Maiden Tower Art Festival comes to end in Baku

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

The Sixth International “Maiden Tower” Art Festival came to an end in Gala Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum Complex on June 15.

The opening ceremony of the fourth international “From Waste to Art” exhibition was held in the Gala Museum Complex on the same day.

Leyla Aliyeva, the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Founder and Head of IDEA Public Association, attended the events.

Aliyeva viewed the interesting art pieces at the Maiden Tower festival, created by some 27 famous artists from 17 countries, who worked in the open air before the eyes of art lovers and passers-by.

The traditional Maiden Tower festival kicked off on June 11 in front of the Maiden Tower, an ancient part of Baku's Old City.

The festival had a primary objective to promote the Maiden Tower, one of the most ancient and mysterious monuments in Azerbaijan, included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2000, through artists from around the world.

Artists decorated stylized models Maiden Tower, now a symbol for Baku, creating pieces that reflect the synthesis of different cultures and customs.

The conceptual boundaries of the artists who contribute to the festival are constantly expanding.

This year the artists also painted on models of pomegranates and gazelles, which are the official mascots of inaugural the European Games, currently underway in Baku.

The models of the gazelle, an endangered species, were painted by participants last year, each in a unique and stylized manner.

The Maiden Tower and Gazelle will first be exhibited in Baku’s Old City for its residents and guests and will then be toured throughout different countries, representing, Azerbaijan, its history and culture, as well as focusing public attention to the protection of wildlife.

Following the festival, Aliyeva attended the fourth International exhibition “From Waste to art”.

The exhibition, which has been running since 2010 in the Gala Museum, featured the unique works of 23 talented artists from 17 countries.

Artists, giving a second life to paper scraps, automobile parts, glass, and metal pieces, once again demonstrated that it is possible to create masterpieces from "a heap of unnecessary things."

The purpose of the exhibition is to promote a responsible approach to handling waste.

Initiated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the exhibition is held as part of a pilot project entitled "Clean Gala", which is implemented by "Clean City". The project holds a variety of educational activities throughout Azerbaijan aimed at teaching the population proper ways to sort waste.

Villagers throw waste in either of two green or blue colored boxes, depending on whether it is "organic" or "inorganic" waste. Clean city then processes the waste in its waste-to-energy plant, which is then used for energy.