Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

YARAT Contemporary Art Space is hosting a group exhibition “Boys don't cry” at ARTIM Project Space.

The exhibition is running from June 16 to July 9.

What does it mean to be a man or a woman or both? Why is it so difficult to be normal? And who decides what normal is? Boys don't cry is a multidisciplinary exhibition that combines art and literature projects exploring gender identities, rules of behavior and social structures. It talks about personal destinies and the difficulty of fulfilling both the own but also social expectations. On the other hand the project reflects on the paradox of gloating, the pleasure of gossip and voyeurism.

Rocking my Gucci is an ongoing Instagram performance by the artist Agil Abdullayev that he started in September 2016. It examines social media culture in boyhood that challenges the image of what is perceived as masculine. By the movement and the influence of a young generation of men the borders became more flexible when creating online personas through selfies, menswear and lifestyle posts.

The multimedia work by Anka Gujabidze tells the story of a transgender man called Bart. He lives in conservative Georgia where LGBTQ people are widely perceived to be in contradiction to what it means to be Georgian. “My intention is to transform ideas about identity that is an object of fear, which in turn is followed by hatred and rejection. The main purpose of this project is to change aggressive and violent perception of individuals, with whom society is not familiar.”

Video artist Aykhan Khalilov investigates through a performance piece happing in two rooms how rules of behavior are created and dominated by the judgment of others. “Without these dumb rules, society would fall apart, since it is moral – behavior patterns remain the safety and functionality of society. But the question is not whether these rules are good or not. They have always been and will be. This project asks rather the question on how flexible their boundaries are."

Chinara Majidova’s (photographer) and Leyli Salayeva’s (writer) collaborative project Men only (women be not ashamed) presents twelve women telling a poem that might be called “Vulgar Poetry”. This poem consists of insulting expressions that these women encountered by men in their real live. The project aims to raise attention to moments in women live that make them feel vulnerable and insecure. It is an attempt to change women attitudes towards harassments, in terms of self-blame and mortification.

Taus Makhacheva’s Let Me Be Part of a Narrative focuses on the Dagestan Dog Fighting Championship, a popular entertainment among Caucasian men. Almost always exclusively all-male event, the artist found a female dog trainer and the video concentrates on her. The footage is shown opposite a documentary material from five-time world champion Dagestani wrestler, Ali Aliev's fights. The installation draws attention to the urge for violence as a form of spectacle and the desire for fame common to all humankind. The 'underground' competition is juxtaposed with mainstream sports in a witty conversation highlighting similarities implicit in both forms.

For the ongoing project Letters of a passenger the Belgian artist photographer and filmmaker Jaro Minne takes the role of a wanderer, a stranger who immerses into private homes of people in Baku that he doesn’t know. It is a continuation of a similar ongoing project he is working on in Tbilisi. The artist is searching for a certain intensity and for spaces that describe somebody’s life, both real and imagined. His video work “čhavo” (young man) is a raw depiction of a young man coming home after months in confinement, reconnecting with his family and future wife. The enigmatic nature of the film represents a rudimentary form of narrative, exploring a sense of physical directness and romantic longing.

The project by the writers Leyla Novruzova and Gulya Novruzova tries to explore what love actually is. It is based on real people and real love stories. Why are people doing crazy things in the sake of love? Why do people who got hurt, would still go back and re-live those incredible feelings? What is better: to experience great love and lose it or never experience it in it’s full intensity?

Working hours: Thursday – Sunday, 2pm – 8pm

The lecture "Futurism and the Female Gaze" led by Lesley Grey (Dubai/UK) was held on June 22 within the project.

"Love Letters" lecture led by Leyla Novruzova and Gulya Novruzova will be take place on July 6.

The events will start at 19:00. Admission is free.

Address: Old City (Icherisheher) Boyuk Gala Street 30, 001A

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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