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January 26, 2022

The exhibition “Seven Beauties” dedicated to the 880th anniversary of Nizami Ganjavi is inaugurated and the foundation of a statue of Uzeir Hajibeyli is laid in Saint Petersburg

On January 26, the exhibition “Seven Beauties”, dedicated to the 880th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s great poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi, was inaugurated in the Marble Palace in Saint Petersburg.

 

The exposition consists of a synthesis of the carpet-making, jewellery, artistic metal, miniature and theatre-decoration arts, as well as classical music and dance, modern art and declamation project.

 

Speaking at the exhibition’s inauguration ceremony, assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov noted that cultural ties were the shortest way of bringing peoples closer. “Centuries long friendship, brotherhood and kind neighbourhood traditions link our countries. Year-by-year, we have tried to make these relations stronger. By their exemplary mutual relations, the heads of our states have made their contribution to the strengthening of cooperation in all directions, including culture.”, -said Anar Alakbarov.

 

The assistant to the president recalled that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has established one of its first representative offices in Russia. “The Foundation has implemented a number of projects, including in such areas as education, healthcare and environment, the majority of these projects being related to culture”, - said Anar Alakbarov.

 

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloghlu thanked the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as well as the leadership of the Russian Museum and the National Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan.

 

Acting deputy general director of the Russian Museum Grigori Godowsky said that works of applied art, video installations, rare miniature works, wedding decorations etc. were displayed at the exhibition. This exhibition shows the original colourfulness of the oriental culture, which talks about the era of Nizami Ganjavi and features of his creativity.

 

The poetry of Nizami has centuries long influenced the creativity of a number of artists. One of the noteworthy works which has turned to a classic artwork is the “Seven Beauties” Ballet of eminent Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev. The ballet has been created on the basis of one of the famous poems of “Khamsa”. This work was first shown on the scene of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theatre in 1956.

 

A special environment was created for the demonstration of valuable exhibits of the decorative and applied art at the exhibition, based on the two sources – literary and music-choreography. The “miniature” installation created by famous Azerbaijani conceptualist artist Rashad Alakbarov by the method of “pictures from shadows”, based on the Tabriz miniature named “The youngster reading a book”, related to the 16th century, serves as an entry to this environment.

 

The concept of the project provides for a single perception of visual and vocal images. Due to the video installations, there is created an effect as if a spectator participates in the events occurring before his/her eyes. For example, in the video installations in which ancient manuscripts are pictured, characters of miniatures seem to have revived, inviting the audience to their magic world. As the spectator flicks through this revived middle-age book, he/she walks through the luxurious palace buildings, finding him-/herself in a space of ballet: ballet dancers appearing from endless points of the universe surrounds him/her.

 

The video of the international online-declamation “Nizami: dilden-dile” (by word of mouth), arranged by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Azerbaijan National Committee of ICOM, is an interactive continuation of the exhibition. In this section, over 150 famous persons of art and culture representing Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan declaimed fragments from Nizami’s poem “Seven Beauties”.

 

Organized with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Culture Ministry of Azerbaijan, the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Russian Federation and the National Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan, the exhibition “Seven Beauties” included exhibits of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the National Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan and the State Music Culture Museum of Azerbaijan.

 

The exhibition will be functioning until May 9.

 

A ceremony of laying the foundation of a statue of Azerbaijani composer Uzeir Hajibeyli took place also in Saint Petersburg.  

 

The statue will be erected in a garden named after Uzeir Hajibeyli at the Composers Street, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the government of Saint Petersburg.

 

The ceremony was attended by assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov, ambassador Polad Bulbuloghlu, vice-governor of Saint-Petersburg Anatoli Pevely, deputy head of the Legislative Assembly Marina Shishkina, deputy head of administration of the Vyborg district Arina Artyomova, chairperson of the Azerbaijani Diaspora in Saint Petersburg Vagif Mamishov and other honoured guests.

 

After the congratulation speeches, official unavailing of the foundation stone took place; attendees of the ceremony laid fresh flowers before the foundation stone.


Author of the statue is sculptor, academician of the Russian Academy of Art Aydin Zeynalov. 


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