Live, create, love are synonymous
Interview with artist Chingiz Babaev

INTERVIEWS  24 June 2022 - 11:33

Chingiz Babayev has long been well known in the art world of both Azerbaijan and many CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) countries and beyond. A master with his own unique style, he does not leave his fans indifferent. As an art historian from Ukraine Alla Parkhomenko writes, “the world of Chingiz Babayev is an intricate web of colours, patterns, threads and shadows. And all these elements interact with each other in indescribable harmony, the pulsation of which is the very style of Chingiz’s creativity”. Despite being a participant in numerous solo and collective exhibitions, Chingiz is not very sociable. Arranging an interview was not an easy task for Caliber.Az.

- Tell us a little about yourself. You have a very professional website, but there is no information about your childhood there. I would like to know where you were born and raised and how early you awakened a craving for creativity.

- My childhood was the most ordinary, I was born in Baku and as for the craving for creativity, I remember that from early childhood I spent a lot of time sculpting figures from plasticine. Sometimes it was a hot summer and the plasticine melted and stuck to the carpets and furniture, for which it fell from the parents. My education-wise, you can read about it on my website, which is quite informative.

- Another highlight of your biography was your work in the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London. How did you get this job and how creative was it, because the Museum is primarily an attraction for tourists?

- Got through a competition announced in New York. About 1000 candidates participated in the competition, and three people were selected to work in the Museum after three rounds. The most surprising thing is that all three turned out to be natives of Azerbaijan. The work, of course, was not creative, but rather handicraft, but it gave me new skills in working with wax, which I still use in my work today. We spent three years in London, where we gained a unique experience. In addition, I visited a lot of exhibitions and met with artists from different directions.

- Can you "plan" your project, or do you rely solely on inspiration? Do you work as they say "binge" or can you move towards the goal in portions every day?

- A professional artist does not work by mood or inspiration. It works always, work is like living or breathing for me.

- I don't want to talk about specific works, those who are interested can visit your site or exhibition, but I want to say that I am personally a fan of your painting. She is so imbued with beauty, light, and life that she does not want to break away from them. This is not a question, just sharing my experience.

- Thank you for the kind words, but I think that in painting I have not achieved anything yet. But this year I will start a new project, this is my old dream. I will be working on this project for almost a year and the results, as always, cannot be predicted. I hope I can express myself in the best way. I am sometimes called a multimedia artist, as I create photos, carpets, sculptures, paintings, installations, and performances, but all these are just tools to express my thoughts and feelings.

- Your carpets are unique both in composition and colour, do you continue to deal with them? As far as I remember, your carpets were even exhibited in the carpet museum, which, of course, is a huge responsibility. Are there any plans to create new works?

- I don't work with carpets, it's rather carpets that work with me. This is such a limitless topic that it draws the whole creative person into it. Yes, my carpet "Resistance", made in bright, almost flashy colours, is still exhibited today in the Carpet Museum, this is part of its permanent exposition. Yes, I plan to create at least one more carpet, but I don’t know when that will be.

- Is it hard to be an artist in Azerbaijan? In Soviet times, they were supported by the state, and what is the role of the state in the Azerbaijani creative environment. I heard that in the centre of Yarat, there are many exhibitions and master classes of artists from Azerbaijan and not only. I know that in the 90s it was a terrible time, many artists literally made ends meet. How are things with patrons today, is the market for works of art developing?

- I can't say anything about patronage. In the 90s, a large number of works by local artists were sold. Some continue to do so today. Mostly the works of promoted, well-known artists are sold, but mainly these are works of a decorative plan, which are bought to decorate interiors. Talking about Yarat Center is a universal platform for people of art, where they can make an exhibition, premiere a film, play, and even receive funding if their project seems interesting to the artistic directors of the centre,

- Tell us about your plans. What exhibitions are currently taking place and what are planned?  I know you have a pretty busy schedule.

- Currently, an exhibition of my sculpture is being held in the centre of Yarat, in the autumn there will be an exhibition of my carpets in Uzbekistan. There are several projects that I am slowly working on and someday I will be able to share their fruits with art fans.

- Thank you for the conversation, I wish you creative success. I am sure that our readers enjoyed communicating with you as much as I did.

The best thing about an artist is his work. This interview will reveal only 1 per cent of his multifaceted personality, so nothing can replace a person's contemplation of the artist's work. Some of his artworks have been displayed on our photo slideshow below:

Caliber.Az