"In the footsteps of ancestors" -Ulviyya Hamzayeva's colorful world

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Baku Museum Center invites you to enjoy artworks by Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Ulviyya Hamzayeva, Azernews reports.

Her solo exhibition "In the footsteps of ancestors" will open at Baku Museum Center's Round Hall on October 28 (1800) with the support of the Azerbaijani Culture Ministry.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva was born into a military family on April 30, 1982, in Shakarabad village in Babak District of Nakhchivan.

She attended primary and secondary school in Nakhchivan. In 2003, she graduated from the specialty of Fine Arts in the Faculty of Arts at Nakhchivan State University and continued her master's degree there.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva worked as a senior lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts and Drawing at the Nakhchivan State University. She is now continuing her teaching activities at the Nakhchivan State University. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva's artistic activities are multifaceted. She is the author of the monument that was erected in memory of the genocide victims in the Youth Park of the Nakhchivan State University for the first time in Azerbaijan.

In 2001, she was a production designer of plays staged on the basis of Nizami Ganjavi's poem "The Treasury of Mysteries," Maurice Maeterlinck's fairy play "Blue Bird," and Elchin Afandiyev's play "Telescope". Her creative works were demonstrated in over 200 mixed and solo exhibitions.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan. She is a member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan and UNESCO's International Association of Art. She was elected a full member (Academician) of the World Academy of Arts New Era.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva is also distinguished by her active engagement in public projects. She is the curator and organizer of "Nakhchivan-The Cradle of Humankind" International Drawing Festival I, II, III, and IV, held biennially since 2012.

Ulviyya Hamzayeva was elected Chairperson of the Artists' Union of Nakhchivan in 2011 at the organization's 3rd conference, and she is still heading the union. She was the deputy of the 4th convocation of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. She is the deputy of the 5th and 6th convocations of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Vice-President of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences Academician Isa Habibbayli characterized the creative works of Ulviyya Hamzayeva, who achieved great success in a short time, as the fruit of her hard work as follows:

"The plot and composition, mythological characters and motifs, symbolism that signifies national values, and patchwork pieces in her paintings, all together determine the individual uniqueness of Ulviyya Hamzayeva's art. Ulviyya Hamzayeva is an original artist with a distinctive and individual style, unlike any other artist in the centuries-old fine arts in Azerbaijan, as is clearly seen from her paintings. She is the main creator of miniature art in Azerbaijan in modern times. The synthesis of folk art details with mythological characters and its unity with modernity determine the face of modern miniature art examples created by Ulviyya Hamzayeva. While Ulviyya Hamzayeva's miniatures are a distinct artistic phenomenon based on mythological motifs, examples of folk art, and contemporary life philosophy, traditional miniature art in Azerbaijan is primarily created on the basis of motifs from folk games and lyric-epic works. Ulviyya Hamzayeva is the creator of the genre of mythical miniatures. All of this demonstrates that Ulviyya Hamzayeva is one of the creative personalities in Azerbaijani fine arts with distinctive thinking," he said.

The artist's creative works are also well-known on a global scale. So, her works were demonstrated in a variety of exhibitions in countries, such as the USA, Turkey, and France while she was still studying at university, and they gained the appreciation of the audience. Later on, the artist was actively invited to significant exhibitions, festivals, and symposiums held throughout the world in the fields of painting and art, and her creative works were assessed and awarded the highest prizes at many events. The artist visited the USA, Portugal, China, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Georgia, etc. with her artwork, took part in successful projects there, and represented our country through her creative works in plain air. Art Business Consultant, writer, and speaker, Art Business Institute's Director, Carolyn Edlund, expressed the artist's creative works as follows:

"The genre of Ulviyya Hamzayeva's paintings is not easy to determine. She works with gouache and oil on canvas. Her works initially appear to be modern allegories, but here it is not enough to simply view the image; it must also be understood. Moreover, her works are very closely related to Azerbaijan's ancient artistic traditions. Her paintings, which resemble examples of carpets, miniatures, and ancient petroglyphs, bring fantasy characters from legends and fairy tales to life. It is important to consider the artist's worldview, which reflects historical accuracy and ancient symbolism "woven" into modern graphic techniques protected by copyright. The author's "philosophical works” attracted a lot of interest and gave her a wide audience.

The following are the artist's explanations of the factors that inspired her to develop through the stages of this art and her relationship with her creative works: "I was born in Nakhchivan, one of Azerbaijan's most beautiful and ancient cities. My ancestors have lived in this ancient land, my happy childhood passed here, and now my youth passes, and I hope that I will live here, in this ancient city that is full of old traditions and mythological sayings, in the future. People living in Nakhchivan are noble and proud, like our high and snowy mountains. I am proud that great architects, musicians, painters, and wise leaders lived and created in these holy lands. Nakhchivan is the cradle of geniuses. And if I am a painter today, it is because of the great work of our beautiful nature, clean fragrant air, my parents, and good people.

Going to sleep at night, waiting for the morning. Had a dream, hurry to revive it on a piece of paper or canvas. There is no void in my works, in my thoughts, in my desires. Any space is filled with my "void". Details, symbols, fragments, patterns, semiotics belonging to me, my mystical language, the sound coming from the sky – this is my "void". Symbols, the language of patterns, colors, music – this is me, this is mine, this is in me...

Sometimes it is difficult, "I exist and I don’t exist". I love the creations of the Creator and his unique creation, "human". I’m the hero, I am an unnecessary person, and I am a defective toy. My life is a "point". The man created from a point returns to the point at the end.

All my life, I will wait for the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly... I send for sailing the ship of my thoughts, illusions, myths, and fairy tales. I know that my ship has no halt. I simply forgot to take the anchor which I didn’t have on my ship.

My reality – is not reality. I do not like watches, numbers – they are laughing, giggling at us, and waiting for the moment to say: it is too late. A great pity that I have so little time..."

So, art lovers are invited to the colorful world full of nationality, antiquity, mythology, and real philosophy of life, to get acquainted with the works that are the product of the warmth of the artist's heart, worldview, feelings, and thoughts, and to travel to the world of Ulviyya Hamzayeva.

Opening ceremony of the exhibition: October 28 at 6:00 p.m

The exhibition runs from October 29 to November 01. Admission is free.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.AZ, Trend.Az, Day.Az and Milli.Az.