The Azerbaijan State News Agency

CULTURE

YARAT presents exhibition by Indian artist Shilpa Gupta

Baku, June 25, AZERTAC

YARAT Contemporary Art Space announces a solo exhibition by internationally renowned Indian artist Shilpa Gupta, opening on 7th July 2018. The exhibition takes its departure point from the central piece: a new, large-scale multi-channel sound installation which gives voice to 100 poets who have been jailed over the centuries for their writing or political alignments. Exhibited alongside other new drawings and sculptures, the works highlight the fragility and vulnerability of our right to freedom of expression today.

Running across the entire first floor gallery space, 100 microphones are suspended above 100 metal rods, each piercing a page inscribed with a verse of poetry. In turn, a single microphone plays these verses, echoed by a chorus of the other 99. Lasting over an hour, the sound piece alternates between English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Azeri and Hindi, amongst other languages. A chorus of voices shift across the space, forming an ongoing sequence of haunting recitals. The title of the installation, For, in your tongue I cannot fit - 100 Jailed Poets, is based on a poem by 14th century Azerbaijani poet Nesimi.

Alongside this major new work are a series of drawings and objects which reflect upon the lives of the poets, including a mouth cast in metal, a drawing made with thorns and tracings on paper around the body of the missing person. Telling stories of deep conflict and endearment, the works explore the political and societal restrictions which seek to control and clamp both the imagination and the physical mobility of the poets.

A motion flapboard, typically found in transit zones and transport hubs to communicate timings and schedules, hangs from the ceiling. Subverting its intended function, Gupta replaces informational text with poetry which describes processes of arrival and departure, and the movement of people and ideas. As the split-flap display rotates, new words and prose appear, offering poignant and timely reflections which in turn lead us to question how we define identity through place and time.

For this exhibition, the artist revisits her photographic series, ‘Don’t See Don’t Hear Don’t Speak’ (2006) to create a sculpture in which three identical people encircle one another, each concealing the other’s eyes, ears or mouth. Based on a Japanese proverb made popular by Mahatma Gandhi, the work sits within the context of our current changing political landscape and recent wave of separatism - a present force in the artists own home country, where agencies are often suppressed for their views. Creating a potent dialogue with the other pieces in the exhibition, Gupta’s sculpture offers a powerful reflection on freedom of expression. The artist continues: “Time and again, like where we are at today, voices of truth cause discomfort and stand truncated, however the resonances stay and they continue to be heard.”

Gupta’s sound installation is a joint commission by YARAT Contemporary Art Space, Baku and Edinburgh Art Festival.

This exhibition is curated by Björn Geldhof.

Shilpa Gupta (b. 1976, Mumbai, India) lives and works in Mumbai, where she studied B.F.A. Sculpture at Sir J. J. School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1997. Gupta’s work has exhibited around the world including the Venice Biennale, Berlin Biennale, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Devi Art Foundation, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Mori Museum amongst others.

Founded in 2004 and now in its 15th edition, Edinburgh Art Festival is the platform for the visual arts at the heart of Edinburgh’s August festivals, bringing together the capital’s leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces in a city-wide celebration of the very best in visual art. Each year, the Festival features leading international and UK artists alongside the best emerging talent, major survey exhibitions of historic figures, and a special programme of newly commissioned artworks that respond to public and historic sites in the city. The 2017 Festival attracted over 315,000 visits. Edinburgh Art Festival is a registered charity supported by Creative Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council.

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 31 and Thunder make franchise-record 27 3s in 137-101 rout of Pelicans

Baku hosts International Aerospace and Digital Innovations Forum

First youth-led International Aerospace and Digital Innovations Forum “IAEDIF’25” hosted by Yusuf Karimli and his team: a resounding success

Türkiye, Malaysia seek strengthened economic, defense ties

Poland to seal security agreement with Norway

Azerbaijan, Türkiye hold political consultations

Tesla battery Megafactory in Shanghai launches production

Tremors hitting Santorini reach new strength

AI revives 2,000-year-old Roman scroll burned in mount Vesuvius eruption

Varna to host the Black Sea Theatre Festival in September 2025

Baku hosts official reception marking Iran’s National Day

Italy ranks 52nd in perceived-corruption index

Why do things seem better in the morning? Scientists have found the answer

Azerbaijani servicemen successfully complete "Winter Exercise-2025" in Türkiye

“Winter Fairy Tale” International Music Festival wraps up with final concert

Space debris striking passenger planes could become a deadly reality, study warns

Number of migrants from Tajikistan to Russia halves in 2024

Ancelotti given CBF ultimatum for Brazil job

February 11 marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science

President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan will kick off 2-day Pakistan visit from 12 February

Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut and quickly connects with LeBron James in a 132-113 win over Utah

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry: We urge Armenia to abandon statements and actions that undermine prospects for peace

President Ilham Aliyev: We attach special importance to comprehensive development of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Iran

Google officially changes name of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in Maps for US users

