UNOBSERVABLE DREAMS: GROUP EXHIBITION

YARAT Contemporary Art Space presents the group exhibition “Unobservable dreams”.

Opening: June 13 / 19:00
Venue: YARAT Center, 2nd floor

The exhibition features video works by Zamir Suleymanov, Emin Azizbeyli, Shalala Salamzade, Rasul Guliyev, Vajiko Chachkhiani, Ryts Monet, and Timo Herbst. These works are part of YARAT’s collection, either commissioned over various years or produced as part of collaborative projects.

“Unobservable dreams” focuses on the diverse realities of society and the contrasting desires arising from them. The exhibition explores how social values and economic prosperity are replaced by crises in a rapidly changing and unpredictable world, and how these changes impact different layers of society. This results in a more nuanced and complex societal landscape, reflecting its sensitive and multifaceted nature.

The artists, adapting mythological references to contemporary realities, attempt to “voice” the “unobservable” dreams of their characters through their video works. The exhibition opens with Shalala Salamzade’s “Dystopia”, created in 2021 for the group exhibition “The City of the Sun”, based on Azerbaijani mythology. It depicts the need for people expelled from a dystopian place to return to an ideal place (utopia). Rasul Guliyev’s three-channel video “Endless race”, also part of the same exhibition, is inspired by the myth of “Pandora’s Box”, illustrating how hope compels people into an unending race.

Italian artist Ryts Monet, a YARAT resident in 2019, in his two-channel video, shares thoughts on a collective desire that can unite all nations in the Eurozone through currency, drawing parallels with the identical architectural and sculptural monuments built throughout the Soviet Union. German artist Timo Herbst, another YARAT resident, in his video “Baku/Bakı – Ana dili”, creates a differentiated and sensitive image of society. Georgian artist Vajiko Chachkhiani’s film “Shivering heart” delves into a famous Georgian fairy tale, exploring unexamined narratives about family, national identity, and concepts of identity.

Completing the exhibition, the video “Astar” (“Back side”) by Zamir Suleymanov and Emin Azizbeyli from YARAT’s collection unveils the “inner life” of Azerbaijani youth through the story of a young boy, addressing the theme of despair that arrives at a certain moment in life when desires and hopes are exhausted.

About artists:

Zamir Suleymanov (b. 1987, Baku) is a graduate of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. Starting his artistic journey with classical photography, he later continued in the fields of contemporary photography and video art. In 2017, he held a solo exhibition titled "ALL_AND" (YAY Gallery in Baku, Azerbaijan). The artist has participated in various group exhibitions and international art events, including “AfterHope” (Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA, 2020); Rijksakademie Open Studios (Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2019); “Across the Mountains” (MOMA Tbilisi, Georgia, 2019); “Ain't Nobody's Business” (Pinchuk Art Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2019); “Hometown Weather” (Salaam Cinema, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2018); “Between the Sea and Mountains” (YAY Gallery, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2017); Sergey Kuryokhin Contemporary Art Award (Saint Petersburg, Russia, 2017); “Draft Systems” (WRO, Wroclaw Media Art Biennale, Poland, 2017); “300 Words on Resistance” (YARAT, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2016); “Candy Mountains, Oily Coasts” (PERMM, Russia, 2015); “Heroism is Neurasthenia” (Alternative Art Biennale, Bucharest, 2015); Moscow Young Art Biennale (Russia, 2014); Islamic Arts Festival (Sharjah, UAE, 2014); “ZAVOD” (YARAT, Baku Air Conditioning Factory, Azerbaijan, 2013). He also participated in the Rijksakademie residency program in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 2018 to 2019.

Emin Azizbeyli (b. 1992, Baku) is a graduate of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. He started his cinematography and photography experiments in 2011. His debut work was exhibited at YAY Gallery.  His works were included in the program of GRID International Photo Festival (Amsterdam, 2014), as well as IV Moscow Youth Art Biennale.

