Azerbaijan Pavilion
Biennale Arte 2024
RASHAD ALAKBAROV
Rashad Alakbarov’s work is dualistic in content, as confirmed by his many years of research into the play of shadow and light, symbol and text, word and meaning.
Renowned contemporary artist Rashad Alakbarov (b. 1979) has garnered international recognition for his captivating installations of light and shadow that are celebrated for their intricate design and imaginative approach. His works incorporate less conventional materials like found objects, plastic bottles, welded steel and plexiglas lettering. Such materials are skillfully arranged to craft images or messages that appear when illumination casts the artwork onto surrounding walls. For Rashad, art is his platform to address topics such as consumerism, sensationalism, climate change and other global concerns. Since completing his education at the Faculty of Decorative Arts within the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Art, Rashad has dabbled in different artistic forms: painting and sculpture as well as video art, but his installations embody the full impact of his work. His artistic training is truly reflected(!) in the creative manipulation of space, volume and proportion, always in playful manner.
2024, installation
Mixed media, white walls, carpets, mirror
370 x 270 x 270 cm
I am here
Rashad Alakbarov exhibits one large-scale work in the pavilion – the installation I Am Here. Within the faceless white walls of a modern labyrinthine city, the artist recreates the oppressive atmosphere of the cramped and predetermined trajectories of our movement in living space, movement set by the rhythm of the structures into which we are forced to fit.
Nevertheless, there is a way out – the point is to find the angle from which the imperative is visible in the mirror (in the direct, figurative meaning of the word) – I Am Here.
2024, installation
Paint on metal on cut stone
Height: 190 cm., diameter: 130 cm.
Courtesy the Artist
Pangea
The concept behind the installation centers on a portrayal entirely in metal of Pangea, the primeval supercontinent. This monumental artwork symbolizes the interconnectedness of all life on Earth and the importance of sustainability. To Rashad Alakbarov’s intricate design, the sculpture represents Pangea’s geographical features, including its land masses, mountain ranges and coastlines. The use of metal as the medium, evokes a sense of strength, durability and timelessness, highlighting the enduring legacy of Pangea in Earth's geological history.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the IDEA Public Association, in partnership with the Swiss Association of Women & Empowerment, are delighted to introduce the installation Pangea. This project was inspired by a visionary concept from Madame Tatyana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations (UN Geneva), and realized by Azerbaijani artist Rashad Alakbarov.
The installation Pangea emerged from the initiative '17 Faces of Action,' an international art project supported by the Director-General of UN Geneva in partnership with 17 countries, each representing 17 women engaged in Environmental Action and promoting 17 sustainable goals. The project began in 2022 in Azerbaijan, was actively involved in COP 28 in the UAE, and will continue through COP 29 on November 11-24, 2024 in Baku.
