the permanent YARAT collection and library.
The spacious auditorium provides an inspiring and dedicated space for educational activities, performances, screenings and other YARAT events. An organic cafĂŠ, an informal hub for the centre, is a vibrant and lively space for discussions and gatherings.
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In the course of putting this book together it has been a pleasure to revisit the events and episodes from the last 1295 days. What continues to inspire me is the extraordinary reaction we have had, on a local, regional and international scale, to the creative talents of the
individual artists with whom we have collaborated. These first four years are akin to the process of building our new art centre. We began by laying strong foundations which we will now continue to build upon across all our activities and in particular education.
IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT THE COMBINATION OF CREATIVITY, DETERMINATION AND THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION WHICH HAS MARKED OUR FIRST 1295 DAYS WILL SEE US THROUGH THE NEXT 1295 DAYS AND BEYOND, ENABLING US TO REACH AND INSPIRE MORE PEOPLE. Aida Mahmudova, March 2015
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The first 1295 days of YARAT, and this book, would not have been possible without the involvement, assistance and enormous grace and goodwill of the following people and organisations. It is almost inevitable that we fail to acknowledge everybody who has contributed to our pursuit. In this instance we humbly request understanding and assure that every gesture of contribution is greatly appreciated.
Altai Sadikhzade Detail from ‘Passers by. Baku Boulevard’, Oil on canvas, 2002
Her Excellency Mehriban Aliyeva, Nargiz Pashayeva, Leyla Aliyeva, David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, Hijran Huseynova, Anar Alakbarov, Dilyara Allakhverdova, Elif Bayoglu, Mark Dunhill, Maryam Eisler, Suad Garayeva, Jasmin Pelham, Sandra Nedvetskaia, Jonathan Watkins, Dina Nasser-Khadivi, Sara Raza, Francesco Bonami, Christina SteinbrecherPfandt, Antonia Carver, Nic Iljine, Nailya Allakhverdieva, Natig Heydarov, Vugar Aliyev, Buniyat Gasimov, Murad Babayev, Paul Hewitt, Judith Greer The YARAT Team, The YAY Gallery Team, The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The Ministry of Communications and High Technologies of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The Ministry of Youth and Sports of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), The State Committee for the Affairs of Families, Women and Children, The Executive Authority of Baku City, The Seaside Boulevard Office under the Cabinet of Ministers of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The Administration of The State Historical-Architectural Reserve of 'Icherisheher' under the Cabinet of Ministers of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under The President of The Republic of Azerbaijan, The Azerbaijan Lawyers Confederation, The U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Azerbaijan, The Embassy of France in Azerbaijan, UNS Creative Stage, The Museum of Modern Art, Baku, The International Mugham Centre, IDEA – International Dialogue for Environmental Action, Ata Holding, Pasha Holding, Gilan Holding, SINTEKS, Christie's, Sotheby's, Pelham Communications, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Maraya Art Centre, Sharjah, Magnum Photos, Delfina Foundation, The National Centre for Contemporary Art, Moscow, Silk Way Airlines, Bank Technique, Bank Respublika, Baku Media Centre, Azercell, Bakcell, Flexible Solutions, Rapid Solutions, A Plus B Studio, Chalk Studio, Exhibit A ART Limited With our sincere thanks, YARAT
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YARAT AND BE FREE
Francesco Bonami, March 2015