ESSE QUAM VIDERI
to be, rather than to appear
Nigar Helmi, an artist and an inspiration behind ‘MIRAS’.
Nigar Helmi is an avid arts lover and is a graduate of an arts college (1992). She has been experimenting in various painting genres and has created amazing art works over her professional career. Her recent series of works have been dedicated to Karabakh theme. Some of her well known works such as “Govhar Aga Mosque”, Ruins of Bylbyl house”, “Ruins of Panali khan Palace” and “Varazgun Temple“ have attracted attention of several art fairs and exhibitions like “Art3f Monaco International Contemporary Art Fair” organised by Association des Artistes Contemporains de Turquie à Paris, and “ART EXPO NEW YORK”.
She pushes an idea further by deconstructing her view into simpler elements and destroying the obvious while simultaneously including authentic moments to convey more elaborate ideas. She is intrigued with contrasting interactions; simple vs. complex, classic vs. modern, clarity vs. ambiguity, order vs. chaos, depth vs. shallowness, negative space vs. positive space, etc. She uses texture to define form by sculpting oil paint with her palette knife.
All of these elements combined with her creativity and skill bring to life a painting that displays imperfect beauty in a very unique style. She finds the most freedom of expression through various subject matter but is most known for her Karabakh series , landscapes, and floral still lifes. However, not to place limits on herself, she at times enjoys experimentation with other subjects while working with several mediums and tools at times.
A graduate of the faculty of international journalism and philology of the Khazar University (1998), Nigar Helmi has realized her old dream of combining her artistry with her creative entrepreneurship resulting in establishing the original jewelry brand ‘Miras’.
Currently the artist is presented by Monat Gallery (Spain) & Artio Gallery (Canada).
"Miras" brand is an epitome of a convergence of traditional jewelry crafts with modern trends. It is a vivid demonstration of Azeri jewelry heritage on modern world arena, through traditional and cultural blends of various regions of Azerbaijan.
1975 - born in Baku, Azerbaijan
1992 - Graduated from the College of Culture and Arts
1998 - Bachelor, International Journalism and English Philology and Translation (Khazar University)
2007 - Law Degree (Baku State University)
2021 / June 29 - July 05 – "Heritage of the Motherland" Solo Exhibition, QGallery, Baku, Azerbaijan
2021 /August 27-29 - Salon International d'art Contemporain Art3f Monaco
2021 / October 22-24 - Carrousel du Louvre Paris
2022 / May 12-22 - "Heritage of Karabakh" Solo Exhibition, Atatürk Culture Center, Istanbul
2023 / March 14-19 – “Scent of a Woman” Solo Exhibition, MoMA, Baku, Azerbaijan
2023 / March 29 - April 2 - New York Art Expo
2023 / April 19-22 - HERITAGE OF KARABAKH (CSO Ada Ankara)
2023 / June 24 - July 3 - Contemporary Art Exhibition, Venice, Italy
2023 / November 24-26 - Brussels Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium
2024 / January 14-30 - "White Noise" Group Exhibition, Monat gallery, Madrid, Spain
2024 / April 17-22 – “Interconnecting Lines” by Artio Gallery International Group Exhibition, New York, USA
2024 / June 28-30 - "Beyond Borders" by Artio Gallery - Barcelona, Spain
2024 / September 26-29 – Women in Art Biennale, by Artio Gallery, London, UK
2024 / November 14 – MAMA ‘Mother Nature’ International Art Project within COP29, Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
2024 / November 22 – “Garabagh’ Heritage” Solo Exhibition, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
