Baku Museum of Modern Art is presenting the exhibition CLOSELY by the Honored Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sabina Shikhlinskaya, Report informs.
The author of the project, Sabina Shikhlinskaya, told Report that the topic of the oil industry in Azerbaijan is not new for her: "In 2018, I presented a large monumental work called 'The Oil Epic.' It was a colossal work, consisting of 25 enormous paintings illustrating the history of oil production in Azerbaijan."
According to the artist, a comprehensive study of the history of oil production led her to conclude that the theme of oil workers' heroism is still in the shadows.
"In Soviet times, oil workers appeared in the works of Tahir Salakhov and many other artists, but this topic is not widely covered in modern works. So it occurred to me to do this project in such a contemporary format," Sabina Shikhlinskaya noted.
Swiss Ambassador to Azerbaijan Muriel Peneveyre, who took part in the event, told Report that the exhibition, with all the security measures due to COVID-19, is a sign that life is regularly returning to normal.
"I am very glad to be at the Museum of Modern Art for the opening of the exhibition CLOSELY by Sabina Shikhlinskaya. Especially at the time when due to the COVID-19 pandemic being together to open a cultural event is not so easy as it used to be. So, I think the exhibition tonight with all safety measures against COVID-19 is a sign that life is hopefully returning regularly to normal. And I very much hope that in the future we can have many cultural events and openings of such exhibitions," the Swiss envoy said.
The ambassadors of Latvia and Sweden to Azerbaijan, Dainis Garančs and Christian Kamill, also attended the event.
The project is financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and implemented in cooperation with the Goethe Zentrum in Baku, the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia, the Embassy of Sweden, and Platform ART.
The exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art will run until July 27.
The CLOSELY project is a multimedia exhibition of contemporary art. The topic is about the oil industry and oil workers' lives in a 'heroic' aspect. The exhibition includes monumental paintings and video and sound installations. The author creates a unique layout of exhibition design to make this topic noticeably meaningful for many.
Since the late 19th century, oil has become a key ingredient in modern societies. Unrestricted mobility on land, in water, and in the air would be unthinkable without gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. A wide range of materials and products that characterize the modern lifestyle is based on oil as the primary substance. The oil feeds not only cars but also fantasies. Scientific and technical, as well as metaphysical and spiritual ideas and expectations are associated with this dazzling material - the black mirror of our time.
In order to better understand the diversity of values of the material 'oil', Shikhlinskaya decided to focus on the 'human factor' in the oil industry. The profession in the oil industry continues to be dangerous and prestigious, and its magnitude has been recognized. Technology has grown, risks have become more controllable when you compare the current oil industry and what it was 100 years ago.
But the life of oil workers on offshore oil platforms and onshore oil fields is still fraught with risks and dangers and is no less an example of the dedication and courage of people who have dedicated their lives to the development and production of such necessary natural raw materials to humanity.