Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 28
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An emerging generation of artistic talent is reinventing the cultural life of Azerbaijan and two of the country's brightest contemporary arts talents, Faig Ahmed and Aida Mahmudova, are showcased in the exhibition 'Exploring Inward' curated by Farah Pirieva from 28 January to 6 February at the Louise Blouin Foundation .
Exploring Inward Neither Europe nor Asia, Azerbaijan is a country of diversity, rich culture and contrasts. The historic mix of ancient empires and the emerging contemporary nation are producing a fascinating cultural scene. Baku the cosmopolitan capital's contemporary art scene is booming with numerous galleries opening across the city, Museum of Modern Art [MIM], the Yay Gallery and the Yarat contemporary Art Space .
As different as the work of young Azerbaijani artists Aida Mahmudova and Faig Ahmed is, both radiate the same spirit, the same mood of exploration. Mahmudova is showing a monumental landscape 17-metre-long canvas and Ahmed's installations experiment with traditional Azeri carpets. The curator Farah Pirieva says, '[...]both artists explore from within, both share the explorer's curiosity the constant journey to discover what is inside'
Faig Ahmed
Faig Ahmed, who was shortlisted for the Jameel Prize in 2013, a biannual award supported by London's V&A Museum, exhibits his experimental work with Azeri carpets. For the Baku-based contemporary artist, tradition is merely a starting point, his works subvert the genre. It's impossible to stroll through the lanes of lcheri Sheher, Baku's medieval quarter, without encountering people selling traditional carpets. Their intricately woven patterns have been at the root of Azerbaijan's visual arts for centuries, with each region creating its own distinctive styles. "Faig Ahmed represents the Azerbaijani art scene's new guard" - Financial Times, How to Spend it by Charlotte Sinclair Ahmed's carpet patterns melt, Dali-like, over their edges or while his piece, 'Carpet Equalizer' erupts into sculpted pinnacles gushing from the ground in the manner of a mixing desk, or perhaps even an untamed oil well. Ahmed transforms the medium; instead of a warm, welcoming fabric, those inviting patterns appear on cold aluminium, upsetting expectations at the touch of a fingertip. Other works steadily reduce the carpets to large blocks, a pixelated view for the Internet generation. But the artist himself insists that he is not seeking to merely juxtapose ancient and modern he breaks the stereotypes of what Azerbaijani weaving is all about.
"By spooling carpets I add new three-dimensional patterns but I'm not interested in any kind of merging between past and present," he commented in a video clip produced for the Jameel Prize in 2013. "l'm just interested in the past because it's the most stable conception of our past. By using the modern pixel on the old carpet we just hear the voice of past times."
Faig Ahmed was one of 10 artists from the Islamic world nominated for the Jameel Prize and his works were included in an international touring exhibition. He was also among 12 artists chosen to represent Azerbaijan when the country made its first appearance at the Venice Biennial in 2007.
Aida Mahmudova
Aida Mahmudova, a graduate of Central St. Martin's College in London, is one of the driving forces behind Baku's burgeoning contemporary art scene. She runs the contemporary art space Yarat, a non-profit contemporary art collective in her hometown, staging intriguing exhibitions since 2011 and is increasingly active in bringing the best of Azerbaijan's young artists to an international audience.
But Mahmudova's own art is also worthy of attention. Like many people she has been struck by Baku's position at the crossroads of East and West, while much of her work has drawn her to explore the contrasts between the city's fast-modernising landscape and its semi-derelict hinterland. That world, half-forgotten and caught between eras, evokes the sense of longing that informs much of her work.
Speaking about the 'Internal Peace' show that was displayed in Zurich in 2013, she said, "0ur physical world is shifting at a pace so rapid that our memories are frequently blurred, and our 'remembered' past is often forgotten or altered by our subconscious. This confuses our identity. These un-modernised locales function as a 'missing link'."
Mahmudova's artwork has been shown in important exhibitions in Europe, including the MAXXI Museum in Rome, in the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow and at Philips de Pury & Company in London.
Louise Blouin Foundation
The Louise Blouin Foundation works worldwide to promote contemporary art. Its London gallery, on the fringes of Notting Hill and Shepherd's Bush, has been hosting shows since 2006 and forms part of a global network of exhibition spaces. The ex-industrial space has won praise for its innovative transformation into an art venue, while a light installation by James Turrell turns its 80 windows into a cultural beacon in the surrounding streets. It also brings the fashionable east end of the city to the west, forming an axis with the Saatchi Gallery to bring cutting edge creativity beyond the confines of East London.
BUTA Festival London
From October 2014 to November 2015 BUTA Arts Festival will be showcasing everything from the ancient skills of Azerbaijani carpet making to the creativity of the country's contemporary photographers, the unmistakable sounds of its jazz musicians, rarely heard orchestral work and the excitement of live performances in the medium of modern immersive theatre.
In addition to the exciting musical schedule, the festival also involves cutting edge contemporary art exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery and Louise Blouin Foundation and artists from the Yarat Contemporary Art Space will display their work in public locations across London.
The Buta Festival 2015 will provide a window to the Azeri Arts in London offering unique insights into a country that is arousing our curiosity.