“Fancy on the surface, bullshit inside” Azerbaijani proverb
Baku, Azerbaijan is the largest city in the Caucasus region. Being a city founded upon oil, it went through several oil booms accompanied by massive growth and construction. City Hall’s will to reconstruct the post-Soviet city using its own understanding of aesthetics led to a forced demolition of “outdated” buildings, to the detriment of those wishing to preserve cultural heritage and ancestral homes.
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
In a short period, downtown Baku started to resemble a huge construction site temporary fenced by banners depicting Baku’s landmarks and utopian landscapes. Fetish of banners with low-quality photos became so widespread that it began to replace the real image of the city. The photo-book represents a view on current city policies within anthropological aspects of beauty. Banners with the future “perfect” city became an integral part of Baku. The curious viewer can only guess what is hidden behind this imposed beauty which causes temporary inconvenience. And as it is known nothing is more permanent than the temporary.
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
© Ilkin Huseynov, published by RITS
DETAILS
Edition of 500, offset print, 300 x 220, 64 colour page, Paper – Fedrigoni Munken, Cover – Canvas.
INFO
Rally In The Streets (RITS) is an independent photobook publishing house based in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mainly concentrating on subjects from post-Soviet region, Rally In The Streets channels a rebellious view on contemporary conflicts. The name was inspired by the Japanese political film “Throw Away Your Books, Rally In The Streets” (1971).