30 May - 30 Jul 14
TalkCloud
Solo exhibtion by Mahmoud Bakshi
TalkCloud, solo exhibition by Iranian artist Mahmoud Bakhshi, will open at Baku's YAY Gallery in May. The exhibition is curated by art historian and theorist Daria Kirsanova who previously worked for several art-institutions, such as Serpentine Gallery and Victoria Miro Gallery in London. TalkCloud will be hosted by YAY Gallery, located in the Icheri Sheher historical area of Baku.
Bakhshi’s practice deals with a visual aesthetic that developed in Iran in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. He reflects on the recent history of Iran through a recontextualisation of the official symbolism of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and uses deeper historical and traditional formal references to ground this recent history within the larger context of Iranian identity.
YAY Gallery was established in September 2012 as an addition to the broader initiative conceived by YARAT Contemporary Art Space in order to support and promote the development of Azerbaijani contemporary art both on a national and international level. The gallery is commercial but not-for-profit purposes. All potential revenue from the art sales is channelled into supporting YARAT initiatives and the artists.
Mahmoud Bakhshi (b. 1977, Tehran). His previous exhibitions include TalkCloud, Niavaran Cultural Centre, Tehran, 2014; Love Me/ Love Me Not, Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan and its Neighbors, The 55th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale, Venice, 2013; DISASTER, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris-Pantin, 2013;Transformed Visions, Tate Modern, London, 2012; Hard Copy, Art Gwangju 2012; Bah Man, Aun Gallery, Tehran and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, 2011; The Engaged Artist: Influences of Graphics on Sculpture in the Middle Ages, Saatchi Gallery (Project Room), London, 2010; Last Ride in a Hot Air Balloon, The 4th Auckland Triennial, 2010; Iran: New Voices (Exploring Contemporary Iranian Film and Video Art), Barbican Centre, London, 2008; Lion under the Rainbow(Contemporary Art from Tehran), Athens, 2008; Iran.Com, Iranian Art today, Museum of New Art, Freiburg, 2006.