Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

This edition of the "Azerbaijan through the lens" exhibition showcased 55 photographs of contemporary Azerbaijani people, culture, landscapes and architecture at Epicentro Art located at the Mitte district in Berlin.

The event, organized by the European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), was attended by Azerbaijani Ambassador to Germany Parviz Shahbazov as well as about 200 other diplomats, TEAS Director Lionel Zetter, celebrities and members of the Berlin society.

Originally presented in a different format in London in November 2012 and in Paris in March 2013, these photographs were selected from around 750 submissions received from more than 150 photographers based in Azerbaijan and across the world that were entered for a TEAS-run photography competition.

The exhibition succeeded in capturing the very essence of this fascinating country, which sits on the Caspian Sea coast. All those who attended were impressed by the views of this country and the remarkable quality of the images.

In his introduction, Shahin Namati-Nasab, the Director of TEAS Germany, said that for nearly five years, TEAS has been organizing events in Europe that demonstrate Azerbaijan's position as a westward-facing country. These have been expanded to Germany since TEAS opened an office in Berlin three years ago.

"The 'Azerbaijan through the lens' exhibition has been organized to show the different facets of the nation, particularly focusing on its nature, art and history. I hope the photographs will be of interest to all of you, and that you will decide to find out more about the country, or even travel there," he added.

Marc Fiedler, Gallery Owner, Epicentro Art, noted that this remarkable exhibition is being held in the new Epicentro Art premises, located in Berlin-Mitte.

"This is the centre of the Berlin art scene, and is where art happens in the city. I am delighted that my gallery was chosen to play host to these wonderful images," he said.

A new initiative from TEAS is the "Azerbaijan through the lens" photography competition. Conducted for professional and amateur photographers from around the world, the contest provides an opportunity to exhibit their works, while also showcasing many aspects of Azerbaijani life, culture, nature and history.

On November 20, 2012, opening of a stunning new photography exhibition at La Galleria Pall Mall, located near Trafalgar Square in London, was attended by more than 200 people.

The three winners of the competition were announced at the exhibition.

The winner of the first place was Asim Talib for his delightful photograph Old Men, taken in 1985 in Kalbajar, Karabakh (currently occupied by Armenia). He was awarded £2,000 worth of travel vouchers or a 15" Macbook Pro laptop computer.

The second prize was awarded for an amazing representation of the ceiling of the Bibi Heybat Mosque by Etibar Jafarov. Originally constructed in the 13th century, and visited by Alexandre Dumas in the 1840s, it was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936. Following Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the reconstructed mosque was reopened in 1997. Jafarov was awarded £1,000 worth of travel vouchers or a 13" Macbook Air.

Fuad Babayev took the photograph that received the third prize - The Flames and the Needle. It focused on the Flame Towers, a new icon of Baku, juxtaposed against the telecom tower. A keen amateur photographer, Fuad has embraced social media and currently has more than 10,000 followers on Google+. He was awarded £500 worth of travel vouchers or an iPad.

In total, this exhibition showcased 100 photographs of Azerbaijan.

The judges for the competition were renowned royal photographer Henry Dallal and Caroline Metcalfe, Director of Photography at the Conde Nast Traveller magazine.

"My fellow judge, Caroline Metcalfe, Picture Editor at Conde Nast Traveller, and I enjoyed exploring Azerbaijan through these beautiful pictures. Azerbaijan is a unique place, filled with history and culture. All the photos made me want to return to Azerbaijan to take more photographs showing the beauty of the country and the people," Henry Dallal said.

The exhibition will tour the major European galleries in which TEAS has offices during the course of 2013.