Azerbaijani-American artist Vugar Guliyev to launch solo exhibition in Baku “Point of No Return”

A solo exhibition by Azerbaijani-American artist Vugar Guliyev, titled "Point of No Return," is set to open at the Nine Senses Art Centre in central Baku. 

The show, curated by Sofia Frank, will welcome visitors starting at 8:00 p.m. (GMT+4) on February 21, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Frank highlighted the turbulence of recent years, noting, "The world has been swept by waves of conflict - from Karabakh to Ukraine, Gaza to Kashmir, Kosovo to Taiwan. Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia - the geography of violence is rapidly expanding. The term ‘third world war' is increasingly heard, and war once again becomes a central factor shaping human destinies."

The exhibition's theme focuses on how war irrevocably transforms those who experience it: "Everyone reaches a point of no return - a moment after which one cannot go back to the past. This point may be a loss of home, a loved one, or faith in humanity. But it can also be a gain of new feelings, relationships, and realisations. War, as the ultimate human experience, exposes both the hellish and the divine. What we call humanity - pure, sacred, immeasurably valuable - emerges in critical moments."

Guliyev examines how perceptions of events change over time and how memories are reshaped by circumstances, ideologies, and personal experience. Each painting in the exhibition represents a visualised point of no return, resurrected in memory and reinterpreted, yet never forgotten. Using layered techniques, contrasting colours, and rhythmic points, Guliyev illustrates the passage of time etched onto memory. His works function as both chronicle and reflection, capturing the pain of loss while also revealing moments of light and the sacred within human experience.

An award-winning artist based in the United States, Guliyev was born in Azerbaijan in 1984 and began his artistic path early in life. In 1999, he joined the Azim Azimzada Art School and continued his education at the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts in 2003.

The exhibition at Nine Senses will remain open until March 21.

By Jeyhun Aghazada