Rashad Alakbarov

Yay Gallery, Baku

Baku, Kichik Gala Gallery, Fabulous Four, 2010 (another edition exhibited)
Sharjah, Islamic Art Festival, 2012 (another edition exhibited)
Venice, 55th Venice Biennale, The Azerbaijan Pavilion: Ornamentation, 2013 (another edition exhibited)
London; Paris; Moscow; Rome; Vienna; Baku, Fly To Baku: Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan, 2012-2014 (another edition exhibited)

Rashad Alakbarov uses shadow as prime material for his work. His imagery is manifold, from ornamental elements to cityscapes, shadows provide an image of and a backdrop to the artist’s  world. Achieved through carefully calculated positioning of structures in varying media- from wood, metal and glass to haphazardly spread rubble, the actual materiality is irrelevant to the work itself. Even though the structures themselves often exist as sculptural objects, the core of Alakbarov’s work only emerges with correct lighting projected at a specific angle and thus remains ephemeral, fleeting.

The combination of solid structures with intangible qualities of their shadows is also suggestive of Alakbarov’s subject matter. Themes such as landscapes of his childhood, the complicated linguistic history of his native tongue, and the traditional roles of men and women in society all evoke a sense of nostalgia and memory, as well as a subtle critique of subconsciously engrained beliefs. The presented lot is a complex metallic structure that yields a shadow of an important Islamic ornament, called “shabaka”, or a network, used to tie in a large geometric formation of a complete ornament. Shabaka has a strong reference to Azeri visual culture dating back to antiquity. One of the most exquisite examples of shabaka can be seen on the wall paintings and stained glass of the 13^th century Sheki Khan Palace in Northern Azerbaijan. In the present work the artist combines coarse material of unpolished metal to unleash a fleeting image of a precious cultural symbol. A twist on the juxtaposition of high and low culture, here the high is only temporarily present. The symbol of high-culture only becomes available in certain conditions defined by the artist and thus provides a witty commentary on the reality of his everyday life.