Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The first Azerbaijani contemporary art gallery, YAY! Gallery, will open its doors on Wednesday, October 10, with a joint exhibition of three emerging artists -- Faig Ahmed, Farid Rasulov and Elshan Ibrahimov -- in Icherisheher (Old City), a historic architectural monument in the center of the capital Baku.

Traditional and unconventional, re-designed and streamlined Azerbaijani carpets as well as those going hand-in-hand with the present day will be the first theme at the exhibition.

In the modern digital world, carpets no longer represent an integral attribute of Lares and Penates signifying amenities and steadiness.

While some keep the carpets away from their homes, others fervidly store them; the carpets, however, still keep their capacity of being Hippocrene, or a source of inspiration, and a tool for unanticipated experiments for certain artists.

Pixel-based carpet breakdown and puzzle-like flowing-down structure is made of numerous components demonstrating strong resemblance to the once popular Tetris game figures. Every participant of the exhibition has his or her own puzzle to resolve.

Faig Ahmed, a graduate of the Department of Sculpture at the Azerbaijan State Fine Arts Academy and a representative of the 52nd Venice Biennalle, strives to go beyond the traditionally accepted frameworks and trigger transformations in the ancient decor of Azerbaijani carpets. Fleece, a subtle but flexible substance, together with cold-blooded plastic finds its way into Ahmed's works. His creations have already been highly assessed by critics and experts at Art Dubai Contemporary Art Fair, which was held this year.

Farid Rasulov, another emerging artist, also represented Azerbaijan at the afore-mentioned Venice Biennale. He produces original photoprints, in which western style-designed interior is wrapped up in Oriental carpets. Aluminium and organic glass-based animal characters emerge amidst an incomparable grandeur as a reminiscence of Western and Eastern civilizations drifting away from their roots and breaking their bonds with Mother Nature.

Eshan Ibrahimov is delighted to present carpet decor-based computer games. The "Carpet games" he designed are a confluence of daily routine and magnificent beauty, the "digital" mindset of a 21st century teenager and ancient popular customs.

In his interpretation, carpets, which no longer decorate our households, deserve to be returned there in a totally new capacity.

All participating artists are inspired by the idea of enlivening Azerbaijani carpets and proving the ability of culture to transform and evolve in response to the challenges of present day. Their endeavors look particularly vivid and fascinating when you look at a carpet, which is, perhaps, the most conservative and hard-to-change decoration item.

The exhibition will last till November 11.

The gallery is expected to turn into a venue of artistic experiments and YARAT! Contemporary Art Space-implemented projects center.

Baku residents have already become familiarized with the projects implemented by YARAT! Contemporary Art Space, and each of them left an imprint on the pages of the cultural life of the capital city.

The YAY! Gallery, like YARAT! Art Space, was established by Mrs. Aida Makhmudova and pursues the purpose of presenting contemporary Azerbaijani art entirely and in an interesting way as well as putting the exhibition participants next to trendy names in world art.

Founded in 2011, YARAT! is dedicated to the promotion and nurturing of Azerbaijani contemporary art locally and worldwide. A key objective of YARAT! is to promote dialogue and exchanges with non-commercial art foundations both in Azerbaijan and abroad.