LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY ART FROM AZERBAIJAN AND ITS NEIGHBOURS SHOWCASING A DIVERSE RANGE OF MEDIA AND SUBJECT MATTER INCLUDING INSTALLATION, VIDEO, PHOTOGRAPHY AND PAINTING.
Love Me, Love Me Not, is an eponymous title of Slavs and Tatars' work "where the collective pluck the petals off the past to reveal an impossibly thorny stem: entire metropolises are caught like children in the spiteful back and forth of a custody battle, representing the evolution of the region over time - a theme which is at the core of this exhibition".
The exhibition was put together by, Yarat, an organisation from Azerbaijan whose main aim is to nurture an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and create a platform of Azerbaijani art nationally and internationally.
Having such a distinctly national focus, it was surprising to see Yarat produce an exposition showcasing Azerbaijan and it's neighbours. The accompanying catalogue boldly put Azerbaijan in the centre of Caucasian region as a cultural crossroad between Russia and Iran. Although, missed any representation from Armenia, a country directly neighbouring and in a constant 'custody battle' with Azerbaijan.
It, however, included a work by Iliko Zautashvili, an artist and a professor of Art History at the Tbilisi Academy of Art, Georgia. Iliko's art installation 'Time disappears in Time' consisted of his stapled cushions with printed calendars scattered on the floor together with 3 flat screens screening his video works and referring to the notion of time passing.
In the grandeur of Azerbaijani art, exploring ancient traditions of carpet weaving and recreating Nizami's romantic epic, Iliko Zautashvili's work seemed unequivocally melancholic. Putting it in a regional context, it almost said: 'Georgia's future is gone'.
TIME DISAPPEARS IN TIME (stills)
2006-2013, Twelve pillows with black and white screen-prints, three flat screens, Video with sound, Length: 3 mins, 50 secs/loop
2006-2013, Twelve pillows with black and white screen-prints, three flat screens, Video with sound, Length: 3 mins, 50 secs/loop
Courtesy of the artist
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