Image: Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, Baku
An exhibition entitled 'Oil and Icon', accompanied by a concert programme, was held in Washington, D.C., to mark the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Azerbaijan’s state independence. The event took place at the headquarters of the Organization of American States and was jointly organised by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the United States and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, with the support of the Ministry of Culture.
Attendees included U.S. government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the cultural and artistic communities. According to the director, the exhibition features nearly 20 works by Irina Eldarova, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan. The display includes new compositions that continue the project presented at the 2024 Venice Biennale.
The exhibition also included a relief carpet portrait of Marilyn Monroe created at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. Two gurama, or patchwork, panels made from men’s neckties and dedicated to Sattar Bahlulzada’s painting 'Beauty of the Caspian Sea' and Marilyn Monroe were also on display.
Dr. Amina Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, stated that carpet weaving is an integral part of the national and cultural identity of the Azerbaijani people. Dr. Paul Michael Taylor, Research Anthropologist and Curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, spoke about the relationship between Azerbaijan’s oil industry and the preservation of its cultural heritage.
Following the official proceedings, a concert was held featuring Azerbaijani Honoured Artist and pianist Nargiz Aliyarova. The programme included works by Gara Garayev, Fikret Amirov, Faig Sujaddinov, and Frédéric Chopin, as well as a piano arrangement of the Azerbaijani folk song 'Sarı Gəlin'.
