The Republic of Azerbaijan is participating in the 54th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, from 4th June to 30th September in their Pavilion, Palazzo Benzon. The Curator and Comissar of the Pavilion Cinghiz Farzaliev will operate with advisory curator Beral Madra (BM Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul) and with co-commissioner Vittorio Urbani (Nuova Icona, Venice). The exhibition in Palazzo Benzon will present two generations of artists of Azerbaijan who markedly advocate the current stimulating culture of Baku. The paintings, sculptures, installations and video they are presenting are relational to the socio-political and cultural environments they live in, and they reflect intricate and complex statements and forms. All of them have witnessed and experienced the political and economical transformation of their nations in the last four decades; all of them had a strong modernist heritage determined by Soviet ideology; and all of them have experienced the rise of culture as symbolic capital. Yet, for all of them, Baku is the nucleus of the fire that has ignited their creativity and their statements, concepts and forms of art address the international audiences. The venue of the Azerbaijan Pavilion of the Republic of Azerbaijan is Palazzo Benzon on Canale Grande (Vaporetto Station Sant’Angelo). The Azerbaijan Pavilion is realized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan. THE TEAM OF THE PAVILION: Curator and Comissar of the Pavilion: Cinghiz Farzaliev Advisory Curator: Beral Madra Co-commissioner: Vittorio Urbani Assistant Curator: Amina Melikova Editor: Togrul Afandiyev Coordinator: Mila Askarova Coordinator: Suad Garayeva Photographer & Designer: Farhad Farzaliev Exhibition Designer: Vincenzo Casali NOTES TO EDITORS: Venue: Palazzo Benzon, San Marco 3927, Canale Grande, Venice Vaporetto Station: Vaporetto Station Sant’Angelo Azerbaijan Pavilion dates: 4th June to 30th September Private view of Azerbaijan Pavilion: Wednesday 1st June at 6pm Venice Biennale dates: 4th June to 27th November 2011 The website of Azerbaijan Pavilion: azpavilion.com Venice Biennale website: www.labiennale.org/en/art For press information on the exhibition, interview requests or images please contact Lee Sharrock, Director, Lee Sharrock PR on + 44 (0) 7814 862 834 or lee@leesharrock.co.uk