Talk: Revival in the Post-Soviet Era: Linking Contemporary Azerbaijani and Central Asian Art to Its Ancient Roots

Join Asia House and Caspia Contemporary Gallery for conversation with art historian Dr. Aliya de Tiesenhausen, artist Asmar Narimanbekova and gallerist Afsana Tahirova moderated by curator and writer Rose Issa.

They will expand on the region’s oppressed cultural identity under the Soviet regime, its powerful revival in the Post-Soviet era and its manifestation in today’s Azerbaijani and Central Asian art.

Rose Issa is a curator, writer and publisher who has championed visual art and film from the Middle East for more than 30 years. She has lived in London since the 1980s showcasing upcoming and established artists, producing exhibitions with public and private institutions worldwide, and running a publishing programme.

Aliya de Tiesenhausen is an independent scholar of Soviet and post-Soviet Central Asian art who received her doctoral degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London in 2010. She co-curated Focus Kazakhstan: Post-Nomadic Mind, London 2018. She is the author of Central Asia in Art: from Soviet Orientalism to the New Republics, I.B. Tauris, 2016. She worked as an icon specialist at Christie’s London, assisted with the production of Kazakhstan Swings film and co-convened conferences on the subjects of ‘Framing the Other: 30 Years after Orientalism’ at the Courtauld and ‘Russian Orientalism through Art Production and Education’ at Cambridge Central Asia Forum. In January 2019 she co-convened a doctoral research workshop on Central Asia ‘Art and Culture: Actors or Representatives?’ at the University of London.

Asmar Narimanbekova is an Azerbaijani artist, curator and associate professor of fine arts currently living in Paris, France. Her works are in private collections around the world and in institutional collections including the United Nations Gallery in New York, USA, Ministry of Culture of China in Beijing, Ministry of Culture of Georgia in Tbilisi, Museum of Modern Art in Baku Azerbaijan, UNESCO Art Collection in Paris France and many others. In 2002 she was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Honorary Artist of Azerbaijan’ by the President of Azerbaijan for her contributions to the cultural heritage of the country. In 2017 she founded ‘Togrul Narimanbekov Association’ in Paris named after her father, Togrul Narimanbekov, a prominent Azerbaijani painter. The association organises exhibitions of contemporary Azerbaijani artists in Paris and Baku, and promotes cultural dialogue between Azerbaijan and France through artistic collaboration projects.

Afsana Tahirova is the founder and Managing Director of Caspia Contemporary – a brand new gallery established in London, UK with an aim of bringing exceptional works of art influenced by the culture and history of Azerbaijan to the global art world. Afsana has extensive project management experience and an MBA degree from London Business School. Coming from a family of art lovers her passion for art and cultural heritage of her country Azerbaijan was matched with her extensive business experience to launch Caspia Contemporary in order to represent highly talented Azerbaijani artists in London and around the world.

The talk coincides with Caspia Contemporary Gallery’s exhibition Contemporary Art from Azerbaijan | Journey of the Soul, on view at Asia House from 21 to 25 May 2019