BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 9. On March 8, the opening ceremony of the 2026 edition of the Her Art in Action festival was held at Gazelli Art House, Trend reports.
On the first day of the festival, a group exhibition titled “A House Opening onto the Landscape” opened as part of a joint collaboration between the VarYox art and culture platform and the Gazelli Art House Baku gallery.
Paintings by Leyla Aliyeva are also featured in the exhibition.
Leyla Aliyeva attended the exhibition and viewed the displayed works.
She was informed about the festival and told that “Her Art in Action” is an annual program founded and implemented by the VarYox art and culture platform. The initiative aims to promote gender equality in the arts, increase cultural inclusivity, and strengthen Azerbaijan’s international cultural presence. This year’s festival, spanning from March to May, will take place over three months at various venues across Baku.
It was noted that for the third consecutive year, “Her Art in Action” stands out as a rare festival in the region dedicated to women’s creativity and intercultural exchange. The project brings together women from Azerbaijan and several regional countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Georgia, Egypt, as well as the Balkans, Spain, and Lithuania.
The theme “A House Opening onto the Landscape” presents the home not as a fixed place but as a changing condition shaped by women’s experiences. Moving beyond everyday domestic boundaries, the theme explores how women create, define, resist, and reclaim space amid the tensions between public and private life, visibility and solitude, belonging, and resistance.
During the event, the birthday of a martyr’s mother was celebrated, and Leyla Aliyeva presented her with a gift.
Exhibition participants also presented their artworks to Leyla Aliyeva.
At the end of the visit, Leyla Aliyeva viewed the memorial corner dedicated to Zarifa Hamzayeva, founder and president of the Gazelli Group.
The curator of this year’s festival edition, multimedia artist Sitara Ibrahimbayli, noted during the opening that works by 27 local and international artists are on display.
“For the third year, we are opening the festival on March 8. There will be three openings in total. In April, a joint exhibition will be organized featuring works created in dialogue between students of Integration Training Boarding School No. 11 in Bilgah and renowned contemporary artists. The third project will take place in Icherisheher and will be an open-air photography night. Overall, works by more than 50 artists will be exhibited over the three months,” she said.
Independent artist Kafiya Eyvazova is participating in this year’s festival with her work “View from the Window.”
“This is my third year participating in the festival, and for the first time I am presenting a work in carpet technique. The piece is woven using pile carpet technique and invites people to question family structures. Here, male motifs appear to protect female motifs, yet they restrict them. Gradually, the woman’s facial features disappear. Because restriction pushes a person’s identity into the background and makes them invisible. The work recommends that our society value women, listen to them, and not limit their freedom,” the artist said.
The festival will conclude on May 31.
