Yarat Contempoary Art Centre opens first permanent space in Baku

Azeri contemporary art organisation Yarat has opened its first permanent space in Baku. The new centre, dedicated to regional contemporary art and art education, is housed in a converted former Soviet-era naval headquarters overlooking the Caspian Sea.

Focussing on art from the Caucasus, Central Asia and other neighbouring countries, the new venue will house a permanent collection of work by regional artists, and a changing programme of temporary exhibitions featuring art by international artists.

The first exhibition of Yarat’s permanent collection is from Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat. Shirin Neshat: The Home of my Eyes will feature a major new commission and two video installations — Soliloquy (1999) and Passage (2001) — from Neshat’s earlier works. Inspired by travelling around Azerbaijan last year, Neshat’s new exhibition features photographs taken of over 50 people from communities around Azerbaijan. Each photograph has a calligraphy overlay, featuring words said by each of the subjects.