NEWS

YARAT Contemporary Art Space has launched  the first one-year Contemporary Art School in Azerbaijan in partnership with the Icharishahar State Historical-Architectural Reserve.

The presentation was held at the Museum of the 19th-21s Azerbaijani Painting.

Speaking at the event, curator of the YARAT Contemporary Art Space Farah Alakbarli, stressed the importance of the project in the development  of contemporary art.

"In addition to organizing exhibitions and promoting contemporary art abroad for almost ten years, YARAT Contemporary Art Space has implemented numerous educational and research projects. Over these years, new personnel have been trained, experimental practices and art works by Azerbaijan's emerging artists have been presented to the audience, young talents are participating in seminars and daily studio practice to generate new ideas and works. I wish success to the project of the first one-year Contemporary Art School in Azerbaijan," said Farah Alakbarli.

Being unique in the field of contemporary art, the pilot school project is intended to become an important part of the country's cultural landscape in terms of developing experimental education with an aim to train talented youth and promote a programme of professional employment.

The major part of the educational programme of the school will be the authorial concept, formed on the content of the intersection of historical traditions and current events in the field of culture and arts.

The author of the concept is the curator of numerous exhibitions and projects also related to youth education in the field of contemporary art, Honored Artist Sabina Shikhlinskaya.

The Contemporary Art School will be located in the most important historical area of Azerbaijan including Icharishahar Historical-Architectural Reserve, YARAT building used for work with youth within the ARTIM project.

The School’s programme plans to implement theoretical and practical educational programmes for multidisciplinary artists, art managers, curators, and art researchers in the fundamental areas of contemporary art.

The basis of the training will include lectures and workshops by leading experts and specialists in their fields, current curators and artists, as well as art managers of local and foreign art institutions and organizations.

Upon completion of the theoretical programme of the school, it is envisioned to hold cultural and exhibition events in partnership with cultural organizations, galleries, creative centers, and museums, located in the area of

Many public and art initiatives are planned to involve the residents of the Old City in the creation of useful places for intellectual recreation. It invites not only the local audience but also tourists visiting the country to discuss the current needs and problems of modern society, combining the local color and national historical traditions of Azerbaijan with popular culture.

The project of the experimental Contemporary Art School aims to form an educational platform for the self-realization of not only established professionals, but also young representatives of creative fields.

A documentary film "ÖN SÖZ - ON SÖZ", dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the YARAT Contemporary Art Space was screened as part of the event.

In conclusion, some 29 students of the first one-year School of Contemporary Art in Azerbaijan, selected from 120 applicants, were presented to the guests of the event.

International Children's Book Day has been celebrated in Baku.

Initiated by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the day has been celebrated in many countries since 1967 on the birthday of the great storyteller Hans Christian Andersen on April 2.

The first Children's Book Festival was held in the country as part of the celebration. The festival was organized by the  Azerbaijan Publishing Houses Association to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

The two-days festival brought together not only readers of different ages, but also all those involved in book art, including writers, publishers, artists, editors, book distributors, librarians, teachers, critics, translators and journalists.

The festival with the participation of various publishing houses, book houses, as well as private individuals aroused great interest among young readers.  Fairy tale hours, meetings with authors of children's books, and various projects were presented as part of the festival.

The legendary fortress of Gulistan in Shamakhi is one of the greatest monuments of Azerbaijani statehood. It received its name due to the scenic area in which it was located (“Gulistan” - means “flower garden”). Built in the 8th-9th centuries at the top of a 200-meter rocky mountain in the north-west of Shamakhi, this powerful fortification for nine centuries served as one of the main strongholds of the Shirvanshah state. For its inaccessibility, the Gulistan fortress was popularly nicknamed the Maiden's Fortress (Giz Galasi). During the invasions of foreign invaders, the inhabitants of Shamakhi for centuries found protection behind the walls of the fortress. Its fortifications took the blows of Arab, Seljuk, Mongol and Ottoman troops. The territory of Gulistan fortress was enclosed by powerful walls with numerous round and quadrangular towers. The winding road led from the bottom of the fortress to the citadel on the top of the mountain, girded with a solid ring of fortified walls.

