Azernews.Az

The opening of the contemporary art exhibition “Geyser” took place on January 17 at the Museum of Modern Art as part of the “Oil Boom Smiles at Everyone” festival, held with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, sponsored by bp, and organized by the Magsud Ibrahimbeyov Creative Center.

According to Azernews, the opening ceremony was attended by Director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov, along with official guests, well-known artists, cultural figures, and members of the public.

The “Oil Boom Smiles at Everyone” festival, running from November 2025 to February 2026, is dedicated to the creative legacy of prominent Azerbaijani writer Magsud Ibrahimbeyov. Built around the cultural and historical context of the oil boom era, the festival brings together various art forms and explores themes of transformation, expectation, and inner tension reflected in the writer’s literary works.

The “Geyser” exhibition is one of the festival’s central projects. Drawing conceptual inspiration from Ibrahimbeyov’s play The Oil Boom Smiles at Everyone, the exhibition offers an immersive reflection on the intersection of personal experience and collective history.

Speaking at the opening, Anna Ibrahimbeyova, Director of the Magsud Ibrahimbeyov Creative Center, described the day as a special milestone for the festival.
“Today is truly a magnificent event, because young and talented artists are participating in the festival. What pleases me most is that many of them not only create, but also think deeply, turning to the works of Magsud Ibrahimbeyov,” she said.

She noted that the exhibited works are not literal interpretations but rather impressions and personal artistic responses, transforming literary images and ideas into the language of contemporary visual art.

In his remarks, Anar Alakbarov expressed gratitude to everyone involved in organizing the event and emphasized the importance of the festival, which has been underway since November 2025.
“The events and performances presented within the framework of the festival are of great significance. I hope this initiative becomes a tradition. Today I met with the artists and saw their remarkable works. I wish each of them success in their future creative paths,” he said.

Bakhtiyar Aslanbeyli, bp Vice President for Communications and External Relations for the Caspian Region, said the event represents a celebration that has existed and will continue to exist at the intersection of art and literature. He expressed bp’s satisfaction in supporting such a cultural initiative.

Curator of the exhibition Nigar Rzayeva noted that the creative heritage of Magsud Ibrahimbeyov remains vibrant and contemporary, serving as a powerful source of inspiration for artists. She thanked the entire creative team, as well as the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, bp, and the Museum of Modern Art for their support.

After the speeches, guests viewed the exhibition.

Within the project, oil is presented as a defining force shaping the rhythm of Baku, the fate of individuals, and the country’s broader development. It forms an environment in which human relationships have evolved throughout history.

The title “Geyser” refers both to the oil fountain — the eruption of oil to the earth’s surface under pressure — and to the natural principle of a geyser releasing accumulated energy. This impulse, rooted in Ibrahimbeyov’s play, is further developed in the artists’ works.

Nine artists are participating in the exhibition: Fidan Sadig, Irina Eldarova, Kenan Aliyev, Mushfig Heydarov, Nazrin Mammadova, Nigar Familsoy, Orkhan Garayev, Sarkhan Hajiyev, and Vusala Agaraziyeva.

The exhibition consists of two interconnected parts: a conceptual video work based on reinterpreted archival materials, and contemporary artworks that form the main exhibition space. A separate photographic work by Anna Ibrahimbeyova, the initiator of the festival and the wife of Magsud Ibrahimbeyov, is also presented outside the main composition.

Fidan Sadig’s installation “Nameless” addresses the invisible existence of women during the oil boom. A faceless female figure symbolizes the loss of individuality under social pressure, with industrial-era Baku patterns replacing the face and embedding history onto the body.

Irina Eldarova’s “Drakaris. Fire-worshippers” explores solar energy as a primordial life source and a symbol of the Land of Fire, portraying humanity as a collective titan that has mastered fire and built systems to transmit energy from the depths of the earth to the global scale.

Kenan Aliyev’s sculpture “Expectation” centers on anticipation and ascent. Pipes rising chaotically from a pedestal form a closed square referencing the oil cube, emitting sound that grows as viewers approach, evoking memories of Baku during the oil boom. The work is also rooted in the artist’s personal memories of waiting for water during shortages in the 1990s.

In “Posthuman,” Mushfig Heydarov presents a large-scale figure devoid of gender and individuality, shaped by energy, technology, and information. Oil is portrayed as the foundational force driving industrial and digital systems, raising questions about the potential loss of human identity.

Nazrin Mammadova’s abstract work “Geyser” captures the moment when latent energy surfaces, disrupting familiar structures and reflecting the tension of transition between collapse and formation, with visual associations to the Absheron landscape.

Nigar Familsoy’s painting “Side Effect” features a crow as a silent witness to historical turning points, set against an aggressive yellow field symbolizing the blinding light of progress and the irreversible consequences of the oil and technological boom.

Orkhan Garayev’s “Curtain” examines contradictions between visible prosperity and invisible labor. Triangular lamellas create shifting images that only become clear through movement, serving as a metaphor for fragmented perception and hidden realities.

Sarkhan Hajiyev’s video work “Interval” explores the space between material and digital realities, where oil emerges as primordial memory and gives rise to a butterfly symbolizing consciousness. A second video piece, based on archival materials from the Azerbaijan State Film Fund, presents oil as an inseparable part of everyday life and history.

Vusala Agaraziyeva’s painting “Field” draws on documentary images of oil workers immersed in oil, depicting a space where human and matter merge. This theme continues in her installation “Center,” featuring a rotating wooden form and oilman’s gloves as a quiet testimony to labor and human endurance.

The contemporary art exhibition “Geyser” will run at the Museum of Modern Art until February 2.