Azerbaijan (Republic of) 2019

Title: “Virtual Reality”
Curators: Giovanni Mercurio, Emin Mammadov
Commissioner: Mammad Ahmadzada, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Executor: Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Baku, Azerbaijan
Artists: Zeigam Azizov, Orkhan Mammadov, Zarnishan Yusifova, Kanan Aliyev, Ulviyya Aliyeva
Coordinators: Narmina Khalilova, Farhad Boyukzada, Paolo De Grandis, Carlotta Scarpa, PDG Arte Communications

This exhibition presents interactive multimedia works, installations, and sculptures by contemporary Azerbaijani artists drawing on the phenomenon of fake news, one of the greatest threats to democracy, free debate, and progress.
The show explores the challenges and implications of living in a “post-truth” era and social media’s double-edged sword. Each day, we are susceptible to a mind-boggling tsunami of news. Individuals check their telephones around 150 times each day around the world, and over 2 billion individuals use social networks. We all need to escape the confines of confirmation bias and shine a light on our unconscious leanings. We should embrace the views of others and acknowledge the other side in our communications. We should stimulate and participate in debate and remember that social media platforms only give us more of the same. It is up to us as individuals to change that pattern. In a time of international instability, where the world is facing more significant change than ever before, this exhibition could not be more affecting. “Virtual Reality” addresses an issue that is at the heart of today’s politics and questions our everyday reality.