"Between Heaven and Earth" exhibition opens at Heydar Aliyev Center PHOTO

The Azerbaijan-Latvia exhibition "Between Heaven and Earth" has been opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

The event was attended by President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits, who is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Anar Alakbarov, Chargé d'affaires a.i. of Latvia in the country Vija Buša, and other official guests, Trend reports.

The exhibition, organized jointly with the Latvian Embassy in Azerbaijan, covers the poetry of the brilliant poet Movlana Jalaladdin Rumi. The ideas of Rumi, who lived and worked in the 13th century, were dedicated to achieving spiritual uplift and perfection. The exhibition features works by Ieva Krūmiņa from Latvia and the world-famous photographer Reza Deghati.

While delivering a speech during the event, Buša noted that today's exhibition is of paramount importance for her country. She noted that this is the result of the joint efforts of both countries, and the exhibition demonstrates the similarities between the two nations.

The Latvian chargé d'affaires a.i. underscored that the Latvian Embassy in Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to art projects. In the meantime, the embassy contributes to the cultural ties between Latvia and Azerbaijan, the dialogue in this direction. Thus, thanks to such events, the fine arts of Latvia are promoted in Azerbaijan. With the opening of this exhibition, another step will be taken in the field of cultural cooperation.

President Levits emphasized that the exhibition's title was chosen correctly and aimed at bringing together different peoples and cultures. He said that today no one wants to live in a monotonous, global cultural context. The unique culture of each people must be preserved. National cultures are based on traditions, but these traditions need to be developed. National cultures should be open to ideas put forward by other cultures. Calling this exhibition a vivid example of bridges between our countries, the leader thanked the Heydar Aliyev Center for organizing the event. He noted that the building of the Heydar Aliyev Center is one of the most beautiful examples of modern architecture. The Latvian president stressed that by holding such joint cultural events, the two countries become even closer to each other.

The author Krūmiņa, whose works are presented at the exhibition, expressed her satisfaction with participation in the event. Talking about her works, she pointed out 43 illustrations in oriental style, keeping the traditions of miniature at the highest possible level.

"The thoughts of both peoples have a lot in common. Art brings us closer. This means that the ideas that we share can be perceived by each other," she stressed.

The famous artist Ieva Krūmiņa is a member of the Latvian Academy of Arts and the Association of Latvian Textile Artists. While doing her work, she relies on a quote from the famous Latvian poet and writer Imants Ziedonis "Don't live without love, the world is nothing without love!", trying to study similar, common features between peoples, and when looking at her works, one can find a part of himself or herself in these works of art. Her creations convey a message to people to "repair" our world with "threads of love".

The world-renowned photojournalist Reza Deghati along with wars, and military conflicts, also covers the beauties of humanity. His work has been published in National Geographic, Time, Stern, Newsweek, and Paris Match magazines. He is the author of 30 books and the recipient of numerous awards. Deghati's work, in which Rumi's ideas revolve around a mystical dance conveying the theme of the circulation of energy between earth and sky, was featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1994. He is the owner of the French Order of Merit and the 'Dostlug' (Friendship) Order of Azerbaijan.

The exhibition will last until April 3 at the Heydar Aliyev Center.