Synchrony: Fidan Abilova, Jala Aziz, Leyla Guliyeva, Sabina Jafar, Maryam Yusifaliyeva
Gazelli Art House Baku is pleased to invite you to a group exhibition Synchrony, grounded in ecofeminist theory.
The exhibition examines the harmony between the female body and nature through the expressive potential of contemporary art, interpreting ecological concerns through diverse visual approaches and offering a new lens on the “body – ecosystem” relationship central to ecofeminist thought. The exhibition brings together the rhythms of nature and the inner dynamics of the body, revealing how they intermingle within the artistic plane.
The conceptual foundation of the exhibition draws on Stacy Alaimo’s theory of transcorporeality, which describes the reciprocal entanglement of body and ecosystem. In this framework, the body is not a fixed entity; it is a permeable process engaged in continuous material exchange with atmosphere, water, and soil. The female body carries the rhythmic imprints of this exchange: phases such as menstruation, birth, and transformation form an organic dialogue with lunar cycles and seasonal shifts. Ecological crisis manifests precisely within these natural rhythms - subtle yet palpable physical and emotional fluctuations. Thus, the female body emerges as a living archive of ecological memory and collective healing, containing both nature’s wisdom and its wounds.
Fidan Abilova presents the female body as both a biological and planetary nurturing principle. Her photographs depict a dialogue between woman and nature, where monochrome figures merging with soil and water evoke a poetic language of birth, loss, and remembrance.
Jala Aziz visualizes the body’s synchronization with nature through textile-based rhythms and spiral layering. The circular modules in each work symbolize intersections between menstrual cycles, lunar phases, and seasonal changes, creating a poetic dialogue between parallel natural and bodily rhythms.
Sabina Jafar interrogates anthropocentric hierarchies through her photographic series. By portraying endangered animals as if placed “on trial,” she evokes humanity’s accountability toward the natural world and offers a poetic critique of disrupted ecological balance.
Leyla Guliyeva, through video art, explores the multilayered structure of female identity and the unreconciled strata of the self. Each minimalist visual language reveals inner transformation, acceptance of the shadow, and the pursuit of psychological wholeness.
Maryam Yusifaliyeva examines the fractured harmony between body and nature disrupted by contemporary techno-culture through her oil painting series. Fragmented and pixelated body imagery conveys the loss of organic unity while elevating the harmony of body - nature integration to a poetic climax.
Bringing together works by Fidan Abilova, Jala Aziz, Maryam Yusifaliyeva, Sabina Jafar, and Leyla Guliyeva, the exhibition offers diverse visual and conceptual perspectives on the body - nature continuum. Here, the body is presented not merely as a biological structure, but as a living, open material that carries ecological memory.
The exhibition idea is presented by Atesh Hub, founded and led by Sabina Shikhlinskaya. Atesh Hub is a multidisciplinary art platform that supports contemporary art practices through exhibitions, experimental projects, and research-oriented initiatives. The curator of the exhibition is Mansura Mammadaliyeva, and the organizational coordination has been carried out by Agnessa Tariverdiyeva.
