"EVERYTHING IS BEING CREATED TODAY"

Each of Sabina Shikhlinskaya's projects conveys an elaborately constructed message on the very essence of human existence. As an artist and independent curator, she has created a distinctive direction in contemporary art, not limiting herself to her own works but rather addressing those who have succeeded in transcending time and space, overcome boundaries and broken conventional assumptions at her diverse art exhibitions. By focusing on urgent themes narrated in the language of contemporary art, she challenges each of us to converse with our inner self, without any attempt to hide from ourselves. Without superfluous questions, only identifying and expressing personal ‘tablets’...

Introducing a new project with eyes wide open is quite normal. Many artists admit that they feel a certain moment of detachment from their work as soon as it is done. That is, you are in direct contact only while you are creating it. Afterwards emerges a new feeling for the next project. It is akin to love. You cannot have strong feelings for two ‘objects’ simultaneously. One supersedes the other... But that's not the only thing...

"I will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war."

Erich Maria Remarque

“My exhibition presented on October 13 is focused on the theme of war, which is quite relevant these days. It is dualistic by incorporating the themes of both life and death. It is a question of our possible future or the lack of it. The exhibition is not about a local war only. In fact, the tragedy is of global nature. That’s how I try to attest that the mankind has not drawn conclusions from all the lessons of the past, for military conflicts grow in numbers while we see people dying here and there... With this in mind, that’s how our contemporary history is being reenacted. Where Azerbaijan, thanks to the strength and spirit of our heroes, liberated the occupied lands after almost thirty years during the 44-day Patriotic War.

“Today we saw the signing of the historic document on the inviolable territorial integrity of our country recognised by our hostile neighbour, and the recognition of the state border. This was the second time since we left the blood and horrors of the previous war. And I, for example, have learned that war, no matter how distant it might seem, is always near and dear. This is not the first time I refer to the theme of war in my art. In 2008, I did a video installation called Dangerous Red on the events in Georgia which was later demonstrated internationally. Frankly, I am sensitive to the social problems of humanity and I think it is more honest to talk about them than to engage in self-hypnosis about the beauty of our world which is not. I love life! I consider myself an optimist and enjoy every day. And I thank my parents, the universe and God simply for being in this life. At the same time, I do not want to turn a blind eye on the events going on around me, calming myself that all will pass and I am free of external influences. Philosophy of detachment is not my thing! I am a socially engaged person and react to everything that happens.”

Inadmissibility. Reflection

“The exhibition, The Fog of War, is an ambitious project curated by the Goethe-Zentrum Baku represented by its head Alfons Hug, and featuring well-known international artists. The main idea is that wars should never happen at all, if humanity finally comes to its senses. My work Carpet bombing is a theme hardly addressed by anyone. The term was coined in the 20th century standing for massive aerial bombing of Guernica, Barcelona, Dresden, Tokyo, Grozny, Mariupol and other cities around the world. I was really impressed that the cultural heritage of many nations, a symbol of ancient visualisation of sacred truths, is associated with such an inhuman action. For Azerbaijan a carpet means absolutely everything! It implies the birth of new life. And it is the final stage of our life-long journey. This is our national pride. The identity of our people. When I began to study the facts of carpet bombing, I have naturally assumed that it could have been a product of some intelligent design. I experienced the strongest emotions. How cynical it was! But it turned out to be even worse - it meant the mission of razing cities to the ground. Because some sick-minded individuals had an idea that by sequential bombing raids they can sort of ‘woven a carpet’. But a carpet cannot be laid on bare ground! And I assert with absolute certainty that the men behind this idea seriously lack an understanding of the oriental mentality. For us a carpet is not a covering barely laid on the floor! It is both protection and decoration. A clean carpet is laid to pray to the Almighty, for example. Through my work, I wanted to underline that humanity is at brink of destruction where culture is exploited to meet someone’s bloody ambitions. I am a pacifist and against all wars. I am always in favour of peace. But when it comes to the liberation of sovereign territories and the return of refugees to their native lands, I believe everyone should be a patriot and defend their homeland, even at the cost of their lives. In contemporary art the old Latin saying Inter arma silent Musae (when cannons talk, muses remain silent) is no longer acceptable. I think that contemporary artists don't need greenhouse conditions and reflect on absolutely everything that breathes in the world. And they do it in different ways, using all possible means to express their feelings and expressions. The contemporary artist reflects on war, society and life around us in different ways. And they always react. This is what I teach to my students as well - you don't have to wait for a certain moment. An artist has one less layer of skin than the rest. That’s why everything should touch him, not just his inner, invented world. That idea was abandoned long ago in the days of the modernists and the like. For me this subject is a burning issue and we can talk about it for a long time. But not only...”