To His Holiness Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Earth's inner core may have changed shape, say scientists

To His Excellency Mr. Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

New treatment offers quick cure for common cause of high blood pressure

Oil prices surge in global markets

Azerbaijani FM meets with incoming Belarusian ambassador

Azeri Light crude sees slight price increase

Pakistan-Türkiye counter terrorism consultations held in Islamabad

Trial of criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan continues VİDEO

Kenyan Youth Champion visits Azerbaijani Embassy

State Secretary: Slovenia is interested in deepening bilateral relations with Azerbaijan

AMADA strengthens international collaboration at key anti-doping meetings in Bonn

Polish musicians steal show at “Winter Fairy Tale” International Music Festival in Gabala

Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission holds meeting

Alessandro Nesta returns to coach Monza after Serie A club fired him in December

Azerbaijan, Slovenia explore prospects for cooperation

Illegal workers held in raids on UK nail bars and takeaways

Azerbaijani military pilots conduct training flights

China's tit-for-tat tariffs on US take effect

Dongfeng Motor shares surge as restructuring plans prompt merger speculation

® Nar supports the development of a sign language application in Azerbaijan

‘Complex’ tax system costs businesses £15bn as HMRC spending surges

Speedboat sinks off Indonesia's North Kalimantan, leaving one missing

From Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso

Azerbaijan, Iran discuss prospects for development of military cooperation

Reservists’ training session continues

Japan hosts concert honoring Gara Garayev’s musical legacy

Jeff Wallace: Azerbaijan’s entrepreneurial landscape is on a promising trajectory – INTERVIEW

Kyrgyzstan’s Osh airport temporarily restricts flights due to thick fog

® Good news for those who get insurance through Birbank!

Foreign Ministry: Russian State Duma member Nikolai Valuev’s threatening remarks against Azerbaijan are absolutely unacceptable

UAE to install 500 EV charging stations by end of 2025

Bulgarian ID card named best in Europe

South Korea spy agency says DeepSeek 'excessively' collects personal data

NASA explores Earth Science with new navigational system

Vessel carrying 65 passengers capsized near Libya, Pakistani nationals onboard

It is entirely unacceptable for PM Pashinyan to present issue of Western Azerbaijan as a military threat – STATEMENT

World Bank: Per capita income in Azerbaijan surged 60 times in 30 years

Azerbaijan's table tennis players bag bronze in Croatia

ASCO vessels resume cargo transportation after stormy weather

Fossils found in south China identified as duck-billed dinosaur

President Erdogan approves Azerbaijan-Türkiye migration cooperation agreement

Nurlana Mustafayeva: Need for specialists in the Balkan region is growing - INTERVIEW

More flood victims evacuated in Sabah, 36 return home in Sarawak

1 dead, 1 injured in explosion at oil storage tank in Ulsan

Turkish President Erdoğan embarks on three-nation Asia tour to boost ties

Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers claim five more medals at Zagreb Open 2025 Ranking Series

Vietnam’s digital economy expands rapidly, leading Southeast Asia

Oil prices surge in global markets

Eating just one egg a week could be enough to lower your risk of dying from heart disease

Unprecedented glacial flood unleashes 3,000 billion liters of water in East Greenland

Preliminary results show Ecuador to hold presidential runoff

Five BHOS students win Red Hearts Educational Scholarship

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul

Ten-man Leipzig holds off St. Pauli in Bundesliga

10-man Barca win to close gap on leaders Real Madrid

Azerbaijani beach volleyball players win silver in Latvia

Azerbaijani karatekas return from European Karate Championship with three medals

Hamburg reaches deal with logistics magnate to build new opera house

Azerbaijan Community: This is a direct provocation against Azerbaijan’s religious and cultural dignity

Azerbaijani boxers win six medals in Serbia

Common sleep medication may prevent brain from clearing 'waste'

The link between headache disorders and suicide—a 25-year Danish cohort study

Dozens killed in bus crash in southern Mexico

Concert of Azerbaijani composers' music held in Paris

Heydar Aliyev Foundation receives Hamdan-ICESCO Prize for Voluntary Development of Educational Facilities in Islamic world

"Diwani Lughat al-Turk" international exhibition opens in Kazakhstan

About 200 people relocated after fatal landslide in SW China's Sichuan

Astana hosts concert of Turkic peoples' music "Tamyr"

Hamas releases 3 more Israeli captives amid Gaza ceasefire deal

Pakistani GovInsider: Azerbaijan’s journey towards proactive e-services to citizens

Azerbaijan Army’s marines participate in AMAN-25 Exercise and AMAN Dialogue

Bayern Munich 3-0 Werder Bremen: Kane and Sane stretch Bundesliga leaders' advantage

“Winter Fairy Tale” International Music Festival kicks off with grand opening ceremony in Gabala

Azerbaijani delegation attends quadrilateral meeting on green energy cooperation in Türkiye

Pakistani teenage girl appointed UNICEF's Youth Advocate for Climate Action