Flowing Memory
The exhibition Flowing Memory explores the multilayered semantic dimensions of Azerbaijani bathhouse culture through the interconnected notions of water, memory, and purity. Here, the bathhouse is presented not merely as an architectural form or a physical site, but as a vessel of social relations, personal recollections, and cultural continuity. In this context, bathhouse culture becomes a site for both collective and individual readings of memory, where spatial experience transforms into a symbolic reflection of one’s relationship with history.
'Fly to Baku' Art Weekend
Location: Underground Bathhouse, Icherisheher, Baku, AZ
Date: 25.09 - 25.10.2025
Curator: Mansura Mammadaliyeva
Art Manager: Agnessa Tariverdiyeva
Presented Artists:
Sabina Shikhlinskaya
Nargiz Asgerova
Aliya Bayramova
Nargiz Asgerova
Aliya Bayramova
Timur Zaripov
Here, the hamam is not merely an architectural structure but a living vessel of collective memory - a social and cultural space where relationships are formed, traditions are preserved, and symbolic codes are encoded.
Water in this exhibition is more than a physical element. It embodies the origin of life, the continuity of culture, and the metaphor of purification and renewal. Within the hamam, water transcends its cleansing function to become a carrier of cultural identity and collective remembrance.
Memory positions the hamam as a guardian of intergenerational traditions and rituals. It transforms intangible heritage into a tangible form, becoming a site where dialogue with time itself becomes possible.
Purity is understood not only as physical cleanliness but also as a state of spiritual and emotional purification. In the culture of the hamam, purity harmonizes body and soul, restoring the integrity of cultural identity.
The Flowing Memory exhibition uncovers the deeper layers of Azerbaijani culture while also drawing attention to the fragile status of water within today’s ecological crisis. It builds a bridge between the historical and cultural significance of water and the urgent environmental realities of our time - inviting the viewer to reflect on both cultural memory and global responsibility.
Ultimately, the exhibition reimagines the hamam as a space where historical memory is preserved, cultural codes are decoded, and meaning is passed on to future generations. It stands as both a restoration of dialogue with the past and a call to share ecological and cultural responsibility for the future.
Water in this exhibition is more than a physical element. It embodies the origin of life, the continuity of culture, and the metaphor of purification and renewal. Within the hamam, water transcends its cleansing function to become a carrier of cultural identity and collective remembrance.
Memory positions the hamam as a guardian of intergenerational traditions and rituals. It transforms intangible heritage into a tangible form, becoming a site where dialogue with time itself becomes possible.
Purity is understood not only as physical cleanliness but also as a state of spiritual and emotional purification. In the culture of the hamam, purity harmonizes body and soul, restoring the integrity of cultural identity.
The Flowing Memory exhibition uncovers the deeper layers of Azerbaijani culture while also drawing attention to the fragile status of water within today’s ecological crisis. It builds a bridge between the historical and cultural significance of water and the urgent environmental realities of our time - inviting the viewer to reflect on both cultural memory and global responsibility.
Ultimately, the exhibition reimagines the hamam as a space where historical memory is preserved, cultural codes are decoded, and meaning is passed on to future generations. It stands as both a restoration of dialogue with the past and a call to share ecological and cultural responsibility for the future.
- Exposition
Artists and presented works:
Curated by Mansura Mammadaliyeva, the project brings together Honored Artist Sabina Shikhlinskaya, Nargiz Asgarova Ramizgizi, Aliya Bayramova, and Timur Zaripov, transforming the bathhouse into a fluid field of memory that flows between past and present. Through artistic expression, the exhibition reinterprets the layering of time, the materiality of remembrance, and the symbolic transformation of space.
Presented by Atesh Hub and developed under the art management of Agnessa Tariverdiyeva, Flowing Memory integrates the notions of cultural preservation, ecological awareness, and social responsibility into the core of contemporary art discourse. The project approaches these themes not only through artistic representation but also through the interrelation of space, memory, and human experience.
In this sense, Flowing Memory functions as both a research-based curatorial gesture and a poetic reflection on the contemporary human relationship with memory and place. As a creative platform that unites emerging artists and fosters dialogue through exhibitions and interdisciplinary collaborations, Atesh Hub contributes through this initiative to the contemporary reinterpretation of collective memory and the poetics of space.
Presented by Atesh Hub and developed under the art management of Agnessa Tariverdiyeva, Flowing Memory integrates the notions of cultural preservation, ecological awareness, and social responsibility into the core of contemporary art discourse. The project approaches these themes not only through artistic representation but also through the interrelation of space, memory, and human experience.
In this sense, Flowing Memory functions as both a research-based curatorial gesture and a poetic reflection on the contemporary human relationship with memory and place. As a creative platform that unites emerging artists and fosters dialogue through exhibitions and interdisciplinary collaborations, Atesh Hub contributes through this initiative to the contemporary reinterpretation of collective memory and the poetics of space.
- Videos
- Photoreportage
- Publications
AZƏRTAC
On October 30, as part of the “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW” project, the “Stream of Memory” exhibition, featuring works by several artists, was presented.
ICMA
Art Weekend in Baku will present a unique exhibition called "Flowing Memory" in the bathhouse dating back to the 16th century. VIDEO.
MILLI.AZ
On October 30, as part of the “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW” project, the “Stream of Memory” exhibition, featuring works by several artists, was presented.
MODERN.AZ
Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union, shared a post from the "Axar Yadash" exhibition on her official Instagram account.
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