Azernews.Az

The Latvian Embassy in Azerbaijan and the National History Museum have presented a multimedia exhibition, "Julius Straume-150: Patterns in different cultures" in Baku, dedicated to the Latvian cultural heritage, Azernews reports.

The exhibition was organised as part of the official visit of the Chairman of the Latvian Parliament, Daiga Mierina.

The Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the National History Museum, Doctor of Historical Sciences Farhad Jabbarov, who addressed the event, spoke about relations between Latvia and Azerbaijan.

"We are pleased with the cultural, political, and economic relations between the two countries that have been developing recently. It is very important that our museum is hosting such an important exhibition today. Julius Straume left behind a great legacy. We are glad that this heritage contains a trace of the Caucasus and Azerbaijan," Farhad Jabbarov said.

In her speech, Chairman of the Latvian Parliament Daiga Mierina noted that cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Latvia are closer than it seems. She said that Latvian artists came to this country and lived here. The holding of this exhibition is an indicator of the closeness of cultural ties between our countries.

"I had the opportunity to visit the Garabagh region, and this trip made a great impression on me. I hope that Shusha, the pearl of your history, will be revived as soon as possible," Daiga Mierina said.

Researcher Fuad Akhundov spoke about the rich creativity of Yuli Straume. He emphasised that this famous artist, who laid the foundations of professional applied art and design in Latvia, created a great cultural bridge.

Julius Straume showed great interest in the art of weaving and the study of weaving traditions during his scientific expeditions to the mountain villages of the Caucasus.

From 1907 to 1923, Julius Straume worked for the Caucasian Crafts Committee in Tbilisi. During scientific expeditions, he paid attention to textile graphics, the study of weaving traditions, and the preservation of local cultural heritage.

Today, the Georgian State Museum of Folk and Applied Arts houses more than 500 objects created by Julius Straume, who is considered the founder of this museum and the first Georgian designer.

In 1908-1911, Straume worked as a drawing teacher at the Real School in Shusha, Azerbaijan. After Straume returned to Latvia, he became one of the founders of Latvian professional textile art. Carpets, furniture, souvenirs, and dishes were made according to his sketches.

The leading organiser of the exhibition is the Latvian Embassy. The exhibition is held in partnership with the Latvian National Art Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the Gulbene Regional History and Art Museum, the Druviena Old School Museum, the Latvian State Archives of Latvia, Radošä apvienė "Piektā Māja", professor at the Institute of Archaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Kubra Aliyeva, and researcher and lecturer Fuad Akhundov.

The design and artistic design of the multimedia exhibition belong to the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, Sabina Shikhlinskaya.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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