Baku hosts Merging Bridges by YARAT - PHOTOS

As earlier reported, YARAT!, a non-commercial organization dedicated to promoting contemporary art in Azerbaijan, has organized “Merging Bridges” exhibition at the Baku Museum of Modern Art.

The founder and director of YARAT!, Aida Mahmudova, said the exhibition features works by 12 local and 13 foreign artists.

“Merging Bridges” features acclaimed artists including the world-renowned Sarah Lucas, Keith Coventry, James Turrell, Idris Khan and Olympia Scarry. The extraordinary collection of works are displayed alongside some of the finest contemporary artists based in Baku including Altay Sadigzade, Aga Huseynov, Niyaz Najafov, Rashad Alakbarov, Farid Rasulov, Aida Mahmudova, Orkhan Huseynov, Nazrin Mammadova and Ramal Kazimov.

The exhibition is being co-curated by Aida Mahmudova, the founder and director of YARAT! and London-based curator Adam Waymouth. Together they present a spectrum of work highlighting both established and emerging artists from flourishing artistic centers around the world. Throughout their careers, Mahmudova and Waymouth have endeavored to provide platforms for contemporary, in particular emerging, artists.

A specially commissioned installation by the internationally recognized Idris Khan is also exhibited at “Merging Bridges”. Khan is best known for his digitally manipulated prints which explore the history of music and text within both Western and Islamic traditions. For this exhibition however, the artist presents a sculpture formed by four panels of rusted steel which have been sandblasted with the score from Oliver Messiaen`s Quartet for the End of Time (1941) which was composed whilst he was in a German prison camp.

The visitors can see also “TL-2” by Altay Sadigzade, “Absheron” by Aida Mahmudova, “Man and hyena” by Rashad Alakbarov, “Eskimo” and “Barbie” by Niyaz Najafov, “Flood of Yellow Weight” by Faig Ahmad, and others.

Merging Bridges underlines YARAT!`s main objective - to encourage dialogue between the global contemporary art community and that of Azerbaijan. The exhibition also coincides with Baku hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, which is expected to draw countless visitors to the city, thus bringing the artworks to a wider, international audience. Having provided a platform for both established and emerging contemporary artists in Baku, YARAT! will further its nurturing of this artistic community by showcasing their work alongside celebrated international artists. Just like their counterparts, the participating Azeri artists have wide-ranging experience; from the internationally acclaimed Altay Sadigzade, who designed and coordinated the construction of the Baku Museum of Modern Art to Faig Ahmed, who was chosen to represent Azerbaijan during their first appearance at the Venice Biennale in 2007.

Sponsors of the exhibition are Italdizain Group, Bakcell telecommunication partner, Rapid Solutions, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The exhibition will last till June 15.


/AzerTAc/