International art Exhibition "I Might Be Staring at Infinity (or the backs of my own eyelids)&q

YARAT Contemporary Art Space is pleased to announce the group exhibition "I Might Be Staring at Infinity (or the backs of my own eyelids)" at Virtual ARTIM Project Space with works by Leyli Ahmadova, Murad Akbarli, Aghababa Baghirov, Natig Asgar, Kateryna Bortsova, You Open a Box (Art Collective), Joshua Dyson, Lukasz Horbow, Laura Ige, Nathan M. Collis, Martina Morger, Rehan Miskci, Forough Noei, Florian Nitsch, Jay Rechsteiner, Gafar Rzayev, Nadya Sayapina, Julia Smirnova, Aline Schwibbe, Pudji Utomo, Nina Traub &Lukas Zerbst. Preview date: May 22, 7 pm 8 pm – Virtual After-Show Party with a DJ set by AYAZ Location: Virtual ARTIM Project Space Please subscribe for the Preview date (as access is limited), sending an email to registration@yarat.az until 21st of May, with headline "Preview Invitation to Virtual ARTIM Show" to receive further information on login process. Join us in the virtual ARTIM Project Space located on a spaceship that crosses the universe; it left earth as life on the planet became impossible. You are invited to see the historical group show "I Might Be Staring at Infinity (or the backs of my own eyelids)", which reflects on the coronavirus pandemic of 2019/2020 and features different reactions of Earth's inhabitants to the extraordinary situation, recalling one of the disasters that forced humanity to seek alternatives for living. Before entering the show, you will be able to create avatars as hybrids at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machines and humans. The title, as well as the conceptual layer of the show, loosely draws on the science fiction novel "Quarantine" (1992) by Greg Egan, set in the near future 2034-2080 when the solar system has been isolated in a bubble for unidentified reasons, causing widespread societal panic, 'claustrophobia' and terrorist action. To overcome the psychoses, advanced bio- and nanotechnology is used in which completely new possibilities such as neural mods are installed in the brain, producing a variety of effects such as particular skillsets, different emotions, and altered states of awareness but also illegal control systems. The novel aligns with theories of quantum mechanics about parallel events, the significant role of the expectations of the observer, as well as human brain wave power being able to collapse the whole system. The exhibition space reflects this metaphysical point of view; visitors are able to wander around the different emotional states, exploring varieties of possibilities that are happening in parallel among others, experience the desire to break free from controlling systems, and a final blurred state. The featured works by emerging artists show different possible and impossible conditions and positions among the backdrop of quarantine due to the global Covid-19 crisis. Among them, a depressed, rather dark mood of loneliness triggered by isolation that found a form of artistic expression in an increasingly flowing digital and physical creativity is displayed. Likewise, voices who see virtual space as a new opportunity for experience and adventure are represented, but they also critically reflect upon artificial self-representation and question exaggerated pathetic positions on social media. Works that document the beauty of everyday life form a further level of meaning. In a humorous or documentary way, they make the trivial things of everyday life something 'special' and stimulate reflection on the enjoyment and beauty of the little things. A section is also devoted to the drama of life, which furthermore questions stereotypical representations of gender. How do our mood swings express themselves? In emotional outbursts or maybe retreat? Another level shows how a sense of community and togetherness can be created and lived in during times of isolation when, for example, artists invent forms of creative cohesion while being locked in artist-in-residences. Peace and quietness is also a parallel state, once the bed sheet becomes a flag of peace and we may find the state of harmony through a white labyrinth. On one hand, the standstill imposed from the outside causes voices of dissatisfaction, desire and gestures of rebellion. On the other hand, everyday noises are transformed into a vibrating, dissolving space that suggests infinite dimensions. It is up to us to decide what or who generated these states: our brain, an emotional mode of artificial intelligence or a matrix that can only be understood from another dimension of perception? Exhibition dates: May 22 – August 22 www.yarat.az