Yarat Contemporary Art Space
@Facebook Page of ‘Yarat Contemporary Art Space’
YARAT is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting contemporary art and fostering artistic practices, research, and thinking in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the surrounding regions. Based in Baku, Azerbaijan, the organization was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. The word "YARAT" means "Create" in Azerbaijani, and the organization's mission is to support and nurture creativity and artistic talent in the region through a range of exhibitions, education events, and festivals.
@Facebook Page of ‘Yarat Contemporary Art Space’
@Facebook Page of ‘Yarat Contemporary Art Space’
In March 2015, YARAT opened the YARAT Contemporary Art Centre, which is the first permanent space for the organization. The centre is housed in a converted Soviet-era naval building that overlooks the Caspian Sea and used to serve as a maintenance base for navy ships in the 1960s. The conversion has created a 2,000 sq meter exhibition space spread over two floors, showcasing temporary exhibitions by leading international artists, highlighting emerging movements and new commissions, as well as housing YARAT Collection displays and a new library. The auditorium provides a dedicated space for screenings, performances, and educational events, while an organic café completes the centre by providing a space for informal discussions and gatherings. The YARAT Contemporary Art Centre is conceived as a dedicated hub for contemporary art and art education not only for Azerbaijan, but for the wider region as a whole.
The YARAT Collection is presented for the first time with the opening of the new centre and focuses on artists from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and neighbouring countries. Baku is the perfect common ground for the arts from this region: similarities in religion, language, and a common Soviet past between the various nationalities have been further reinforced by the dramatic socio-economic changes of the last twenty years. Connecting to global markets and influences for the first time in 70 years, artists were among the first to react and subsequently negotiate and reflect this transition in their works.
The YARAT Collection is presented for the first time with the opening of the new centre and focuses on artists from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and neighbouring countries. Baku is the perfect common ground for the arts from this region: similarities in religion, language, and a common Soviet past between the various nationalities have been further reinforced by the dramatic socio-economic changes of the last twenty years. Connecting to global markets and influences for the first time in 70 years, artists were among the first to react and subsequently negotiate and reflect this transition in their works.
@Facebook Page of ‘Yarat Contemporary Art Space’
@Facebook Page of ‘Yarat Contemporary Art Space’
The YARAT Collection is presented for the first time with the opening of the new centre and focuses on artists from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and neighbouring countries. Baku is the perfect common ground for the arts from this region: similarities in religion, language, and a common Soviet past between the various nationalities have been further reinforced by the dramatic socio-economic changes of the last twenty years. Connecting to global markets and influences for the first time in 70 years, artists were among the first to react and subsequently negotiate and reflect this transition in their works.
The inaugural exhibition of the collection, entitled 'Making Histories', brings together seminal works across varied media that are historically connected to the geo-culture of Azerbaijan and the potent sense of identity catalyzed by exposure to radical socio-political changes. Some artists reference the symbolism of ancient traditions, some find nostalgia in transitory moments of the everyday, some question the infallibility of existing narratives, while others project quasi-utopian optimism for a better future. Nevertheless, all works shown in this exhibition are explorations into what it means to be alive today and construct, block by block, the new histories of tomorrow.
Since 2015, YARAT has had several artistic directors, each with an individual approach to curatorial programs. Farid Abdullayev, a researcher and PhD holder, was one of the artistic directors, and he was followed by Bjorn Geldof, an international curator from Kiev's Pinchuk Art Center, and Suad Garayeva, a curator and filmmaker. Currently, Farah Alakbarli serves as the chief curator of the organization.
The YARAT Contemporary Art Centre has quickly become a hub for contemporary art and art education in the region. It has hosted a range of exhibitions, workshops, and educational programs, including the YARAT Film Club, which showcases films from around the world and provides a platform for discussion and debate. The centre has also hosted talks and discussions by leading artists, curators, and scholars, and it has been a catalyst for the development of new artistic talent in the region.
One of the most significant exhibitions to be held at the YARAT Contemporary Art Centre was the 2016 exhibition "Love Me, Love Me Not", presented at 2013 Venice Biennale, which explored the theme of love and its various manifestations in contemporary art including artists from Azerbaijan and its neighbouring countries.
The inaugural exhibition of the collection, entitled 'Making Histories', brings together seminal works across varied media that are historically connected to the geo-culture of Azerbaijan and the potent sense of identity catalyzed by exposure to radical socio-political changes. Some artists reference the symbolism of ancient traditions, some find nostalgia in transitory moments of the everyday, some question the infallibility of existing narratives, while others project quasi-utopian optimism for a better future. Nevertheless, all works shown in this exhibition are explorations into what it means to be alive today and construct, block by block, the new histories of tomorrow.
Since 2015, YARAT has had several artistic directors, each with an individual approach to curatorial programs. Farid Abdullayev, a researcher and PhD holder, was one of the artistic directors, and he was followed by Bjorn Geldof, an international curator from Kiev's Pinchuk Art Center, and Suad Garayeva, a curator and filmmaker. Currently, Farah Alakbarli serves as the chief curator of the organization.
The YARAT Contemporary Art Centre has quickly become a hub for contemporary art and art education in the region. It has hosted a range of exhibitions, workshops, and educational programs, including the YARAT Film Club, which showcases films from around the world and provides a platform for discussion and debate. The centre has also hosted talks and discussions by leading artists, curators, and scholars, and it has been a catalyst for the development of new artistic talent in the region.
One of the most significant exhibitions to be held at the YARAT Contemporary Art Centre was the 2016 exhibition "Love Me, Love Me Not", presented at 2013 Venice Biennale, which explored the theme of love and its various manifestations in contemporary art including artists from Azerbaijan and its neighbouring countries.