BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. The “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW” festival, which kicks off in Baku on October 30, is being held for the second consecutive year. The exhibition program of the festival, held at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Head of the IDEA Public Association, will bring together diverse artistic approaches, generations, and geographical regions, offering viewers the opportunity to reflect on themes such as memory, cultural heritage, nature, biodiversity, identity, and the future.
As part of “Art Weekend,” alongside various venues, the Heydar Aliyev Center will host the official opening and presentation of several exhibitions.
Artworks by the “Big Five” for the first time at the Heydar Aliyev Center
One of the key themes of this year’s “Art Weekend” exhibition program is “Big Five of the Caucasus.” In projects dedicated to the nature and biodiversity of the Caucasus, animals are presented not only as part of nature, but also as bearers of cultural memory, mythology, and collective identity.
The project “When Nature Speaks: Heirs,” which will be on view at the Heydar Aliyev Center, is a contemporary art exhibition exploring the themes of nature, heritage, and human responsibility.
The “Big Five of the Caucasus” — the Caucasian leopard, brown bear, gray wolf, golden eagle, and gazelle — form the conceptual foundation of the exhibition, drawing attention to the question: “What kind of natural world will we leave behind?”
These animals, presented in the exhibition in various forms, are not perceived merely as depictions of wildlife. As the central symbols of the festival’s artistic program, the “Big Five” will offer a new perspective for reflecting on nature, cultural memory, mythology, identity, and future generations.
The exhibition, conceived by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, explores the connection between people and nature, as well as closely interrelated concepts such as heritage, responsibility, memory, and choice.
The exhibition will bring together artists and craftspeople working in mixed media, combining installation, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, and various other materials.
The works featured in the exhibition will be shown to the general public for the first time during the Art Weekend in Baku.
One of the artistic interpretations of the “Big Five” and its journey from nature to art is the project “Legendary Creatures: An Azerbaijani Bestiary.” The project, which will be presented on October 30 in the park of the Heydar Aliyev Center, connects mythological creatures from Azerbaijani folklore with the “Big Five.” Here, animals are portrayed as bearers of local knowledge, folklore, and artistic heritage, emphasizing the importance of preserving them for future generations.
A total of six works by six artists will be on display—a carpet composition, a sculpture, a photograph, a metal composition, and a mixed-media composition.
All works in the exhibition will be presented to the general public for the first time as part of “Art Weekend.”
Unusual paintings by a Chinese artist will be on display at the Heydar Aliyev Center
On the first day of the festival, another exhibition will open at the Heydar Aliyev Center — an exhibition by Chinese artist Zhang Ji. Titled “Skin of Truth,” the exhibition, organized by the Heydar Aliyev Center, is a joint project of “Baku Art Weekend” and “JD Malat Gallery.” The exposition will combine the architectural traditions of various cultures with contemporary painting. The exhibition will feature the artist’s works from the “The Skin of Truth” and “Ultima” series. Drawing inspiration from the patterns of mosques, synagogues, Catholic churches, and Hindu and Buddhist temples, Zhang Ji reinterprets them through the language of contemporary painting.
The works to be displayed at the Baku exhibition were created under the influence of such famous architectural landmarks as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Alhambra Palace in Spain.
“Azerbaijan has always been a place where Eastern and Western civilizations converge. This rich cultural synthesis in your country has long captured my attention and sparked great interest. Presenting my works here as part of ‘Art Weekend 2026’ is a long-awaited moment for me and an important milestone in my creative career,” the artist said.
Zhang Ji’s painting technique is also distinctive. Instead of a brush, he applies paint to the canvas using a syringe. The textured surfaces created in this way give his works an appearance reminiscent of bas-relief sculpture.
Zhang Ji’s works have been exhibited in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, China, France, Spain, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and other countries, and have been included in international collections.
Another project to be presented on October 30 at the Heydar Aliyev Center is by the renowned American artist Judy Chicago.
Her art project, titled “What If Women Ruled the World?”, will be shown in the region for the first time.
The work serves as a medium for memory, storytelling, and collective self-expression. Since 2022, the project has built a global archive spanning the United States, Germany, Argentina, the United Kingdom, France, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Türkiye. In Baku, visitors will be able to become part of the next phase of the artwork by answering questions in an interactive sound booth.
Pistoletto’s artwork, combining a mirror and artificial intelligence, at the Heydar Aliyev Center
On October 30, the Heydar Aliyev Center will present another “Art Weekend” project — Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto’s work “Mirror of Eternity".
The project is a continuation of the artist’s long-standing creative exploration of the mirror motif. Throughout his career, Pistoletto has used mirrors to make the viewer a part of the artwork. “Mirror of Eternity,” drawing on the possibilities of the digital age, combines human portraits using artificial intelligence to create new faces that did not exist before. A participant uploads their portrait to the system, and the system combines it with another person’s portrait to form a new image. In this way, this artificial creation reflects a constant renewal that continues from generation to generation. The project explores the connection between the concepts of humanity, memory, technology, and ever-renewing life.
The “Mirror of Eternity” project has been presented internationally, including at The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach and at the India Art Fair in New Delhi in February 2026.