18 Apr 2011

The Pavilion of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Venice. Curator and Comissar of the Pavilion Cinghiz Farzaliev will operate with curator Beral Madra.

Mila Askarova is the Coordinator of the 2010 Azerbaijan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, which will take place in the magnificent 18th Century Palazzo Benzon on the Canale Grande.  The exhibition, titled “RELATIONAL, OF BAKÛ”, will feature two generations of Azerbaijani artists, who markedly advocate the current stimulating culture of Baku.

The artists representing Azerbaijan at this year’s Venice Biennale are; MIKAYIL ABDURAHMANOV, ZEIGAM AZIZOV, KHANLAR GASIMOV, ALTAI SADIGHZADEH, AIDAN SALAKHOVA, AGA OUSSEINOV.  “RELATIONAL, OF BAKÛ” is an interdisciplinary exhibition and will feature paintings, video, installation and sculpture, which relates to the socio-political and cultural environments the artists inhabit, and reflects the political and economic changes in Azerbaijan in the last forty years.  The artists have in common a modernist heritage, often influenced by Soviet ideology, and a response to the cultural stimuli of Baku.      

The Azerbaijan Pavilion is realized under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan.  The Curator and Comissar of the Pavilion Cinghiz Farzaliev will operate with Curator Beral Madra (BM Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul) and with co-commissioner Vittorio Urbani (Nuova Icona, Venice).  The team of the Pavilion includes; Assistant Curator: Amina Melikova; Editor: Togrul Afandiyev; Coordinator: Mila Askarova; Coordinator: Suad Garayeva; Photographer & Designer: Farhad Farzaliev and Exhibition Designer: Vincenzo Casali.

The founder and Director of Gazelli Art House, Mila Askarova was born and raised in Azerbaijan before moving to Istanbul and later settling in London. Upon successful completion of her International Relations BSc degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Mila worked at Sotheby’s in the Client Development department while curating a number of exhibitions in Baku and Istanbul. She then managed the PR and Communication of a commercial art gallery in London, before focusing on curating and private art dealing. During her active years on the art market, Mila studied at Central Saint Martins and Christie’s Education, gaining a theoretical insight into Collecting Contemporary Art, Independent Curating and Art Business.

In 2011, Gazelli Art House will launch a series of five exhibitions loosely based on the five classical elements, Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Ether, focusing on individual experiences and reactions to the presented artworks, from aggression and passion to calm, rediscovery to new beginnings. Each show will be exhibited in a different independent space, with venues ranging from private houses and foundations to warehouse spaces, encouraging viewers to engage with and understand art outside the white cube.