Azerbaijan exists twice: on the one hand there is the Republic Azerbaijan (a former republic of the Soviet Union which gained independence in 1991) and on the other hand there is the region in the Northwest of Iran. They are bordering to each other from the landside but also sharing the Caspian Sea. As well in the Republic as in the region in Iran Azeri is spoken and the same culture is connecting the people.
 
Bairam Salamov was born in Sheki/ Azerbaijan, but lives & works a long time now in Togliatti/ Russia. The artwork of Salamov is based on emotions, feelings and impressions; interwoven masterfully with the East & West. They are allusions to legends, symbolic images and national motives melted together, ancient and modern goes hand in hand. Everyday life plays also an important role. Salamov touches upon many topics and expresses many mood nuances.
It is not just creative philosophy embodied in his art works – it’s also the artist’s life philosophy!
 
Samin Omidyazdani was born in Tabriz/ Iran, where she still lives & works. Extracts of two series can be seen: “Illustrations of Sohrab Sepehri’s poems”, which is related to the poems of the contemporary Iranian poet Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980). Green and blue are the dominant colours in order to be closer to the spirit of the poetry, which is mostly about nature and showing the simplicity and serenity of life. The other series is called “My life”, which illustrates the mood of the artist’s spirit by using sharp colours and forms. Samin illustrated her daily life and moments of experiences. In the centre of her artwork is her mum “Maryam” and her sister “Nassim”.