{"title":"Ulviyya Iman","description":"\u003cp\u003eTales from the Caucasus artworks\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"ulviyya-iman-the-end","title":"The End","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe largest work in the exhibition, \u003cem\u003eThe End\u003c\/em\u003e is a striking, melancholic painting which recounts “Biləsən, Şair”, an infamous \u003cem\u003emeykhana\u003c\/em\u003e which took place in 2017. A \u003cem\u003emeykhana\u003c\/em\u003e is a traditional social gathering where improvised verses are sung and rapped, and this specific occasion was notable for being the last performance of Aydin Khirdalanli, one of the most famous performers of the \u003cem\u003emeykhana\u003c\/em\u003e in recent years. Khirdalanli was aware that he was terminally ill at the time of the event, and he is depicted seated in the centre of the painting, wearing white with his arms crossed and his head bowed sorrowfully. Other performers sing to him, urging him to keep going, assuring him that life has so much to offer and he just has to fight his illness. Sadly, despite such camaraderie, Khirdalanli died shortly after this performance. Iman’s source imagery and inspiration for this painting was drawn from a video of “Biləsən, Şai”posted on YouTube, where the arrangement of figures in the performance mirrored Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Motivated to capture the monumentality of this performance, Iman worked on a large-scale canvas using a loose layering, dripping, splattering of paint and a predominantly monochrome colour palette of deep blues. Combined, the emotional effect is sombre but also contains elements of defiance and the celebration of a life of a performer who inspired many. This significant painting demonstrates Iman’s ability to lay bare the interconnectedness of daily life, contemporary popular culture, religion, and tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ulviyya Iman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53086182244679,"sku":"UI0003","price":29700.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/4257\/2871\/files\/DSC0918-EditHR.jpg?v=1769531736"},{"product_id":"ulviyya-iman-ashura","title":"Ashura","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn contrast to the secular tradition of the \u003cem\u003emeykhana\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAshura\u003c\/strong\u003e illustrates a deeply religious yearly event where Shia Muslims gather to mourn the tragic death and martyrdom of Imam Huseyn during the 7th-century battle of Karbala. Iman’s fascination with the event began when she read an excerpt from the novel Ali and Nino by Kurban Said, first published in 1937, which tells of a romance between a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl in Baku in the years 1914–1920. Iman says of the passage in the book that inspired her: “The scene described Ali getting hypnotized by the shouts of men on the street beating themselves on the back with their fists or metal chains, and running outside to join them. The excerpt was written so beautifully that I became fascinated by Ashura, watching archive footage and researching it”. Iman took elements from video and photographic imagery of an Ashura taking place in a mosque in Nardaran, Azerbaijan in 2014. The artist intends this to be the first in a series of canvases on the same topic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ulviyya Iman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53086186471751,"sku":"UI0006","price":22900.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/4257\/2871\/files\/DSC0324-EditHR.jpg?v=1769170771"},{"product_id":"ulviyya-iman-self-portrait-red","title":"Self portrait, Red","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this self portrait, Ulviyya Iman depicts herself staring out at the viewer with a resolute expression. Her body is still, with her arms by her sides, her facial features are neutral, yet the psychological tension within the painting suggests an alternate reality beneath the surface. Reaching round to grip her right arm, four long red fingers pin her in place. The figure to whom this hand belongs is seated alongside her yet the artist crops the composition at his shoulder - retaining his anonymity and emphasizing herself as the central focus of the painting. With the inclusion of this hand however, the work assimilates greater cultural context. In addition to reflecting the artist’s personal experiences within relationships, this work speaks more broadly to domestic relationships and the power dynamics between men and women. By painting herself this way, Iman presents herself as defiant, strong and purposeful, with self-determination despite the social pressures that may define her environment. The frontal composition is assured, and reminiscent of proto-feminist artists such as Frida Kahlo and Vigée Le Brun, however the dominant use of red in the painting suggests moral ambiguity. Colour is used symbolically within Iman’s work, with red frequently indicating corruption. If the implication suggested in Self Portrait, Red is that she has been psychologically tainted by her relationship with her mystery companion, the question suggested in her gaze is can she reverse this? \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ulviyya Iman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53086192271687,"sku":"UI0004","price":5400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/4257\/2871\/files\/DSC0335-EditHR.jpg?v=1769172161"},{"product_id":"ulviyya-iman-2","title":"2","description":"\u003cp\u003eA dual portrait, 2 is ambiguous in its depiction of two female faces. Whilst the first, closest to the picture plane, stares outward with a pensive expression of concern, a secondary portrait turns inwards, smiling. This face seems to express delight as she raises her hand to meet her smirk. Fused horizontally these two portraits can be read as one and the same character – a Jekyll and Hyde differentiation of personalities and moral compasses. This differentiation is emphasised by stylistic echoes of early Roman portraiture, with the white clothes of the figure in the foreground suggesting a toga, and her side profile depiction recalling coin portraiture. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artist was moved to create this work upon discovering that her close friend had been talking badly about her behind her back. While hurt by this news Iman was also, in some way, delighted – the fact that her friend felt the need to gossip about her indicated that Iman was on her mind. This conflicting set of emotions is evoked succinctly by Iman, indicating her ability to produce pictures rooted in private moments that also speak to universal human experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ulviyya Iman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53086197023047,"sku":"UI0005","price":3400.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/4257\/2871\/files\/DSC0337-EditHR.jpg?v=1769172249"}],"url":"https:\/\/art.gazelliarthouse.com\/collections\/ulviyya-iman.oembed","provider":"Gazelli Art House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}