Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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A conceptual exhibition titled "Antinomy" by visual arts theorist and artist Elchin Shamilli has been launched at the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, AzerNEWS reports.

The project invites viewers to step beyond traditional perceptions and engage in a dialogue with space, time, and the self.

The opening ceremony gathered leading figures from Azerbaijan's artistic and academic communities. Among the speakers were Shirin Malikova, Director of the National Art Museum, Farhad Khalilov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Artists' Union, Natig Aliyev, Rector of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts, Ertegin Salamzade, Director of the Institute of Architecture and Arts at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), and Dr. Teimur Daimi, a philosopher. They all emphasized that "Antinomy" fosters a new level of conceptual thinking in contemporary Azerbaijani art.

The exhibition explores the intricate relationships between society, the individual, and the environment. Through a language of symbols and visual metaphors, the artist uncovers the contradictions of existence—between the logical and the mystical, the material and the transcendent, the visible and the hidden.

The exhibition features 15 works, including photographs, graphic compositions, and installations. Each piece evokes the fragility of time: the compositions are structured as if the viewer is witnessing cracks in reality or transitional states between "here" and "there." The space seems to pulsate, offering a simultaneous experience of presence and absence, stability and fracture.

The concept of antinomy—a philosophical contradiction where equal truths collide is explored through themes of memory, transformation, and metaphysical reality. The symbol in Shamilli's works serves as a bridge between layers of being, acting both as a tool for knowledge and as an instrument for aesthetic experience.

Dr. Elchin Shamilli, an art theorist, is the author of over 40 scholarly articles on design theory and visual arts.

His monographs include "Perception of Visual Form in Design and Art", "The Paradigm of Design: Replacing Architecture", "Abstract Vector in Art", and others. Shamilli's solo exhibitions have been held at the Baku Art Center (New Gallery) and the Azerbaijan Artists' Union's exhibition hall. His works have been displayed in Baku, Recklinghausen, Budapest, Avignon, London, Aberdeen, Moscow, and St. Petersburg.

"Antinomy" is more than just an exhibition; it is an intellectual space for reflection. Here, aesthetic experience becomes a way of transcending the limits of rational knowledge, and the viewer becomes a co-author of meaning.

The exhibition will be open to the public until March 31.

Founded in 1937, the Azerbaijan National Art Museum offers art connoisseurs some of the best examples of decorative-applied arts of Western Europe.

Over 3,000 items in 60 rooms are on permanent display at the museum, and around 12,000 items are kept in storage. Here, you can see masterpieces of the Italian, French, German, and Polish masters of the brush.

The museum has successfully organized and hosted numerous high-level international exhibitions, showcasing the works of renowned artists.

These exhibitions have not only attracted art enthusiasts but have also contributed to the cultural exchange between Azerbaijan and other countries.