The End is a striking, melancholic painting which recounts “Biləsən, Şair”, an
infamous meykhana which took place in 2017. A meykhana 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 meykhana 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.