Dadash Mammadov: "Today we have a network of Arts Council united with the idea of art development and support"

The director of Arts Council Azerbaijan Dadash Mamedov unveiled his secret how to create a cultural platform from a scratch.

Unique platform for artists and art people

The Arts Council is a sort of an independent platform for artists and art people created in Baku in 2006. Years later similar platforms were developed in other countries as well, mostly in republics of the former USSR. Thus, today we have an extensive network of Arts Council united by the idea of art development and support.

How it happens

It is well known that any artist needs space to demonstrate his artworks, and often there are just no places where he can exhibit his paintings due to lack of resources. It is much more difficult for a foreign artist who wishes to showcase his vision of arts. The essence of our work is to provide comprehensive support. For example, Arts Council from Kiev asks us to help to Ukrainian artists wishing to come to Azerbaijan and showcase their works.

What we do

We make all the arrangements, i.e. provide artists with accommodation, gallery to exhibit their works, PR and information support to their oeuvre. As a result of our efforts Azerbaijani audience get acquainted with the works of Ukrainian artists, who in their turn inspired by Azerbaijani hospitality can reflect this in their future artworks. Analogical process happens when we sent our local artists to Ukraine or any other country where they benefit from support of that country's local Art Council office. As a consequence of such inter-cultural exchange artists opportunities to promote art of their countries abroad are expanded. Besides, our network of Arts Councils now already includes Baltic states – Latvia and Lithuania.

Digital technologies and social networks 

Today digital technologies and social networks play important role in attracting new audience to our platform. Mainly we are active in Facebook as it is very handy. We also closely cooperate with media and diplomatic missions. Due to often organisation of international exhibitions attendance of the diplomats of the country that artists represent is very important. Today we mainly aimed at further expansion of Arts Council network all over the world, searching for new connections with the representatives of cultural industries from other countries. And I hope that such kind of sessions would help us in achieving our goals.

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