Shalala Salamzade (b. 1995, Baku) graduated from the design faculty of the Western University in Baku in 2016.  As a multidisciplinary artist, her work encompasses digital art expressed through video, photography, and installation. In her works she explores the psychology of the individual in the digital age, computer technology and social problems of the cyber era. In 2017, she completed a curatorial course organized by YARAT and, as a result, she participated as both curator and artist in the “Rebirth.exe” exhibition held at the ARTIM Project Space. The artist is a participant in a number of festivals and group exhibitions with her video works made using artificial intelligence: “Black boxes” (Fotografisk Center, Denmark, 2024; 60Seconds Short Film online festival, 2023); “Chromatic Reveries” (Gazelli Art House, Azerbaijan, 2023); “Zurvan” (Bavan Gallery, Iran, 2022); The Wrong Digital Art Biennale (online, 2021-2022); Contemporary & Digital Art Fair (online, 2020); Sapar Contemporary (online, 2020).

Vajiko Chachkhiani (b. 1985, Tbilisi, Georgia) is a graduate of the Georgian Technical University, as well as Berlin University of the Arts with a degree in Fine Arts, and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Netherlands). In his work, the artist attempts to address psychological states such as loneliness, violence, and anxiety through videos, sculptures, and installations, intertwining these themes with religion, politics, literature, and poetry. He was a nominee for the “Böttcherstrasse” Art Prize (Germany) in 2018 and has been awarded the “Villa Aurora” fellowship (USA), a Tokyo Residency Grant in 2018, and the “Rubens” prize (Germany) in 2017. The artist's solo exhibitions include: “The New Year” (Pori Art Museum, Finland, 2022); “Lower than the Sky” (Brandts Art Museum, Denmark, 2022); “Death Chase” (Daniel Marzona Gallery, Germany, 2020); “Winter which was not there” (Crawford Gallery, Ireland, 2019); “Glass Ghost” (Foscherari Gallery, Italy, 2019); “Glass Jaw” (Scrap Metal Gallery, Canada, 2018), among others. He has also participated in several group exhibitions: “FIRE UP” (Part Group, China, 2024); “Yours Truly” (Morsbroich Museum, Germany, 2023); “Looking for a New Foundation” (Contemporary Art Gallery, Germany, 2023); “A Higher Calling’ (White Space Gallery, China, 2021); “Étude” (Aranya Art Center, China, 2020), among others.

Timo Herbst (b. 1982, Germany) graduated from the University of the Arts Bremen in 2009 and the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig in 2013. In his interdisciplinary practice, Timo Herbst combines drawing, video, and sculpture in multimedia installations, using movement and choreography from artistic, everyday, and political spheres as a starting point. His focus is often directed toward the process of creating gestures or forms. The artist has held solo exhibitions in various countries around the world, including: “Ephemera” (Ken Nakahashi Gallery, Japan, 2024); “Play by Rules” (Kunsthalle Göppingen Art Gallery, Germany, 2023); “Rhythms” (artothek Cologne Art Center, Germany, 2019). He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, such as “Attempt of Exhausting a Place” (Neuer Giessen Art Association, Germany, 2024); “Strong Feelings” (HAUNT Gallery, Berlin, 2021); “Exceptions from All Directions” (Eigenheim Gallery, Germany, 2020), among others.

Ryts Monet (b. 1982, Italy) graduated from IUAV University of Venice with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts in 2007 and a master's degree in Visual Communication from the same university in 2011. He advanced to the final stages of various local art competitions and won the Premio Celeste in the sculpture, installation, and performance category in 2013 with his work “Black Flag Revival.” Solo exhibitions of the artist have been organized in several countries: “With Love and Embers” (Barvinsky Gallery, Austria, 2024); “Open Letter to the Mayor” (Kake Museum, Japan, 2023), among others. Ryts Monet has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including: “Die zeit zerfällt oder das mass der unordnung” (Muerz Art Space, Austria, 2023); “Shine Bright Like a Diamond” (Trieste University, Italy, 2023); “Io sono confine / I am Border” (Palazzo Grillo, Italy, 2023); “Money Money Money” (Michela Rizzo Gallery, Italy, 2021), among others.