We – The children of the fire of art, we declare our existence! We were born from the creative fire that burns within us, and we created the Atesh Hub. Now, we direct the light of this fire to you.
We have turned our faces to the sky. In the cosmos of art, we have risen following stars, each one a different page of the history of creativity. Into this boundless void, each of us has contributed with a breath, creating our own solar system. We ignite the fire of our own sun to guide us. Our sun, with its aesthetic-intellectual ideology, is conceptual thinking. Our goal is to apply this thinking to all forms of art, whether traditional or new, and to show what is always before us from an unprecedented perspective and in an unprecedented format. The structure of the “solar system” we created is far from the format of conventional art groups. It is innovative, composed of concentric, intertwined, multi-centered rings, based on the principle of free movement. Based on this principle, we are taking contemporary art in Azerbaijan to a new stage—not merely the next, but a completely new one.
We reject the slow-moving and conservative way of thinking around us that has always followed the trends of world art a few years behind. Instead of patching up outdated, decaying structures, we destroy them completely and rebuild based on the conditions of contemporary times. We also define the vision of the Zeitgeist in this geography. In doing so, one of our primary goals is to preserve the essence of our national identity while retaining the foundations that have developed and reached this point, purging them of excessive dogma. Because just as every individual is unique, we know that the core of the uniqueness of the individuals of the Atash Hub in this increasingly monochromatic and globalized world rests on their national identity. We embody this belief by taking inspiration from the Atashgah and expressing it in our name.
Atash Hub – we are curators, art managers, and artists. We gathered not to create together, but simply to create. Like planets with different natures, we travel around a single sun. We are drawn to each other’s gravity; we gain strength and momentum from one another. We change each other's trajectories. Sometimes we move forward together with those whose paths intersect with ours. We are those who purify their souls by burning them in the fire of a single sun and deliver speeches around the creative fire that ignites within us.
In our speeches, we remind of what is real and recall the truth. We elevate the idea in creativity. Materialistic beauty without a concept serves only instinctive pleasure. But one must remind humans of their humanity. The highest pleasure is that which is gained through the path of thought, and it is the pleasure of enlightenment. We exalt the aesthetics of thought in art. We, traveling through the infinite cosmos of art – the planets – search for the idea everywhere. Every object, every being that occupies our sight hides something unseen behind it. We are aware of this and never settle for only what is visible. The entire universe is meant to be read. Only then do we truly see. We break the boundaries of our own sensory organs. We observe sounds, listen to objects, freeze a moment in moving time, or observe the flow of time on a surface that seems to be frozen. We discover the macrocosm in the micro-scale. We see Plato’s world of ideas in Joseph Kosuth’schair, and we show what we see.
Do not be afraid to touch the fire of thought. Circle together around the sun. Contribute to the perpetual fire by questioning, protesting, and creating. “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates). So, first, doubt. But if you agree with us later, join our voice. For the goals of Atash Hub are clear:
To destroy the slow-moving, heavy art environment and the conservative way of thinking that seeks to forcefully sustain it.
To create a new, open-minded, dynamic platform that prioritizes ideas and concepts over isms while not completely rejecting visual aesthetics.
To encompass all art forms within its structure and create a fertile environment for dialogue between different creative disciplines.
To change the traditional concept of art groups and form a community of creative minds, sometimes emphasizing individuals, sometimes small groups with a frequently changing composition, and sometimes both.
Our “solar system” continues its journey in the art cosmos. It is alive. It changes and renews with the increase and decrease of the planets, moons, and cosmic objects that orbit it, as if it breathes. The point it will reach in its journey lies beyond the horizon of infinity. Its only source of inspiration is its own existence. Because it is us. We are born, we think, and we create. We are Atesh Hub.
Cavid Hasanli / 30.01.2026
Atesh Hub manifesto
