The Seventh Solitude
June 8–October 22, 2023
YARAT Centre
Bayil District, National Flag Square
AZ 1003 Baku
Azerbaijan
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 12–8pm
T +994 12 505 14 14
info@yarat.az
YARAT Contemporary Art Space (Baku, Azerbaijan) is delighted to present the solo exhibition by Azerbaijani artist Aida Mahmudova Heaven Can Wait and the group exhibition The Seventh Solitude.
Aida Mahmudova takes us to a kind of landscape, to the reality of the landscape, to save us from the claustrophobia of the self. Although the reality of the landscape that the artist created at the center of the Heaven Can Wait exhibition may seem personal and difficult to understand at first glance, the artist critiques the pathology of the self. On the one hand, life stands before us in all its anatomical reality, and in some cases, life appears as much more than a landscape. However, trying to separate life from the landscape will also lead us to a kind of alienation. All life, all personal or social history, takes place in a landscape, in geography, and there is always some place that resonates in our memory.
Mahmudova states that geography is an essential dimension of civilization, and that people can be contacted within this geography. Two large canvases at the center of the exhibition tell us about geography and its diversity and importance, while also drawing our attention to its beauty and horror. These canvases, which symbolize the beginning and the end, also contain clues about the past and the future. The paintings, which are in harmony with the fragmentary structure of our age, mark an organism’s return to its original point after its entire natural cycle (birth, life, and death).
The Seventh Solitude, a remarkable group exhibition that brings together the captivating works of a talented ensemble of Azerbaijani artists, including Huseyn Hagverdiyev, Tarlan Gorchu, Orkhan Huseynov, Ramal Kazim, Novruz Mammadov, Faraj Rahmanov, Eltaj Zeynalov, Ismail Safarali, and Nadir Eminov. This exhibition showcases both commissioned pieces by YARAT and other works created by these artists in recent years.
Drawing inspiration from Nietzsche’s enigmatic concept of the “Seventh Solitude,” the group exhibition endeavors to connect the fundamental values of modern estrangement, presence, and eternal return within the social context. In today’s fast-paced modern world, despite the abundance of people, close interactions do not necessarily enhance opportunities for communication. The prevalent “conveyor production” of socio-psychological stereotypes, preferences, evaluations, behavioral patterns, and perceptions tends to erode individual differences, ultimately resulting in the fragmentation of one’s personality. It becomes evident that within the framework of modern society, attaining the state of the “seventh solitude” necessitates a specific social context. Solitude, in this sense, extends beyond physical separation and encompasses a spiritual dimension detached from society. Within this framework, the central theme of the exhibition revolves around the quest for the elusive “seventh solitude” experienced by individuals who deliberately seek solace in seclusion.
