artnet Asks: Aida Mahmudova, Director of YARAT Contemporary Art Space in Baku

News.artnet.com: In anticipation of the inauguration of its new Contemporary Art Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, artnet News spoke to the director of YARAT (“create” in Azerbaijani), the not-for-profit contemporary art organization dedicated to promoting Azerbaijani artists. Aida Mahmudova, the artist who founded YARAT in 2011, remains its creative director.

Yesterday, the burgeoning organization, which heretofore had organized mostly pop-up shows, opened its first permanent space, in a Soviet-era naval headquarters where the views offer a panorama of the Caspian Sea.

The center promises to be at the heart of contemporary art and art education in the region. YARAT already enjoys an impressive permanent collection that will be on display in its “Making Histories” exhibition, coupled with an exhibition by Iranian artist Shirin Neshat featuring a commissioned work, The Home of My Eyes.

The center also serves as the hub of YARAT’s expansive education program, featuring lectures, seminars, and master classes.

artnet News talked to Mahmudova about her plans to mold YARAT into a permanent and commanding fixture in the international art landscape.

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