In the 12th–13th centuries, the fortress was thoroughly rebuilt and strengthened. In the 14th-15th centuries Gulustan fortress serves as one of the residences of the khans of Shirvan. During the archaeological excavations in 2011, an underground passage built during the times of the Shirvanshahs state (IX-XVI centuries) was discovered in the fortress. According to historians, this tunnel was intended to deliver sudden blows to the enemy from the rear, and also so that Shirvanshah could leave the fortress unnoticed if it was taken. Equipped with steps carved into the rock, the underground corridor led from the fortress to the bank of the Zogalavay river, which flows nearby. Also in the excavation area were found the remains of a bridge.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Gulistan fortress was captured by the Safavid ruler Tahmasib I and destroyed. Having put an end to the existence of the state of Shirvanshahs, the Shah destroyed the symbol of independence of Shirvan - the fortress of Gulistan. Then, during the Safavid-Ottoman wars, the fortress conquered by the Ottomans was restored, and the Turkish garrison was located there.

The fortress of Gulistan existed until the end of the 16th century. The structure suffered greatly not only from the wars, but also from numerous earthquakes, and only its ruins have reached us. They can be seen at the entrance to Shamakhi, as evidence of the rich historical past of the city. From the top of the hill, where the remains of the fortress are located, a breathtaking view of the city and surroundings opens up.

The Mamar Mosque was built in eighteenth century in Mamar village of Gubadli district of Azerbaijan. It was used as a warehouse building during the reign of the Soviet Power. After Azerbaijan restored its independence in 1991, the mosque was reconstructed and regained its original function. However, in 1993, as a result of the First Karabakh War of 1991-1994, Armenian Armed Forces occupied the territory of Gubadli district, including Mamar village. The Mamar Mosque was destroyed and transformed into a pigsty.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan declared the Mamar Mosque an architectural monument of local importance in 2001.

The historical architectural reserve - the Fire Temple – Ateshgah is situated in the center of the Absheron Peninsula in Surakhani settlement. The temple is situated in a place where from the ancient times until the XIX century natural gas oozed out of the surface being a reason of the Eternal Flames phenomenon. Historical roots of the temple go to the ancient centuries when Zoroastrianism was a ruling religion. About the construction of the first Ateshgah temple proclaims Mobed Mobedan’s writing on the “Kaaba of Zoroastr” (III century A.D.), which also informs that he founded sacred temples in Transcaucasia region and assigned the priests to serve there. Arab geographer Estakhri in 930 in his “The ways of states” book mentioned that not far from Baku, the settlements of Zoroastrians were existed. But eventually when Islam was asserted as the main religion in Azerbaijan local people desisted to visit the fire temples including Ateshgah which later had been decayed.

Centuries have passed, the Great Silk Road and trade connections of medieval centuries which passed through Azerbaijan connected again the Zoroastrians with the Ateshgah shrine after change of many generations. Traders who visited Azerbaijan after arriving to their homelands talked a lot about the unique phenomenon they had seen – appearance of flames on a ground. So, from the beginnings of the XVII century flow of pilgrims appeared in Surakhani. According to the German traveller E. Kaempfer which visited Azerbaijan in 1683: from the middle of XVII century pilgrims started to rebuild the temple again. In the beginnings of the XIX century the temple received the form which is represented today without any changes. The temple’s plan is five corner complex with an entrance portal surrounded with battlement type walls.

Located in the town of Karacasu, a part of the Western (Aegean) Turkish province of Aydın, Aphrodisias - one of the most well-preserved ancient cities in Turkiye, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017.

According to UNESCO, the serial property consists of two components. The first component encompasses the archaeological site of Aphrodisias following the city walls that encircle the city; and the second component includes the marble quarries located northeast of the city.

The temple of Aphrodite dates from the 3rd century BC and the city was built one century later.

The wealth of Aphrodisias came from the marble quarries and the art produced by its sculptors. The city streets are arranged around several large civic structures, which include temples, a theatre, an agora and two bath complexes.

The proximity of the marble quarries to the city was a major reason that Aphrodisias became an outstanding high-quality production centre for marble sculpture. Sculptors from the city were famous throughout the Roman Empire. They were well-known for virtuoso portrait sculpture and Hellenistic-style statues of gods and Dionysian figures.

In late antiquity (4th-6th centuries AD), Aphrodisian sculptors were in great demand for marble portrait busts and statues of emperors, governors and philosophers in the major centres of the empire – for example, at Sardis, Stratonikeia, Laodikeia, Constantinople and Rome.

