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Laman Ismayilova

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On September 21, renowned artist Heyran Mustafa-Zade presented her exhibition titled "Roots" at the Azerbaijani Cultural House in Prague, Azernews reports.

The date was not chosen by chance — precisely on the International Day of Peace, the space of art became a place of reflection on memory, land, and humanity.

The evening began with the symbolic ringing of the Peace Bell. The curator of the exhibition and director of the Cultural House, Leyla Begim, in her speech connected the theme of "roots" with the theme of peace: land is not only soil, but also a repository of memory, identity, and life. And if wars are born around land, then preserving roots is a choice in favour of peace. Leyla Begim emphasised that today, as Azerbaijan takes important steps to ensure peace and stability in its region, hosting such an exhibition in the cultural capital of Europe is especially meaningful.

Her words about how art can transform the ordinary into metaphor found their continuation in the speech of Heyran Mustafa-Zade. The artist shared that the idea for the exhibition was born several months ago in her studio during a conversation with Leyla Begim. The central canvas of the cycle, started in Baku under the impact of the 44-day Garabagh war and completed in Prague, became the image of a bridge stretched across the abyss — between pain and hope, between memory and renewal.

Under the quiet, profound sound of jazz compositions by Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, visitors were introduced to a wide range of works united in the cycle "The New". Seven semantic stages — from the birth of life to destruction and new beginnings — form a cycle in which the human being emerges as a force of self-restoration and healing. The paintings, filled with expression, seem to lead the viewer into their own inner experience, bringing them back to their origins.

Heyran Mustafa-Zade works at the crossroads of classical painting and experiment, fusing metaphysical context with the power of abstraction. Her pseudonym HEYRANAM reflects a special outlook on life — piercing, yet full of enchantment. In the hall, one could feel that her "visual cry" touched Czech artists and members of the academic community, among them the rector of the Art & Design Institute, Professor Julius Gajdoš, art historian Ivona Raimanová, renowned photographer Tomáš Umlauf, as well as other figures of art, gallerists, and representatives of the embassies of Azerbaijan and Turkiye, along with members of the Azerbaijani diaspora.

The artist announced that in October she would hold a "commented tour," where she would speak in detail about each work. But already at the opening, it became clear: the exhibition "Roots" is not about a private biography, but about humanity as a whole — about the deep layers of its very essence.

The exhibition will be on display from September 22 until November 10, 2025.