NEWS

Applications are open for the International Nature Image Festival (FIIN) Biodiversity Short Film Contest 2020. 

Participation in the Short Film Contest is open to all.

The main objective of the Short Film contest is to promote the biological natural heritage, namely the natural regions, the ecosystems, the habitats and the species of wild fauna and flora, through the selection and classification of cinematographic works related to this subject.

The festival also aims to promote cinematography of nature and promote its growth and development, as well as launching the debate and reflection of society on the need to knowing, promoting and conserving the biodiversity and the environment.

The deadline for competitors to submit the cinematographic works to the contest is July 6, 2020. 

The Organizing Committee will inform the producers of the selected films for the contest until September 30, 2020, through the submission platforms. 

For more information, please visit the contest's official website.

YARAT Contemporary Space invites you to join a virtual discussion on July 8. 

This time curator Farah Alakbarli and young artist Chinara Majidova are going to provide insight into the multidisciplinary practice of contemporary artists, the role of research in it and various ways of expressing creativity.

As an educated lawyer, Chinara will also discuss the factors that attract her to arts and her visualized projects about important topics of interest and emphasis in this field. 

The language of discussion will be Azerbaijani.

YARAT is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally.

Based in Baku, YARAT was founded by Aida Mahmudova in 2011.

The organization realizes its mission through an on-going program of exhibitions, education events and festivals.

YARAT facilitates exchange between local and international artistic networks including foundations, galleries and museums.

Azerbaijan State Art Gallery has provided a virtual tour through art by national artist Talat Shikhaliyev.

The artist created beautiful paintings using golden yellow and dynamic spots in his palette. His exceptional feel for color never ceases to amaze art lovers.

Through his art, Talat Shikhaliyev brilliantly expressed the individual character of each image and his outlook.

In 1952 he traveled to Kiev where he spent the following decade and graduated from the Kiev State Arts Academy in 1960.

The only work remaining from that period is "Road", most likely painted during his stay in Ukraine in 1958.

The portrait genre has a special place in the artist's work. His famous paintings include "Guess Who" (1973), "Sleeping Daughter" (1978), "Motherhood (1976)" and others. Many of his works captured various life experiences.

International Mugham Center and Eurasian Peoples' Assembly have taken part in a virtual conference held within "Meeting with Partners" project.

The conference discussed a wide range of issues, including the promotion of Eurasian Peoples' cultural heritage and the expansion of ties between cultural and art workers, Azertag reported.

At the conference, director Murad Huseynov spoke about the history of the creation and activities of the Mugham Center, as well as about the state’s concern for mugham art. He also informed about the large-scale projects implemented by International Mugham Center and its activities.

Famous for its spectacular concerts, scientific-theoretical and research projects, the International Mugham Center is now switching to online projects, which can be found on Facebook and Instagram.

The Mugham Center is planning to hold multiple virtual projects such as online conferences and lectures.

International Mugham Center is also actively expanding its international relations with foreign partners.

Over the past years, the Center has successfully implemented multiple cultural projects aimed at promotion of national music: "Evenings of ashug music", "Treasury of Secrets", "Unforgettable", "Pearls of ethnic music", etc.

Founded in 2017 in Moscow, Eurasian People’ Assembly includes more than 2,500 representatives from 67 countries.

The Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly was established having a goal of creating, an integration model of the Great Eurasian Partnership, extension and deepening of contacts between peoples in addition to the development of political cooperation, transport and logistics, commercial and financial relations of the Eurasian countries.

Azerbaijani State Art Gallery invites you to join online discussion on June 3.

During the live stream, national artists Farhad Yalguzag and Nazim Mammadov will share their thoughts about art development in times of COVİD-19 pandemic. 

Founded in 1975, Azerbaijan State Art Gallery displays more than 14,000 paintings, graphics, sculptures, decorative and applied arts and contemporary art examples. 

The main activities of the gallery include preservation and restoration of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, researches on the current situation and prospects of the fine arts and decorative-applied arts and much more. 

The majority of exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad are mainly composed of the works stored in the gallery. 

The State Art Gallery regularly successfully holds various art projects, lectures and other events.

After 12 years, Azerbaijani jazz singer and pianist  Aziza Mustafa Zadeh has released a new album.

The jazz singer found a very unique approach for her next album, combining the musical genius of her father, Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, with some tunes of her little son and with her own songs and recording it all in one CD "Generations".

The new album features 12 music pieces, including "Mimi", "Lullaby", "Sieben Kreisel", "Netter Junge", "Despite All", Prelude,  Condert No. 2 and others.

You can order a copy of this CD in Aziza’s Webshop.

World-famous Azerbaijani jazz singer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh has undoubtedly found a way to the hearts of music lovers around the world.

After spectacular concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, she was named "The Queen of Jazz".

In her music, the jazz singer brilliantly unites classical and jazz music with Azerbaijani folk motifs. 

She successfully performs at the best world stages. Aziza is a frequent guest of international music festivals. She has performed with such world-class musicians as John Patitucci, Dave Wakele, Bill Evans, Omar Hakim, Toots Tillemans and others.

The names of Aziza Mustafa Zadeh and her father are included in the World Jazz Encyclopedia edited by US authors, as well as in the literary revision of Vladimir Feertag in the Russian edition.

