Brazilian artist shows her art pieces in Baku

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Brazilian street artist Nina Pandolfo has presented her art works at Heydar Aliyev Center. The exhibition titled "Gratitude" is being held for the first time in Baku.

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov stressed the importance of holding such a long-awaited exhibition during the pandemic.

Nina Pandolfo, who has been in Baku for several days, participated in the creation of the exposition.

Brazilian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Manuel Adalberto Carlos Montenegro Lopes da Cruz, director of the "Jean-David Malat" gallery Jean-David Malat also have great merits in organizing the exhibition.

Anar Alakbarov emphasized the special role of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva in all these ties as well as in organizing such events and expressed his gratitude to her.

Brazilian artist Nina Pandolfo thanked the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva and everyone who participated in organizing the exhibition.

She said the exhibition is an exhibition that reflects the idea of ??every possible gratitude, or rather in the sense of a lifestyle.

“Gratitude is an unearthly feeling that elevates us to a higher level. It teaches us that the hard times are over and the beautiful dawn is coming. It teaches us to share, unite and hear others. This feeling brings a smile to our eyes when we feel our heart contract. It connects us to other people and to life in a unique and intimate way. I hope that all visitors will be able to feel the influence of characters who, in my opinion, do not have any ethnicity, but are only women, and feel the fragility of strength. Because women are not weak, they are fragile. Weakness is a lack of strength. Fragility is sensitivity. It is the female sensitivity that gives us the strength to work, support others, take care of them, in a word, do everything that we women do," the artist said.

The Brazilian Ambassador thanked First Vice-President of Azerbaijan and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva for this grand initiative, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva for inviting Nina Pandolfo to Azerbaijan.

Next, the guests viewed the exhibition inspired by women of various ethnic origins, personifying the multiculturalism of the world. The art lovers have a chance to view graffiti by Pandolfo.

The artist thinks that the feeling of gratitude should always be instilled and encouraged. Regardless of the situation, it is possible to find a reason for gratitude. Pandolfo says that the strongest feeling of gratitude arises during creativity.

The women in the works that will be showcased have been depicted with wide eyes, belonging to different cultures. Thus, the artist emphasizes the importance of observing the multicultural world around us and perceiving it with gratitude.

Brazilian artist Nina Pandolfo also shared her thoughts about the art project.

"At the heart of the idea for my exhibition is not only gratitude, but also the importance of being grateful. I want to convey this message to society. The dark room that I created for the exhibition has its own meaning. I want to say that if we are grateful, then we will reveal what is in the dark, the shadow. Everyone who enters this room will see their light there," she explained.

In an interview, the Brazilian Ambassador said that organizing this exhibition after the pandemic is the beginning of a new life, that is, premature spring, the awakening of the world.

"I am very glad that the Brazilian artist has evoked these feelings. Just like Azerbaijan is the Land of Fires, we also brought here the fire of our feelings. Despite the fact that this exhibition is secular in nature, there are nuances of Brazil here. The artist's paintings depict representatives of different races, as in Brazil," he added.

Notably, Nina Pandolfo  was born in 1977 in Brazil. The artist got an education in visual communication art at the State School Dr. Carlos de Campos. Pandolfo began to decorate the streets of Sao Paulo by using a new style.

In a short period of time, the works by Pandolfo became an integral part of the Brazilian graffiti of the 1990s by playing an invaluable role in the demonstration of graffiti art in museums and galleries.

Pandolfo participated in exhibitions not only in Brazil, but also in other countries, including various art galleries in several European countries and the US.

She collaborated with renowned Brazilian street artists in 2007 to paint the facade and tower of the 800-year-old Scottish Kelburn Castle.

The initiative was so successful that the project was included in the 2011 "Top 10 Street Art" list.

The exhibition "Gratitude" will last until June 19, 2022.