17 Nov - 10 Apr 22
Mir Nadir Zeynalov: The Life of Mystic Spirit retrospective solo exhibition
November 17, 2021 – April 10, 2022
Mir Nadir Zeynalov was a man of unusually versatile gifts, whose poetic sensibilities – in words, colors, music – had a metaphorical touch to them. His vision of the world was not limited to a sensuous, visual perception: starting from reality as an inevitable given, the artist revealed the deep essence of phenomena, their incomprehensible inner life.
Mir Nadir Zeynalov's creative world is syncretic - from painting to music, from music to poetry – it flows, reincarnates, pushing the boundaries of creative possibilities of self-expression. Each new creation complements the other: while reading his poems, you see and understand paintings in them, listening to his meditative music, you immerse yourself in the finely arranged world of the painter. However, complete immersion in this world is beyond anyone's reach - perhaps, rather, only contact with it. The world of Mir Nadir Zeynalov, which he has left to us, is a continuously pouring stream of love, passion, thirst for life, creation of paintings, poetry, music, a special reality filled with spirituality and a depth of understanding of the meaning of life.
The artist himself has said this about his work: “Art is like a prayer: when you work, you create a prayer”. His transitions back and forth from figurative to non-objective art were like a pendulum that determined the measure of all living things and beauty, like the ebb and flow that obeyed the lunar cycle. While working, he, like a shaman, would plunge into a state of meditation without controlling the stroke of the brush or the direction of colorful drops or splashes. For him, the process itself was wonderful, as when the soul ascends to heaven, and a person is driven by an unknown force, and then, at some point, this force lets go, and the artist moves away from the canvas.
“I am a happy person for God has blessed me with skills and provided me with ways of connecting with the universe and, thus, the Creator. That is something that for a great many people is not destined”. Mir Nadir Zeynalov’s statements from many years ago presently sound not only like a life motto, but also like an ode to creativity.
Curated by Shirin Melikova.
Special thanks to:
Azerbaijan State Art Gallery
Azerbaijan National Art Museum
Mir Nadir Zeynalov’s Private Gallery
Ilal Ahmadov
Sayavush Alizade