Aziza's parents first noticed their daughter's sensitivity to music when she was eight months old.

Aziza recalls the story that her mother told her: "Once, my father was improvising at the piano playing Shur mugham, which creates a mood that evokes very deep, sad emotions. As my father was playing, I started crying. Everyone wondered what was happening to me..." said jazz singer.

Her mother Elza Mustafa Zadeh asked her father to play then "Rast" mugham. At that moment, future jazz diva started dancing. And then her mother realized a unique connection between Aziza's feelings and music.

At the age of three, she made her stage debut with her father, improvising vocals. She began studying classical piano at an early age, showing special interest in the works of such composers as Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.

In 1991, Aziza released her debut album, "Aziza Mustafa Zadeh". The music album showed influence of Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, as well as Near Eastern music.

Her second album, "Always", won the Phono Academy Prize, a prestigious German music award, and the Echo Prize from Sony.

She has since performed in many countries and released several more albums.

Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum continues to grab attention of art connoisseurs.

This time the museum has provided insight into the 18th - early 19th centuries embroidery from "Textile, Clothing, Embroidery collection".

The metallic and silver sequins on the embroidery were partially or completely lost. Some elements of embroidery made in a chain stitch technique with colored wool and tinsel yarn have lost their wholeness. After dismantling the lining, the glue applied to the reverse side of the embroidery was partially removed by a special method.

Currently, the museum specialists restore and conserve damaged areas of velvet fabric and areas with lost sequins.

Founded in 1967, Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum displays some of the best examples of the carpet weaving art.

The museum, initiated by Latif Karimov, an outstanding scientist and carpet weaver is beautiful inside and out. The new building of the Carpet Museum, designed in the form of a rolled carpet, opened in the Baku Seaside Park in 2014 and all carpets were transferred to this museum.

Today, the museum hosts many events, such as exhibitions, international symposiums, and conferences.

In 2019, the museum received the national status for its significant contribution in popularization and promotion of the Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving Art.

Azerbaijani poets Nigar Hasanzade and Ramiz Rovshan will read out their poems at the International Poetry Festival in Colombia.

The festival will bring together 191 poets from 103 countries from August 1 to October 10. 

Azerbaijani poets will present their poems on September 5. Each author will read out his poem in the original language with a translation into Spanish.

Nigar Hasanzade is a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union of Azerbaijan, PEN International Association of Writers and laureate of the Humay National Academy of Azerbaijan Prize. 

The author of such collections as "Wings Over the Horizon", "Under the Clouds of Others", "Silver", "Wrists" and others. 

Since 2015, she is the head of "Soz" literary project. Supported by the Cultural Ministry and the State Economic University (UNEC), the project is important from the point of view of promotion of the Azerbaijani culture. Soz project is headed by famous poetess Nigar Hasanzade.

Ramiz Rovshan is a national writer, essayist, film playwright, translator. Since 1981, he is a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union. 

He is the author of the books "The sky does not hold a stone", "Breath is a book of books" and many others. He also translated poems of such famous Russian poets as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Sergey Yesenin, Alexander Blok, Marina Tsvetaeva, Anna Akhmatova into Azerbaijani.

Azerbaijani actors and directors are invited to take part in distance education programs conducted by the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS) with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.

The Russian Institute of Theater Arts  (GITIS) has prepared a cycle of education programs for professional actors, directors, and university professors from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Uzbekistan.

The main goal of the project is to promote the traditions of the Russian theater school, strengthen cultural ties between the theater communities.

The Russian Institute of Theater Arts provides a wide range of educational programs on acting, speech and stage technique.

The programs will be held in July at GITIS Center for Continuing Education within the framework of the project "Culture".

The programs will involve GITIS's best teaching staff who is going to train about 300 people in a month. 

 All participants will receive a certificate in the end of distance education. 

 Applications are accepted until July 12.

For more information, please visit, GITIS's official website. 

Azerbaijan State Theater of Young Spectators will take part in the 6th All-Russian Theater Forum - Festival of the Golden Gate Festival to be held from September 18 to October 2.

The theater will present "The Double Bass" play by Patrick Suskind. Azerbaijan's Honored Artist Shovgi Huseynov will perform this monologue in one act.

Stateged by Irina Perlova, the mono-performance was awarded at many theater festivals in Iran, Turkey, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine.

The manuscript of the play by Patrick Suskind dates back to 1980. The monologue in one act, the author's first work for the stage, was premiered at the Cuvillies Theater in Munich on September 22, 1981, and was performed by Nikolaus Paryla.

The play was successfully staged at many German-language theaters. In the 1984-1985 seasons, it was the play with the most performances on German language stages – more than 500 times.

The State Theater of Young Spectator plays a significant role in shaping the artistic and aesthetic taste of the young generation and inculcating high moral and spiritual values, occupies a worthy place in the history of the Azerbaijani theater.

For many years, outstanding figures of culture and art of the country maintained close creative ties with this theater. Having a rich experience, the State Theater of the Young Spectator has won a great sympathy of theater lovers.

The theater actively participates in the promotion of the cultural achievements of Azerbaijan, participating in many international festivals such as the 19th Belaya Veja (White Castle) International Theater Festival, the first International Martin McDonagh Festival, the 17th Black Sea International Theater Festival, the 5th Northern Meetings International Theater Festival and others.