Azerbaijani carpets presented in Cannes
By Nigar Orujova
An exhibition "Azerbaijani carpets in art" was opened in the French city of Cannes as part of the ongoing “Days of Azerbaijani Culture” on July 15.
The opening ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani First Lady and President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva and her family members.
The exhibition, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, informs visitors about the history of Azerbaijani carpet weaving its modern forms and worldwide fame.
All of the art pieces presented at the exhibition are exhibited for the first time.
The event showcases the works of Azerbaijani artists Latif Karimov, Vugar Muradov, Butunay Hagverdiyev, and Elchin Veliyev, works in a modernist style and pop art, and installation based on sketches of national carpet.
The exhibition features seven works of young artist Elchin Veliyev, which were specially prepared for the "Azerbaijani carpets in art" exhibition. These oil paintings are based on carpet motifs and create a sense of reality through 3D effects. This is the first exhibit of Veliyev paintings.
The exhibition also displays carpet sketches by People's Artist Latif Karimov, created in 1969-1970s. Fifteen sketches of ornaments by the great master presented here are exhibited for the first time.
Moreover, the show presents a carpet installation of the famous artist Butunay Hagverdiyev. His series, also exhibited for the first time, shows the Azerbaijani carpet ornaments. The wood installation creates a three-dimensional effect for the audience. This piece, presented alongside sketches by Latif Karimov, displays the history, development, and application of carpet art in contemporary graphics.
The guests of the exhibition are also able to see a video installation of carpet motifs based on the works of foreign artists who lived and worked in the 15-16 centuries.
The video installation also shows the uniqueness and worldwide fame of Azerbaijani carpet art and the merits of the outstanding artists in the enrichment of the Azerbaijani national carpets.
The exhibition includes seven works by well-known artist Vugar Muradov. The artist produced these pieces for the exhibition in Cannes in the genres of portrait and landscape with carpet ornaments by using oil paints.
Azerbaijan is a leading country in the world in the field of carpet art. In 2010, the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpets was entered into the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Historically, Azerbaijani carpets have been popular worldwide. The rich historical contribution to the development of the national carpet made by the carpets schools of Ganja, Karabakh, Guba, Shirvan, Absheron, Gazakh, and Tabriz, have left Azerbaijan with a profound history in carpet weaving.
At present, Azerbaijan carefully documents carpet-weaving traditions, which are now going through a new stage of development. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the government carry out a lot of work in this area.
An integral part of this process has been the publication of the "Azerbaijani carpets" collection by Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2011. The book narrates the story of Azerbaijani carpet art and describes the implementation of projects aimed at promoting Azerbaijani carpet weaving in the world.
Today, Azerbaijani carpets are on display in many famous museums and exhibition halls around the world.
The exhibition "Azerbaijan carpets in art" is open to the public in Cannes from July 16 until the end of the month.
As part of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture, sculptures of Nar and Gazelle – symbols of the first European Games Baku 2015 – were displayed at the famous Croisette Boulevard in Cannes.
Eight statues presented here are embellished with various ornaments by artists from Azerbaijan and other countries. These works have aroused great interest among residents and visitors of Cannes.
--
Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz