Qafar Rzayev

I am an activist, designer and visual artist from Azerbaijan. I am engaged in performance art, street art, conceptual art and socially engaged art. I started with street art and graffiti in my hometown as a protest for free expression of opinion and art. After two years of undergraduate studies at university, I quitted the school to devote my time and energy to art. With my relocation to the capital city Baku, I connected to the artistic community. Through meetings and workshops with other artists, I started to focus on important issues such as civil society, gender equality, and social responsibility. After a while a started to focus on these topics, mentioned above, in an international environment, taking part in residencies, art festivals and workshops abroad.
I use my art to create a positive impact in my community and challenge traditional ways of thinking. My work is inspired by my country's history and culture, focusing on the narratives of the places, people and things around me. Recently, I have been exploring the memories and traumas of the First and Second Karabakh war. My inspiration might be anything: my bed, my room, a park, a forest or the whole city. That’s for example how my ongoing project ”The Story of Boy with ...

2022-Hirvitalo - Pispalan Nykytaiteen Keskus, Tampere, Finland
2021-International Art Camp X&Beyond, Leipzig, Germany
2021-30th Jewish Cultural Festival, Krakow, Poland
2020-7th International Public Art Festival Art Prospect Treasure Hunt, online-offline format2020-I Might Be Staring at Infinity (or the backs of my own eyelids), Yarat Contemporary Art Space, online
2020-Calling Across the Distance, Emergent Art Space, online show
2019-Café Avarice & Generosity,Galerie DIX9 Paris France
2019-Art Prospect Intensive Program, Odesa, Ukraine
2019-Untitled, Simia Espacio, Vigo, Spain (solo show)
2018-Acceptance, Cultural Center of Nea Ionia, Volos, Greece (solo show)
2017-Far Horizons, ARTIM project space, Baku Azerbaijan
2017-Urban Olum Public Art Festival, Baku, Azerbaijan
2017-Graduation, ARTIM project space, Baku Azerbaijan
2017-Monumental, ARTIM project space, Baku Azerbaijan