"Women are inherently strong"

- Hello, Ms. Aydan.

- Hello.

- Thank you for agreeing to this interview. I hope it will be a very interesting conversation.

- Thank you as well.

- I’d like to start with this question. If you remember, I shared a video about you on Allegoriya, where I mentioned that Aydan Nabizade depicts herself in her paintings. This is one of the most intriguing aspects of your work for me. Now, if we were to replace these visual depictions with words, how would Aydan Nabizade describe herself?

- I am Aydan Nabizade. I graduated from the Azim Azimzade College and later from the Academy of Fine Arts, where I studied painting for 8 years. I’ve been drawing since I was five. As a child, I couldn’t imagine anything else — I was born to paint. I used to paint everywhere as a kid, so this wasn’t a profession I chose later in life; it’s something I was born with. If I had to describe myself in three words, they would be: independent, ambitious, and hardworking.

- That’s wonderful. It’s truly inspiring to see hardworking artists like you. Now, moving on to the next question which is very special to me. In your paintings, I see the strength of women, and this is one of the reasons I admire your work. However, I don’t see this strength in the traditional way we’re used to; I see it in a form unique to women. Strength has always been a relevant concept throughout history, but for a woman in the art world, what does strength mean?

- To me, women are inherently strong because they have the power to bring life into this world. Women can endure things that perhaps men cannot. Men have their own strengths, of course, but women are different—they are unique. That’s just how we’re created.

- So, for you, a woman’s strength is more sacred?

- Yes, it’s more sacred. In the past, there were not many female artists in art and culture because they weren’t allowed to participate. But now, women can showcase their strength and abilities in every field. A woman can achieve anything.

- Thank you for your answer. The sacredness of a woman’s strength is clearly reflected in your art as well. Let’s move on to the next question. Nietzsche once said, “Art is the only thing that allows a person to see their potential, to create beauty out of chaos.” In other words, chaos is the foundation of order. In your works, I see chaos, but it’s a chaos that carries a sense of order and discipline. What do you thing? Is art chaos or order?

- That’s an excellent question. In compositions, every piece of art must have structure. If there’s complete chaos, it won’t be appealing. Chaos should exist in certain areas, but there also needs to be movement. The surrounding areas should be orderly so the chaos you depict can stand out. In this way, the viewer’s attention is drawn to what you want to convey. I speak through my paintings. You can see this because not every part of the painting is chaotic. You understand what I’m trying to show. But words — that’s where the real chaos is.

- So, your works have a central theme and direction. If there’s chaos in the painting, there’s also order.

- Exactly, because there’s balance. Just as life requires balance, so does art.

- Understood. Bernard Shaw also had an interesting thought. He said, “Without art, the harshness of reality would make the world unbearable.” He described art as an escape from reality, and we observe this in many creative individuals. So is painting an escape for you? Or not at all?

- For me, it’s not an escape because it’s my life. I live and breathe through my art. This is where I am every single day. But for the audience, it can be an escape. People go to operas, exhibitions, and other art venues because they want to escape their problems. I think Shaw described it very well.

- The Allegoriya platform’s color is red, which is significant to me because red inspires and motivates me. What is your inspiration and motivation? And is there a specific painting you could look at for hours and never tire of?

- My favorite artist and mentor is Rashad Mehdiyev. Together, we developed a new painting technique. It’s something that didn’t exist before, not in the past or now. We created this innovation here in Azerbaijan. We work with watercolor on canvas, and I could look at his paintings for hours because there’s something new in them. I love all his works, but my favorite is “The Tree”.

- That’s fascinating. I’d love to see this technique.

- I use this technique in all my paintings. Rashad Mehdiyev and I developed it together, then i incorporated oil paints into it.

- I wish you will gain success in your future endeavors as well. We’ve reached the end of our interview. Thank you for taking the time.

-Thank you for coming.