343 - Narmina Khalilova, Azerbaijani (B. 1972- )

Narmina Khalilova, Azerbaijani (B. 1972- ) What Lies Beneath, 2022 Pigment liners on paper 21 x 29.7 cm Narmina Khalilova is a contemporary Azerbaijani graphic artist and curator whose multidisciplinary practice bridges artistic creation, curatorial research, and international cultural exchange. Working primarily in graphic art, she has developed a distinctive monochromatic visual language centred on abstraction, transformation, and the organic structures found in both nature and human experience. She graduated with honours from the Azerbaijan University of State Languages, where she studied English and German, later combining her artistic practice with extensive work in exhibition development, international art projects, and museum collaboration. Khalilova has exhibited internationally through projects including the MAMA "Mother Nature" International Touring Exhibition, presented at the Heydar Aliyev Centre (Baku), Bahrain Art Centre, MAXXI Corner (Rome), London Design Biennale, and the Museum of Modern Art (Tbilisi). Her work has also been shown at the Sofia Art Fair and in exhibitions at Gazelli Art House and Mincenet Gallery in Baku. Her artworks are held in private collections in Azerbaijan and internationally, including France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Alongside her artistic career, Khalilova has coordinated numerous international exhibitions, Biennale projects, and cultural initiatives while serving as curator, art manager, and international projects coordinator for QGallery and, since 2024, as an expert in the International Relations Department of the Azerbaijan State Museum of Art. Her artistic practice explores identity, memory, and transformation through a refined monochromatic visual language. Working exclusively in black and white, she creates delicate biomorphic forms that evoke cels, seeds, vessels, and organic networks suspended between abstraction and figuration. By eliminating colour, she emphasizes the precision of line, the dialogue between positive and negative space, and the meditative quality of form. Her intricate compositions reflect the continuous cycles of growth, decay, and renewal found in both nature and human experience. Balancing fragility with resilience, Khalilova's drawings transcend literal representation, inviting viewers to contemplate the unseen processes that shape both the natural world and the inner landscape of human existence. Import Duty Charged on the Hammer Price