Art as a Reflection of Current Reality | Orkhan Huseynov

Orkhan Huseynov is an Azeri artist who graduated with a BA from the Faculty of Ceramic Designer at the Azerbaijan State Univesity after which he completed a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Art History and Theory at the Azerbaijan State Fine Art Academy in 2000.

Dear Beloved, his latest solo exhibition is currently showing at the Yarat Contemporary Art Space (founded by Aida Mahmudova, one of Jdeed’s favourite artist) in Baku.

JDEED wanted to know a little bit more about Orkhan and his work.

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Tell us a bit about your background and how you started in the Art field.

I was born in a family of a graphic artist and the art world has been surrounding me since my childhood. Though I started my career in 1999 as a traditional artist (doing graphics and paintings), later I shifted to making works that is more based on a concept rather than visual aesthetics. My understanding of art process transformed from “handmade” to “mindmade”.

How would define your aesthetic?

I think I use aesthetics to attract/invite an audience to the idea or concept of the work. Purely visual art does not seem so interesting to me.

Is your country, Azerbaijan, something that inspires you when you create?

I think most of the artists work with the materials they have around themselves. I live and work in Azerbaijan and surrounding objects, people and actions influence me and give me some ideas, but I may find inspiration from different things and at various locations.

Is Plexiglas a material that evokes something special to you?

I used to work a lot in graphics and graphic design, so I like to work with simple graphic images. Plexiglas is a material that is easy to cut and transform to different shapes. The black Plexiglas reflects objects and light and also has deepness and blackness that is impossible to get with a paint on paper.

Is Art a mean for you to express some deeper thoughts? Do you see it as a tool to spread a message?

No, I don’t think about art as a tool to express deeper thoughts or to spread any message. I prefer to think about art as a reflection of current reality. It reflects ideas and thoughts which are not necessarily true or deep. To me, the most important thing in art is its quality.

What are your future projects and ambitions?

Now I have my solo show Dear Beloved exhibiting at Yarat Centre in Baku. I plan to expand my new video series, as well as working on a couple of projects on Kufi script and history of Islamic Science.

Extract of the the launch video of Dear Beloved

If you want to know more about Orkhan, click here