Fly to Baku exhibition opens in London

An exhibition Fly to Baku: Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan, showcasing the work of 21 artists, has opened in London.

The exhibition at Phillips de Pury & Company in Howick Place is curated by contemporary art consultant Hervé Mikaeloff.

The initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, the exhibition is supported by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the English edition of Baku magazine.

Leyla Aliyeva, vice-president of the foundation, and her mother Mehriban Aliyeva, who is the foundation's president, attended the exhibition opening, Gun.Az reports.
"In the summer of 2011 my wife and I visited Baku for the first time. We were struck by the vibrant art scene and the quality and originality of the artists we visited, which led us to put together this groundbreaking show," Simon de Pury, chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company, said.

He thanked the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for its support for the exhibition and praised the work of Mehriban Aliyeva to promote Azerbaijani art and culture.

Curator Hervé Mikaeloff noted that the exhibition features one hundred works, many of which have been specially made.

"Paintings, installations, videos, photographs, performances - the exhibition is like a snapshot of the contemporary art scene with its wealth, its abundance, its contradictions and its authenticity," Mikaeloff said.

Visitors viewed a performance installation by artist Ali Hasanov on the hardships of life.

The exhibition features established contemporary artists such as Altai Sadiqzadeh and Eliyar Alimirzoyev and younger talents including Aida Mahmudova and Tora Aghabayova.

Work by Leyla Aliyeva is also in the exhibition. Her illustrations of fairy tales are to be published in Russian and English in a book “Biri var idi, biri yox idi” ("Once Upon a Time").

The full list of artists featured in the exhibition is: Tora Aghabayova, Faig Ahmed, Leyla Aliyeva, Rashad Alakbarov, Sanan Aleskerov, Eliyar Alimirzoyev, Enver Askerov, Rashad Babayev, Irina Eldarova, Huseyn Haqverdi, Ali Hasanov, Orkhan Huseynov, Aida Mahmudova, Fakhriyya Mammadova, Mammad Mustafayev, Niyaz Najafov, Aga Ousseinov, Farid Rasulov, Altai Sadiqzadeh and Mirnadir Zeynalov.
The latest edition of Baku magazine was presented at the exhibition opening.

Fly to Baku: Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan runs until 29 January at Phillips de Pury & Company in Howick Place, SW1