In this period, they were the best carvers of marble statues of their day. The techniques used, the quality of local artistic design, and the production of advanced portrait sculpture gave Aphrodisias a unique place in the Roman world.

Another key aspect of Aphrodisias was its cosmopolitan social structure (Greek, Roman, Carian, pagan, Jewish, Christian) that is abundantly articulated in the site’s 2,000 surviving inscriptions.

Aphrodisias draws attention with its Sebastion Temple. Stadium, ancient theatre and bath as well as its museum where rich sculptures are displayed.

Aphrodisias is an exceptional example of the built environment of a Greco-Roman city in inland Asia Minor. Several of its monumental marble buildings have unique features in terms of architecture and design.

The Sebasteion, an elaborate cult complex for the worship of Augustus and the Julio-Claudian emperors, represents a distinctive integration of Hellenistic, Roman and Aphrodisian artistic traditions. The “Archive Wall” in the theatre is a well-preserved collection of official imperial documents regarding the status of the city under the Empire. The Theatre also features an early example of a stage building with an aediculated façade.

The Stadium has an unusual architectural form with two curved ends, known as “amphitheatral”, and is the best-preserved example of this type in the ancient world. The conversion of the Temple of Aphrodite into a cathedral, around AD 500, is unique among temple-to-church conversions in its engineering and transformative effect. The Tetrapylon, the conspicuous entrance to the outer Sanctuary of Aphrodite, is preserved with its elaborate and exquisitely carved architectural ornament.

The site was included on the world heritage list during the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Krakow, Poland, in 2017

Actor Will Smith’s film “Fast and Loose” has been put on hold by Netflix after he slapped comedian Chris Rock at Oscars 2022 a few days ago.

Weeks before the Oscars ceremony, director David Leitch reportedly also pulled away from the project, electing to move to the Ryan Gosling vehicle Fall Guy for Universal, and now the streaming giant has decided to pull away from the film, Variety reported.

For the unversed, the conflict arose after Rock, who was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, seized the moment to crack a few jokes, including one about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

He compared the 50-year-old actor’s appearance to that of Demi Moore’s look in G.I. Jane. Jada, who recently opened up about living with alopecia areata, was visibly upset, rolling her eyes from her seat. Seconds later, Smith walked onstage and approached Rock, smacking him in front of the audience.

When Smith won Best Actor later in the ceremony, he apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees but didn’t mention Rock by name. In his tearful speech, he spoke about acting out of love and protection, saying, “Love makes you do crazy things.”

The King Richard actor went on to publicly apologise to Rock on social media the following day.

Azerbaijan works to preserve the cultural heritage of Italy, and Italy also works in this area, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told a press conference following a meeting with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio.

The Foreign Minister unveiled the plans to open an Azerbaijani cultural center in Italy within the framework of developing humanitarian cooperation between the countries.

Work is also underway to open the Italy-Azerbaijan University, with its groundbreaking ceremony to take place in Baku today.

The Estate of Haji Gulu is located in the central part of Shusha city (in Khoja Marjanli). This three-story building, like all luxurious mansions, reflects the national architectural style in both exterior and interior. The mansion was founded in 1849 by the merchant Gulu Mahammadali oglu.

There were 46 rooms and 2 large halls in the Estate. One of those halls of the Estate of Haji Gulu is supposed to be described in the picture of the Russian artist V. V. Vereshchagin who traveled to Shusha in 1865.

During the occupation of Shusha city by the Armenian Armed Forces in 1992, the Estate of Haji Gulu was shelled by artillery fire and its walls were destroyed. Today only the ruins of a mansion, consisting of the outer walls, remain.

“Buynuz” (Horn) carpets belong to the type of Karabakh carpets. They are produced in carpet-weaving points in Karabakh. Before Karabakh carpet masters called “Buynuz” carpets as “Horadiz”. In central Asia and Middle East also in Azerbaijan some animals such as sheep, ox, and goat were considered holy. Before characterizing farming, output, then totemism later related to astronomy horn meant different symbols and ideas. Bull is the symbol of power and courage as well as it symbolized “space forces”, God of water and farming. In the middle composition of the carpet consists of horn drawings. The middle part of these carpets creates horizontal raw by accepted rules, which consists of similar elements, ornaments. In one hand asymmetric structure of horns makes carpet more vivid, on the other hand creates opportunity to weave carpet how you want. Details in different forms comprising basic element of carpet are surrounding “Buynuz” has function such as filling.