Baku, Azerbaijan, May 7 to 9, 2014
I was invited to participate in the festival representing Argentina, my country of origin. Twenty nine fine artists from different countries of the world came together to Baku to celebrate this international art event that promotes the consolidation of different nations on the basis of cross-cultural communication.
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The Fifth Annual International Art Festival «Qız Qalası» aims to popularize on a global scale the most ancient, mysterious and universally valued monument of Azerbaijan – the Maiden Tower. This monument, located within the territory of Icherisheher (the Old Walled City of Baku) is the symbol of the Land of Fire, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As well as being a pearl of Azerbaijani architecture and one of the legacies of the ancient history and rich traditions of the nation, the Maiden Tower also represents a significant contribution to the enrichment of the international historical heritage and intercultural dialogue.
Launched in 2010, the International Art Festival “Qız Qalası” has been successfully held in the capital of Azerbaijan for three consecutive years and once in Cannes, France. Over seventy renowned artists from various countries of the world have already participated in the last four festivals. By decorating models of the Maiden Tower in their own national styles, artists created works reflecting the synthesis and mutual exchange of different cultures and traditions. Since 2012, along with the main objective- promotion of the Maiden Tower – the organizers have decided to draw public attention to the issue of environmental protection. It is planned to hold a parallel event that will involve painting sculptures of a gazelle – one of the Caucasian endangered species. The action aims to raise awareness of the endangered existence of key Caucasian species, the healthy survival of which should be considered our primary goal. International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA), a campaign launched by Mrs. Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, has identified the “Caucasian Big Five” – five animals that are under the threat of extinction – bear, eagle, wolf, gazelle and Caucasian leopard. Among these animals, the gazelle has been chosen as the main symbol of the festival. Each completed sculpture will showcase the distinctive painting style and decoration of the individual artist. Gazelles are among the rarest and fastest species in the Caucasus, and they can only be found in the Shirvan State Reserve and the Bendovan and Korchay regions of Azerbaijan.
This year as parallel action within the festival it is planned to held 3D street art painting in the center of Maiden Tower square. Within 3-dimensional optical illusion from certain perspective it would be possible to find oneself on the top of Maiden Tower and have a breathtaking, realistic and beautiful view of Old City.
An exhibition consisting of the unique works of these artists will be held in Icherisheher for residents of Baku and visitors and also will be exhibited in various countries around the world and will serve both to promote the Maiden Tower as a part of the world heritage and also to underline the principal aim of the festival which is to focus public attention on the problems associated with wildlife protection.