Photo: Ali Rza / YARAT Contemporary Art Space
The exhibition "Me and the Ark, Me and the Universal Flood" brought together artists from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Czech Republic. The exhibition, curated by Ukrainian Konstantin Doroshenko, explores the state and role of humanity in the world.
The project focuses on the contemporary reinterpretation of ideas by the Azerbaijani thinker, poet, and Sufi of the 14th century, Seyid Imadeddin Nasimi. Against the backdrop of global changes—ranging from wars and migrations to decolonization processes and abuses of information technology—his philosophy of the identity of humanity and the universe, freedom of spirit, and self-awareness gains new significance. Humanity is both a part of the world and a creator of it. Similarly, art reflects the era but also has the power to shape it.
“In the times of the hardest trials of the Russian war against Ukraine, it was important for me that the voices of Ukrainian artists resonate in dialogue with artists from other countries who have experienced colonization, imperial aggression, whose cultures are still undervalued but have the potential to enrich the world with new approaches and discoveries. We have much to say to each other and to humanity,” says Konstantin Doroshenko.
The project united artists from six countries, representing different generations and artistic approaches. Ukrainian artists Mikhail Alekseyenko, Volodymyr Budnikov, and Vlada Ralko presented their works. In Mikhail Alekseyenko’s installation “Shards,” an artifact from de-occupied Bucha is displayed—a glass fragment reassembled by the artist, shattered by an explosive wave. This piece is dedicated to the restoration and reassembly of human lives shattered by war. Volodymyr Budnikov’s monumental painting "Landscape" unveils the anatomy of the Earth, devastated by war and the Anthropocene. Vlada Ralko’s expressive canvas "No One" reflects the dehumanization of the representatives of the aggressor country, who have abandoned social and political subjectivity. Having lost their personal integrity, they are capable of violating any boundaries.
Artists from Azerbaijan, such as Tarlan Gorchu, Ujal Gorchu, Orkhan Huseynov, Elturan Mammadov, Alibek Huseynzade, and Selim Turan, also contributed their works. Additionally, Pavlo Nikitin (Czech Republic – Ukraine), Natalia Vasadze, Bouillon Group (Georgia), Mladen Miljanovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Rimas Sakalauskas (Lithuania) are part of the exhibition.
The exhibition is held at the YARAT contemporary art space and will run until October 26.
