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AzerNEWS Staff

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On May 6, the MAMA “Mother Nature” international art exhibition opened within the monumental Salle des Pas Perdus, one of the most remarkable architectural spaces of the Palais des Nations, the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, AzerNEWS reports.

Presented in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, the exhibition brings together artists from diverse backgrounds to explore the relationship between humanity and nature, as well as the urgency of renewed ecological awareness.

The opening ceremony was attended by Anar Alakbarov, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Executive Director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, officials of the UN Geneva office and other international organizations, representatives of the local community and art enthusiasts.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Galib Israfilov, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN Geneva office and other international organizations, said the MAMA “Mother Nature” project is an international artistic initiative exploring the deep bonds between art and humanity. This initiative brings together artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, underscoring how critical environmental challenges have become in our modern world.

The ambassador expressed gratitude to Leyla Aliyeva, the author of the idea of the project, for organizing the exhibition at the UN Geneva office. He also expressed confidence that the exhibition, while instilling a love for art, will also inspire a more attentive and caring approach to environment.

In her remarks, Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, thanked the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Heydar Aliyev Center, IDEA Public Union and the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN for their contribution to the successful organization of the exhibition. She described the exhibition as special and unique, as it highlights a profound relationship between humanity and nature.

Noting that she first viewed this exhibition in Baku in 2024, the Director-General hailed the presentation of the exhibition in Geneva.

The project was first introduced at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku in 2024, as part of the COP29 climate conference, and has since evolved into a traveling international platform presented in major cultural capitals including Manama, Rome, London, Tbilisi, Berlin, and Tirana. Across these editions, more than fifty artists from twenty-eight countries have contributed to a global artistic dialogue on the future of the planet.

The presentation at the Palais des Nations carries particular symbolic significance. As a space historically dedicated to diplomacy, cooperation, and global governance, the venue reinforces the exhibition's central message: that ecological responsibility cannot be addressed solely through political frameworks, but requires cultural imagination and collective reflection.

Within the vast architectural expanse of the Salle des Pas Perdus, visitors will encounter works that approach nature as a living and evolving entity, a source of memory, knowledge, and renewal. The exhibition encourages audiences to reconsider humanity's place within the planetary ecosystem and to engage with the pressing environmental challenges of our time.

By bringing together international artistic voices at the heart of the United Nations in Geneva, MAMA 'Mother Nature' creates a unique platform where art, diplomacy, and ecological consciousness converge.