These four recent small paintings by Abdullayev demonstrate a change in approach for the artist. Working in oil rather than the acrylic favoured in his earlier work, Abdullayev’s palette is considerably darker and more muted than his Pretties series. Restricting himself to pale blues paired with deep violets, navy and burgundy, Resting, Hugging and Standing depict three encounters between two men, whilst Waiting shows the lower half of a seated singular figure. The sense of intimacy in these four moments is amplified by the small scale of the paintings and the close-cropped viewpoint. In each work the figures materialise from their surroundings as the use of colour unifies them with their environment. Part of Adbullayev’s wider artistic investigations into 'cruising’ culture in his film projects, these vignettes approach the subject with a sensitivity and emotional intensity, likely born from Adbyllayev’s own experiences, as well as those of men he interviewed to support his research for this project.

Agil Abdullayev (b. 1992) is an interdisciplinary artist working across film, photography, and painting. Their practice investigates shifting notions of identity, trauma, vulnerability, and escapism as they move through public and private memory. Often semi-biographical, Abdullayev’s films draw on childhood experiences and personal queer archives, expanding into work shaped by diaries, essays, and close collaboration with local communities. Through alter-egos, intimacy, self-reflection, and emotional extremities, they construct spaces of hyperpossibility where representations can be disrupted, re-articulated, and reinvented. Prizes include: second prize, Fluxus Museum Prize for Experimental Video (2025), the Golden Cube Award at Kassel Dokfest (2024), Seed Award from the Prince Claus Foundation (2022), Artlink Prize, SudKultur Fond 2022. Exhibitions and presentations include: MoMA Tbilisi; Istanbul Contemporary Istanbul; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Peabody Essex Museum, Salem; Tate, London; Liverpool Biennial; South London Gallery; and Blindspot Gallery, Hong Kong. Residencies: Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Meet Factory, Cittadellarte, Goethe Institute, and Artlinks CEC.