Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum held the exhibition Kelaghai: Silk Wings. Opening the event, Dr. Shirin Melikova, Museum Director, Honored Art Worker spoke about the great attention and care provided by the state for the protection of our national values. She noted that the inclusion of Azerbaijan Art and Symbolism of Azerbaijani Kelaghai, Its Production and Wearing within the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is the result of the efforts of Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice President of Azerbaijan. Dr. Melikova emphasized that the exhibition is timed to the 5th anniversary of this important historical event. “The exhibition displays more than thirty samples of kelaghai (shawl) from the private collection of Inna Kostina, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, as well as her thirty author panels made on silk in batik technique. A synthesis of the traditional, that is, classical, and the author, that is, contemporary approach to the silk drawing art is the exhibition’s core concept, ” director said. She also mentioned that Inna Kostina’s author panels, created especially for this exhibition, adjoin kelaghais of Sheki and Basgal made in ancient technologies by different authors. “There’s also Inna Kostina’s violet author kelaghai with golden ornaments. This kelaghai was created in 2003 at the Basgal Creative Forum in the Kelaghai Sericulture Center, founded by Rena Ibrahimbekova and Jalil Tarverdiev. There, Inna Kostina together with other local silk artists – T. Aghababaeva, I. Zeynalova, and F. Mammadova – created kelaghais from their own sketches based on ancient technologies,” Dr. Melikova added.

Galib Gasimov, Chief of Fine Arts and Decorative Sector of the Ministry of Culture; Professor Mammadhuseyn Huseynov, Honored Art Worker; Jalil Tarverdiyev, Member of the Union of Artists of Azerbaijan made speeches about the artist’s creativity and the importance of this exhibition at the opening ceremony. Inna Kostina, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan expressed her appreciation to the organizers and guests.

The exhibition will run until December 5.