Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku hosted the opening of a solo exhibition by a recognized French artist and sculptor on May 6.

Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, Arzu Aliyeva, prominent culture, art and public figures, and the representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan visited the exhibition.

Laurence Jenkell's exhibition features an extraordinary way of presenting national flags -by candy figures; 26 sculptures of flags of different countries were put on display at the exhibition, which will last till October 31.

The exhibition also includes two sculptures of the flag of Azerbaijan, which are two and five meters high, the largest ones in the exhibition.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jenkell expressed her admiration for Azerbaijan's capital.

"This is my second visit to Baku, and I hope I can return here again, because I liked it very much," she said.

The exhibition will feature a presentation of various compositions made ​​from candies.

"If you look closely, you can see faces and certain other images. The presentation will be held jointly with British sculptor Tony Cragg", Jenkell said.

While art critics tend to associate Jenkell with pop art or neo-realism, the artist herself is not given to attributing her works to any specific style. She believes that candy figures present the only type of art that affects all human senses - sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.

Jenkell views candy as a simple and universal product that encapsulates personal recollections and indirect memories. This approach nurtured the idea of national flags presented through candy figures, constituting a significant part of the artist's creative life today.

Jenkell, a self-taught artist who lives and works in Vallauris, France, began her creative career in the middle of the 90s. An artistic research led Jenkell to experiment with various techniques such as inclusion, dripping, firing, and casting.

Successfully mastering and dominating Plexiglas and obtaining the "wrapping" technique, Jenkell finallystarted to produce candy sculptures that had obsessed her for years.

Candies allowed her to exorcise the devils of her childhood and made her question her own heredity. The mystical candy that became a pop icon includes a concept of multiplicity and seriality.

The artist's works, which stem from an intellectual and cultural process, have been presented in more than 25 countries.