NUDA VERITAS opens in Modern Art Museum
By Nigar Orujova
An exhibition called NUDA VERITAS kicked off at Baku's Museum of Modern Art on June 13.
The inaugural event was attended by Head of Humanitarian Policy Department of the President's Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Fatma Abdullazade, Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev, Rector of the Baku branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University Professor Nargiz Pashayeva, as well as prominent public figures, representatives of culture, art, and diplomatic missions.
The debut project of young curator Samira Safi is based on the works of nine artists: Ashraf Murad, Rasim Babayev Javad Mirjavadov, Altai Sadikhzade, Mir Nadir Zeynalov, Eldar Kurban, Kamal Ahmed, Huseyn Hagverdi and Sabina Shikhlinskaya. The works are created with messages of liberalization of art in Azerbaijan under Soviet censorship.
Opening the exhibition, Sabina Shikhlinskaya expressed gratitude to the Head of YARAT Contemporary Art Space Aida Mahmudova and the Modern Art Museum for the realization of the project.
She noted that the exhibition "Nuda Veritas" opens a series of projects by young curators, and all the paintings of the project are part of a collection of the Baku's Museum of Modern Art.
The project name Nuda Veritas (in Latin "The Naked Truth") reflects a desire of not just to expand the boundaries of what is permitted, but also to create different arts built on the subjective perception, personal experience and the feelings of their creators.
Description of nude body, which was resorted by artists of different times, has become a metaphor for the search of truth and freedom of expression, as well as a symbol of struggle with the official ideology in the second half of the XX century in Azerbaijan.
The exhibition theme was born out of a master class "Curatorial and mediator practices in contemporary art" held by Honored Artist of Azerbaijan and curator Sabina Shikhlinskaya. The master-class took place in March 2013 in Baku as part of an educational program of nonprofit organization YARAT Space for Contemporary Art.
The curatorial idea of the three participants of the master class was recognized worthy for realization and will be presented at the Museum during 2014.
Nuda Veritas exhibition is opened to the visitors on Tuesdays-Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. until June 27. The ticket price is 5 manats.