(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Laman Ismayilova
YARAT Contemporary Art Space presents a group exhibition
METACODE at the Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI
centuries, Azernews reports.
The art project covers artworks by Azerbaijani artists of
different generations including Rasim Babayev, Rashad Babayev,
Huseyn Jalilov, Teymur Daimi, Irina Eldarova, Leyli Alakbarova,
Anvar Asgarov, Huseyn Hagverdiyev, Orxan Huseynov, Farhad Xalilov,
Zaur Gantamirov, Leyla Gabulova, Tarlan Gorchi, Sanan Gurbanov,
Aida Mahmudova, Mammad Mustafayev, Altay Sadigzada, Mir Nadir
Zeynalov and the creative team '043' (Movsum & Ramil).
Throughout history, visual language has been used to encode
meanings and implications. People have been 'verbalizing' their
thinking since ancient times by creating images to convey ideas.
The ability to react to hypothetical situations played an essential
role in abstract thinking throughout history. As evidenced by the
abstract ornaments on the oldest artifacts, abstract language was
used in art as early as ancient times. According to the aesthetic
concept of abstract language, creativity is a reflection of the
laws of the universe hidden in the external, alluvial phenomena of
nature.
As a result, the artist expresses the regularities consciously
or intuitively through the ratio of abstract forms, in which the
qualities of line, shape, proportion, and color convey meaning
directly without the help of images. Abstract creativity comes to
represent the universal nature of globalization through the art of
modernism and postmodernism, working with the primary elements of
visual language. In light of the fact that we are the descendants
of the people who once created a visual language, it seems
appropriate to recreate ancient meanings and update traditional
knowledge to fit modern realities. Considering that the prefix
'meta' partly overlaps in meaning with the Latin prefix 'post', the
conceptualization of the new aesthetic and ideological paradigm has
a very special dialectical connotation.
In the history of mankind, objects and nature have been observed
and described, and with the help of imagination, a completely
different dimension has been created, sometimes visualizing
non-material concepts like emotions, thoughts, and religious
beliefs. It is through such ambiguous ideograms of primitive people
that we can observe on the rocks of Gobustan and Gemigaya that we
can find the basic foundation for various types of art. One of the
most striking examples of the embodiment of the meta code in
sculpture is the stone plastics of ancient Turks: vertical
sculptures in the form of human figures, characterized by symbolism
and schematics, built-in burial grounds, known by Orkhon script
monuments and as Balbals in modern art criticism. As a form of
communication, Carpet Art encodes reality into a system of
significations. The carpet represents all of the worldviews of the
people expressed in signs and as a method of visual
self-expression. During the Middle Ages, miniature art served as an
encrypted pictorial letter, which despite its realism is more code
than illustration. Using imagery and color to convey symbolism, the
miniatures depict reality in a conditional way. The idea of
comprehending the world in miniature is achieved through harmony.
As for the meta code, it's impossible to ignore the semantic
ambiguity of Arabic and the calligraphy based on it, especially
when it functions as an important part of Islamic architecture.
Through the exhibition 'METACODE', twenty Azerbaijani artists
from different periods share their art pieces, revealing the
cultural codes of the nation. In this research project, the
curatorial concept is based on the theory that the cultural code
has evolved through a hidden language of symbols and lines,
reflected in various artistic forms. The exposition is based on the
works of artists of the 'post-Perestroika' period in dialogue with
artists of the new century. Although the artists experimented with
generalization, geometrizing, phoneless compositions, and trying
different textures during the 1980s and 90s, they were unable to
find recognition for their work. The Soviet School's figurative and
descriptive approach in their paintings changed to an abstract and
geometrical approach. In the work of the new generation of artists,
cultural codes, and some abstract subconscious messages take on an
inseparable relationship with national identity, philosophy,
history, and politics while being visualized in technology's
language.
The exhibition curators are Farah Alakbarli, Shirin Malikova,
Sabina Shikhlinskaya
The exhibit includes works from the collections of the
Azerbaijani National Museum of Art and Baku MoMA (Baku Museum of
Modern Art).
