Agil Abdullayev’s 'Park Paintings' (2025) form part of a series exploring queer identity, intimacy and the relationship between private life and public space in Azerbaijan. The works return to Samad Vurgun Park in Baku, a familiar place from Abdullayev’s childhood that takes on a different significance in adulthood as a discreet meeting place for queer individuals seeking intimacy in a society where queer identities remain largely hidden from public view.

Rather than depicting these encounters directly, Abdullayev leaves figures and details deliberately indistinct, allowing the landscape itself to become a witness to private experiences. Broad areas of colour and fluid, dreamlike forms transform the familiar park into an ambiguous psychological space, where memories of childhood coexist with desire, vulnerability and quiet resistance.

The paintings relate closely to the series of three moving image works Agil has completed in the last two years. The films are an intricate tapestry of queer cruising culture across Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, inspired by the artist's ongoing research that he began in 2019.