School of Contemporary Art. Path to the future

“Recently I have been focused on education and I am proud that my project organised and supported by Yarat - Contemporary Art Space, called School of Contemporary Art, is progressing well. This is the first initiative of its kind in Azerbaijan. There are 28 excellent students at the school - young people aged under 35 who are in high demand. The guys hold certain positions and already have a good career. Those who have decided to move from management to art management. Those who have traditional academic training to retrain and gain knowledge to become a multidisciplinary artist in contemporary art. The school is developing absolutely wonderfully. We have become a family. And the most important thing is that we do not award our graduates with just a diploma. In March, we are going to launch an interactive project in Icherisheher (Old City). The location was not chosen by chance: I have always been interested in combining tradition and modernity. The subject is an attractive one, with unrelenting interest for many creative people. And for me, too. I believe that no tree can grow without roots. So for me memory and roots are important, linked to traditional national and historical knowledge of the space where we were born, live and create. And in that sense, young art from young artists and the old town, despite everything, retaining its uniqueness, feeding on the energy of the cultural layers on which it stands, is a perfect demonstration of the duality of art. At the very heart of our planned project is not simply a demonstration of our own achievements and those of our School. We think it's important to make people aware that there are new forms in art. These include public involvement through interactive art. For example, site-specific art, when certain spaces are used as part of the project. And I think that the result of this project will also be of interest to residents and guests of Baku. Moreover, March is associated with Novruz Bayram, and, as a result, our students will be able to study national traditions, the history of the Old City, its architecture and the personal stories and memories of its residents. And maybe, in future we will present some unexpected intellectual messages.”

On wisdom and self-development

“I remember someone’s saying that seemed to me relevant and acceptable. It goes something like this: "Find the strength to change what you can change. Accept what you cannot change. And be wise enough to separate one from another". That's why I try to be wise... And I'm totally comfortable with the maxim "I know that I don't know anything". It does not destroy me at all and does not overturn me. I even accept it with some enthusiasm – it gives me a chance to expand my own knowledge and learn something new literally every day. Our students were initially informed that our relationship would be horizontal: I don't teach you and you don't teach me. We are simply moving together on the same boat, which can get caught in a storm or doldrums. But we are trying to make sense of contemporary art together. Because everything is being created today. It's not yesterday - it's not modernism, which has been thoroughly described well before by art historians, theorists and philosophers. Contemporary art is something that is literally being created today, yesterday at the most. In this sense the School gave me a lot: it is interesting to expand my own limits of knowledge. I myself have changed during half a year of active work at the School. I am not going to stop this process. This is how my creative work changes as well...”

Power of knowledge. Freedom. Responsibility. Choice

“I believe that knowledge is not just power. It gives you personal freedom. When you are armed with knowledge, you have a certain freedom of choice, manoeuvrability. And activity, especially for creative people, is not limited to one thing because you don't know the other. This has always been frustrating for me. Knowledge destroys the vacuum of closed space. I am far from being a missionary, but I think that any educator, a person who takes on the mission of teaching and telling others something, has to share with them the very knowledge that his audience lacks. As to responsibility in terms of freedom, much depends on how knowledge is presented that makes us feel and realise it. It is clear that those who begin their immersion in contemporary art can be at first compared to small children who must not be left alone with dangerous ‘objects’ and are doomed to inevitable death. It's important to guide them along the path to knowledge, bearing in mind the parameters of teaching. Superficiality in the study of contemporary art is unacceptable. That is why the school of contemporary art is meant to be a long-term project. It's a very serious programme. I'm well aware of the responsibility I'm taking on, and my previous experience has probably helped me take this step. I have a long experience in running various workshops. I have been working with young people for many years. I have travelled around the world, given many lectures at world institutions. I have implemented a lot of projects not only with young people. I can therefore say with absolute certainty that no unprotected babies will be ‘thrown into the world’ from my School. Rather, I have taken on a conscious responsibility for young artists, ridding them of the ‘cataract of artistic vision’. In one of his essays, Voltaire narrates a story about the sense of happiness. He draws parallels between two people: a philosopher who, despite his erudition, has come to understand the futility of finding absolute happiness in life through his attempts to understand the universe, and an ordinary neighbour, who is not bothered by high ideals of research, content with little and yet living through his own personal happiness. And here Voltaire asks a question: if every person seeks to find happiness in life, what would the philosopher do, if he had to choose between his way of life and that which gives satisfaction to an ordinary woman living in harmony with the world and herself? I assure you the philosopher would flatly refuse the latter. That is the paradox, when a person agrees to live unhappy by choosing knowledge over the illusory happiness of a man who does not understand and realize his surroundings. That is why I am the kind of person who prefers to see everything with open eyes, which is what I teach to my students...”