Parallel program on the opening day of the exhibition,
December 7, 2022
20:00 – Multimedia performance by composer Gleb
Andrianov with string quartet
Musicians: Alexey Miltykh (cello), Jeyla Seyidova (violin),
Vakhtang Imanov (alt), Agshin Geyushov (double bass)
Performance director: Nata Andrianova
Media artists: Petr Elgisser, Alexander Slavin, Vadim Tumanov,
Vladislav Kravchenko
Performer: Hasan Hagverdiyev
Characters are the center of any art form, whether it is visual
or non-visual. Cinematic music is pretty much imaginative. Here,
each piece can be viewed as if it were a small“movie”, and
everyone has their own interpretation.
The Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI Centuries is
located on the territory of the National Flag Square. The museum
was founded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The official opening took place in June 2015 and since 2018 the
museum is supervised by YARAT Contemporary Art Space.
To this date, the museum has hosted individual and group
exhibitions of prominent Azerbaijani artists: Labour, Leisure, and
Dreams: 1960s-1980s Through the Eyes of Azerbaijani Masters (2018),
Ashraf Murad: Love and Protest (2019), Baku Speaking: 1900s-1940s
(October 2019- April 2020), Make an Island for Yourself (December
2019 – October – 2021), Mir Nadir Zeynalov: A Mysterious Spirit's
Life (November 2021 – April 2022), and Ujal Hagverdiyev:
Conversation in Presence (May – October 2022).
Thanks to regular meetings with local and foreign art experts,
curators, and artists, visitors to the exhibition had an
opportunity to learn more about the creative development of the
artists and their works exhibited in the museum. Under the guidance
of famous artists, master classes for children (Little YARAT) and
adults (Explore Yourself) helped the participants discover their
creative potential and master the basics of visual art. Moreover,
the visitors enjoyed various musical pieces from classical to rock,
which accompanied them within the museum halls.
The Museum collaborates closely with educational institutions
and the museum's staff familiarizes pupils and students with
expositions through interactive tours by teaching them to
comprehend and interpret art.
YARAT is an artist-founded, non-profit art organization based in
Baku, Azerbaijan, established by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. YARAT
(which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) is dedicated to contemporary
art with a long-term commitment to creating a hub for artistic
practice, research, thinking, and education in the Caucasus,
Central Asia, and the surrounding regions.
YARAT is an artist-founded, not-for-profit art organization
based in Baku, Azerbaijan, established by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.
YARAT (which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) is dedicated to
contemporary art with a long-term commitment to creating a hub for
artistic practice, research, thinking, and education in the
Caucasus, Central Asia, and the surrounding region.
YARAT comprises YARAT Contemporary Art Centre, Museum of
Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI Centuries, ARTIM Project Space,
and an extended educational and public program. YARAT Art Centre, a
2000 m2 converted Soviet-era naval building, opened in March 2015
and is the organization's main exhibition space. The exhibition
program features new commissions by artists responding to the
region. It supports and provides access to artists from the region
while engaging and introducing established, international
artists.
The Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI Centuries
presents a series of exhibitions with works from the collection of
National Museums and Galleries and organizes a public and
educational program of events running. The Museum collaborates
closely with educational institutions and the museum's staff
familiarises pupils and students with expositions through
interactive tours by teaching them to comprehend and interpret
art.
In October 2015, YARAT opened ARTIM, a central, accessible, and
dynamic space in Baku's Old City. ARTIM (meaning 'growth/progress'
in Azerbaijani) shows experimental practices and new work by
emerging Azeri art professionals (selected through open call) and
international artists from the residency program. It features
multiple small-scale projects each year and hosts ARTIM Lab, a
program enabling young artists to engage in workshops and daily
studio practice to generate new ideas and works.
Education has been at the heart of YARAT's activities since its
creation. With a dedicated public program that includes courses,
workshops, lectures, screenings, festivals, literature and theatre
clubs, and family weekends, YARAT aims to give access to broad
audiences of all ages. The public program invests proactively in
building communities and nurturing a wider understanding of, and
participation in, contemporary art.
Exhibition duration: December 7, 2022 – April 30, 2023
Venue: The Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the XX-XXI
centuries
Address: Baku, Bayil dist., National Flag Square
Exhibition opens: Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00 – 20:00
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