YARAT! presents new art festival
By Nigar Orujova
YARAT! Contemporary Art Space, an organization dedicated to promoting Azerbaijani modern art locally and worldwide, has presented a new project, PARTICIPATE Baku Public Art Festival, on Thursday.
The project, which will run from March to September, will showcase 10 public art works from a selection of the Azerbaijani and international artists and amaze the capital Baku's residents and visitors with original and creative art works.
Rector of Moscow State Lomonosov University's Baku branch, art director of UNS creative scene, professor Nargiz Pashayeva, director of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Anar Alakbarov, founder of YARAT Contemporary Art Space Aida Makhmudova, as well as prominent public figures, famous art and culture figures, and representatives of diplomatic missions attended the opening ceremony.
In her speech, Aida Makhmudova spoke about the successful implementation of the "012 Baku Public Art Festival" project and the new PARTICIPATE Baku Public Art Festival project.
"Over twenty artists participated in the "012 Baku Public Art Festival" project in 2012, which successfully continued for six months," Makhmudova said.
"We managed to achieve this goal and to attract the attention and interest of the audience to contemporary art. This year, we present the second project, PARTICIPATE Baku Public Art Festival, and it will differ from last year's project by interactivity and the audience's participation in the work of all artists. We also organized a number of educational programs with the joint participation of Azerbaijani and foreign artists within the festival," Makhmudova said.
She also thanked the project sponsor, Bank Respublika, for its support.
PARTICIPATE Baku Public Art aims to challenge our preconceptions about the role and relevance of public art in cities, and to promote the understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan.
Artists from Azerbaijan, the UK, Russia, the U.S., Georgia and the Netherlands will unveil their work at a variety of sites in Baku over the six-month period of the project. Works range from a human-powered mobile park by Rebar Group (U.S.), to a giant rubber duck by Florentijn Hofman (Netherlands) and a public confessional installation by Afet Baghirova (Azerbaijan).
Audience participation would be a key element of the festival, which will be accompanied by a series of public lectures, master classes and workshops.
Based in Baku, YARAT (CREATE) fulfills its mission through an ongoing program of exhibitions, education events and festivals. YARAT facilitates dialogue and exchange between local and international artistic networks, including foundations, galleries and museums. A series of residencies further fosters opportunities for global cultural dialogue and partnerships.
YARAT's educational initiatives include lectures, seminars, master classes, and the Young Artist Project ARTIM. ARTIM aims to encourage the next generation of Azerbaijani creative talent to seek a career in arts and gives young practitioners the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional context.