b. 1994, Baku, Azerbaijan
Leyla Guliyeva
Leyla is an Azerbaijani visual artist working across installation, painting, and stage design. She graduated from the Azerbaijan State Art Academy with a bachelor’s degree in 2015 and a master’s degree in 2021. Since 2018, she has been researching the “Visual Language of Carpets,” reinterpreting traditional patterns within a contemporary artistic framework.
Her work has been shown internationally in Lithuania, Germany, and Ireland, as well as in numerous exhibitions across Azerbaijan. She is a member of the Azerbaijan State Union of Artists and has received multiple awards, including the 1st Prize from the Union (2018) and the Luxmundi Gallery Prize dedicated to M. Mushviq (2024). In 2024, her kinetic installation Nature was exhibited at the National Qurama Festival in Baku. She has also participated in Erasmus+ artistic projects in Ireland and Germany.
Currently, Guliyeva works with Ritual Theatre, a local independent theatre dedicated to documentary performances. Within this framework, she has created several documentary installations, merging visual art and theatre to explore cultural memory, identity, and space. Her recent public-art installation “Architecture of İnvisibility” (2026) is currently being held at Yarat Contemporary Art Space.
Leyla is an Azerbaijani visual artist working across installation, painting, and stage design. She graduated from the Azerbaijan State Art Academy with a bachelor’s degree in 2015 and a master’s degree in 2021. Since 2018, she has been researching the “Visual Language of Carpets,” reinterpreting traditional patterns within a contemporary artistic framework.
Her work has been shown internationally in Lithuania, Germany, and Ireland, as well as in numerous exhibitions across Azerbaijan. She is a member of the Azerbaijan State Union of Artists and has received multiple awards, including the 1st Prize from the Union (2018) and the Luxmundi Gallery Prize dedicated to M. Mushviq (2024). In 2024, her kinetic installation Nature was exhibited at the National Qurama Festival in Baku. She has also participated in Erasmus+ artistic projects in Ireland and Germany.
Currently, Guliyeva works with Ritual Theatre, a local independent theatre dedicated to documentary performances. Within this framework, she has created several documentary installations, merging visual art and theatre to explore cultural memory, identity, and space. Her recent public-art installation “Architecture of İnvisibility” (2026) is currently being held at Yarat Contemporary Art Space.
Artist Statement
I am artist based in Baku, Azerbaijan. Although I hold a formal degree in painting, I have always had a deep curiosity and passion for research and learning. During my university years, in addition to my academic studies, I explored and practiced techniques such as mosaic, fresco, and sgraffito, creating several large-scale works in these mediums.
Over time, I became increasingly interested in the compositional structures within art. This interest has grown into a lifelong focus. As both an individual and an artist, I found a deep personal and conceptual connection to the structural principles of traditional folk arts — including modularity, repetition, symmetry, framing, and more. As I delved deeper into these systems, I began to recognize striking similarities between ornamental patterns and the crystalline structures of chemical elements, which led me to explore the field of crystallography.
Since 2018, I have been researching these connections and creating a body of work that reflects this dialogue between science and traditional design.
Today, my core question is:“How can the grammatical visual language of folk art be translated into contemporary art?”
This inquiry has led me to focus on installation art, which allows me to transform abstract or invisible structures into tangible, spatial experiences. I have developed strong experience in this field and have participated in various local exhibitions with installation works.
In 2024, I presented a kinetic installation titled “Nature” at the 3rd International Quilt Festival in Baku. The piece featured a balanced, continuous movement of sun and bird figures, and was met with great interest by viewers.
Transdisciplinary Artist / Independent Cultural Worker
Nationality: Azerbaijani
2019 - 2021 Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Baku, Azerbaijan
2013 - 2014 Mevlana Exchange Programme in Fine Arts, Ankara, Turkey
2011 - 2015 Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Baku, Azerbaijan
Membership of Azerbaijan State Union of Artists
Independent researcher of the Visual Language of Carpets
2026 Matrix, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2025 We Will Keep You Alive, Open Space, Tbilisi, Georgia
2024 Prize Winner of Competition dedicated to M.Mushviq, Luxmundi Gallery, Baku, Azerbaijan
2024 “Qurama Art Eco-Installation” within the 3rd National Qurama Festival, Baku, Azerbaijan 2017 Monumentality, ARTIM, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2017 Who Cares?, ARTIM, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2016 FUTURISMO-ORA, Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan 2015-West of the East, Vilnius, Lithuania
2024 - present Artist, Ritual Theatre, Baku, Azerbaijan
2015 - 2019 Art Director, ADO Theatre-Collective, Baku, Azerbaijan
2016 - 2017 Art Director, Khazar TV, Baku, Azerbaijan
2026 CASCADE Project Residency (1 week), Baku, Azerbaijan
2024 Fiorscealta Residency Program, Erasmus+ (2 weeks), Maynooth, Irland
2018 Transcultural Art Lab Residency Program (2 weeks), Jubi-Juist, Germany
2015 Studio Programme with German Artist Inge H.Schmidt (1week) Baku,Azerbaijan
2017 - 2018 ARTIMLAB studio program, Yarat Contempory Art Space (12months), Baku, Azerbaijan
2017 ARTIMLAB studio grant, Yarat Contemporary Art Space
2017 ARTIM project grant, Yarat Contemporary Art Space
Nationality: Azerbaijani
Education
2019 - 2021 Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Baku, Azerbaijan
2013 - 2014 Mevlana Exchange Programme in Fine Arts, Ankara, Turkey
2011 - 2015 Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Baku, Azerbaijan
Membership of Azerbaijan State Union of Artists
Independent researcher of the Visual Language of Carpets
Selected Projects / Exhibitions
2026 Matrix, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2025 We Will Keep You Alive, Open Space, Tbilisi, Georgia
2024 Prize Winner of Competition dedicated to M.Mushviq, Luxmundi Gallery, Baku, Azerbaijan
2024 “Qurama Art Eco-Installation” within the 3rd National Qurama Festival, Baku, Azerbaijan 2017 Monumentality, ARTIM, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2017 Who Cares?, ARTIM, Yarat Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2016 FUTURISMO-ORA, Flame Towers, Baku, Azerbaijan 2015-West of the East, Vilnius, Lithuania
Experience
2024 - present Artist, Ritual Theatre, Baku, Azerbaijan
2015 - 2019 Art Director, ADO Theatre-Collective, Baku, Azerbaijan
2016 - 2017 Art Director, Khazar TV, Baku, Azerbaijan
Residencies / Studio Programs
2026 CASCADE Project Residency (1 week), Baku, Azerbaijan
2024 Fiorscealta Residency Program, Erasmus+ (2 weeks), Maynooth, Irland
2018 Transcultural Art Lab Residency Program (2 weeks), Jubi-Juist, Germany
2015 Studio Programme with German Artist Inge H.Schmidt (1week) Baku,Azerbaijan
2017 - 2018 ARTIMLAB studio program, Yarat Contempory Art Space (12months), Baku, Azerbaijan
Awards / Grants
2017 ARTIMLAB studio grant, Yarat Contemporary Art Space
2017 ARTIM project grant, Yarat Contemporary Art Space
Contacts
G. Ramazanov 25, AZ1053
Baku, Azerbaijan,
Phone: +994 55 878 00 38
Email: guliyevaleyla3@gmail.com
Baku, Azerbaijan,
Phone: +994 55 878 00 38
Email: guliyevaleyla3@gmail.com
