Heydar Aliyev Center has opened a personal exhibition of Nigerian sculptor Dotun Popoola titled "Reclaimed Beauty".

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva participated in the event.

During the opening ceremony, the director of the Heydar Aliyev Center Anar Alakbarov stressed that African art has gained widespread popularity in the world.

He mentioned that around 30 works by Dotun Popoola are on display at the Center and will be exhibited until October 2025.

"I am sure that these works will be very appealing to visitors of the Heydar Aliyev Center," said Anar Alakbarov, adding that this exhibition is the last in a series of numerous exhibitions organized at the Center in 2024.

The director of the Heydar Aliyev Center expressed gratitude to those present for their active participation in all these exhibitions.

Expressing satisfaction with the opening of the exhibition at the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Nigerian sculptor Dotun Popoola said that the exhibit features examples of sculpture and other works.

"The sculptures I've created from recycled metal parts serve as a platform for social networks. My artistic approach is based on the belief that art acts as a catalyst for transformation, is a tool for exploring the socio-cultural landscape, acts as an intermediary in reconstruction, and serves as a form of protest against environmental degradation," the sculptor said.

Participants then viewed the exhibits presented in the foyer and park of the Heydar Aliyev Center.

As part of the event, attendees also learned about the international art project MAMA "Mother Nature" and the exhibition "Participate!" which advocate for environmental protection.

The idea for the international art project MAMA "Mother Nature," which began during the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP29), was proposed by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

The exhibition includes over 120 works, including examples of digital installations, paintings, graphics, and sculptures.

It is noteworthy that the 7th personal exhibition of Dotun Popoola coincided with the "Green World Solidarity Year" in Azerbaijan and aligns with the themes of the environment and climate change. The sculptor creates his works not from traditional materials but from metal parts that have become industrial waste. These metal parts are materials donated by various individuals. According to the artist, the opportunity to see each person's contribution to art in the exhibitions makes these works even more appealing.

In the artist's presentation, there is a call to protect the climate through the imagery of people, animals, vehicles, etc. The works created by the artist pay homage to human imagination, which can create beautiful samples of art from "nothing," turned into waste.

Dotun Popoola represented Nigeria in various art exhibitions, as well as the Metal Art Exhibition in Qatar in 2019, the Global Arts Festival in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2020, "Be Together" (Coexistence) in Turkiye in 2021, and other exhibitions.

The artist's hybrid sculpture, installed at the center stage of the Nigeria pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, also attracted the attention of visitors.