Be Like Water
Nargiz Ramiz qızı
Nano video art
60 seconds
2025
This work approaches the call to “be like water” not as a moral lesson inherited from the past, but as an ethical stance addressed to the present. Water does not fear change, yet it does not lose itself. It advances not through force, but through attunement; its strength lies not in sudden impact, but in continuity.
“Su kimi ol...
Amma bu dünya səni bulandırmasın.
Ax, təmizlən,
və yolunu öz sükutunda cız.”
Sufilər deyirlər: “Su kimi ol.”
The visual language, constructed at a nano scale, carries water beyond its physical properties, transforming it into a medium of birth, memory, and transformation. By revealing invisible structures, the work invites the viewer to conceive birth not as a singular event, but as an ongoing process of becoming. This shift in scale brings the flow of water into resonance with the human inner rhythm, generating a quiet yet resilient awareness.
Here, birth is not a moment that occurs once, but the capacity to remain conscious within change—to beginagain, each time, without dissolution.
Nano video art
60 seconds
2025
This work approaches the call to “be like water” not as a moral lesson inherited from the past, but as an ethical stance addressed to the present. Water does not fear change, yet it does not lose itself. It advances not through force, but through attunement; its strength lies not in sudden impact, but in continuity.
“Su kimi ol...
Amma bu dünya səni bulandırmasın.
Ax, təmizlən,
və yolunu öz sükutunda cız.”
Sufilər deyirlər: “Su kimi ol.”
The visual language, constructed at a nano scale, carries water beyond its physical properties, transforming it into a medium of birth, memory, and transformation. By revealing invisible structures, the work invites the viewer to conceive birth not as a singular event, but as an ongoing process of becoming. This shift in scale brings the flow of water into resonance with the human inner rhythm, generating a quiet yet resilient awareness.
Here, birth is not a moment that occurs once, but the capacity to remain conscious within change—to beginagain, each time, without dissolution.
Flowing Memory
The exhibition Flowing Memory explores the multilayered semantic dimensions of Azerbaijani bathhouse culture through the interconnected notions of water, memory, and purity. Here, the bathhouse is presented not merely as an architectural form or a physical site, but as a vessel of social relations, personal recollections, and cultural continuity. In this context, bathhouse culture becomes a site for both collective and individual readings of memory, where spatial experience transforms into a symbolic reflection of one’s relationship with history.
Here, the hamam is not merely an architectural structure but a living vessel of collective memory - a social and cultural space where relationships are formed, traditions are preserved, and symbolic codes are encoded.
Water in this exhibition is more than a physical element. It embodies the origin of life, the continuity of culture, and the metaphor of purification and renewal. Within the hamam, water transcends its cleansing function to become a carrier of cultural identity and collective remembrance.
Memory positions the hamam as a guardian of intergenerational traditions and rituals. It transforms intangible heritage into a tangible form, becoming a site where dialogue with time itself becomes possible.
Purity is understood not only as physical cleanliness but also as a state of spiritual and emotional purification. In the culture of the hamam, purity harmonizes body and soul, restoring the integrity of cultural identity.
The Flowing Memory exhibition uncovers the deeper layers of Azerbaijani culture while also drawing attention to the fragile status of water within today’s ecological crisis. It builds a bridge between the historical and cultural significance of water and the urgent environmental realities of our time - inviting the viewer to reflect on both cultural memory and global responsibility.
Ultimately, the exhibition reimagines the hamam as a space where historical memory is preserved, cultural codes are decoded, and meaning is passed on to future generations. It stands as both a restoration of dialogue with the past and a call to share ecological and cultural responsibility for the future.
'Fly to Baku' Art Weekend
Location: Underground Bathhouse, Icherisheher,
Baku, AZ
Date: 25.09 - 25.10.2025
Curator: Mansura Mammadaliyeva
Art Manager: Agnessa Tariverdiyeva
The exhibition Flowing Memory explores the multilayered semantic dimensions of Azerbaijani bathhouse culture through the interconnected notions of water, memory, and purity. Here, the bathhouse is presented not merely as an architectural form or a physical site, but as a vessel of social relations, personal recollections, and cultural continuity. In this context, bathhouse culture becomes a site for both collective and individual readings of memory, where spatial experience transforms into a symbolic reflection of one’s relationship with history.
Here, the hamam is not merely an architectural structure but a living vessel of collective memory - a social and cultural space where relationships are formed, traditions are preserved, and symbolic codes are encoded.
Water in this exhibition is more than a physical element. It embodies the origin of life, the continuity of culture, and the metaphor of purification and renewal. Within the hamam, water transcends its cleansing function to become a carrier of cultural identity and collective remembrance.
Memory positions the hamam as a guardian of intergenerational traditions and rituals. It transforms intangible heritage into a tangible form, becoming a site where dialogue with time itself becomes possible.
Purity is understood not only as physical cleanliness but also as a state of spiritual and emotional purification. In the culture of the hamam, purity harmonizes body and soul, restoring the integrity of cultural identity.
The Flowing Memory exhibition uncovers the deeper layers of Azerbaijani culture while also drawing attention to the fragile status of water within today’s ecological crisis. It builds a bridge between the historical and cultural significance of water and the urgent environmental realities of our time - inviting the viewer to reflect on both cultural memory and global responsibility.
Ultimately, the exhibition reimagines the hamam as a space where historical memory is preserved, cultural codes are decoded, and meaning is passed on to future generations. It stands as both a restoration of dialogue with the past and a call to share ecological and cultural responsibility for the future.
AZƏRTAC
On October 30, as part of the “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW” project, the “Stream of Memory” exhibition, featuring works by several artists, was presented.
ICMA
Art Weekend in Baku will present a unique exhibition called "Flowing Memory" in the bathhouse dating back to the 16th century. VIDEO.
MILLI.AZ
On October 30, as part of the “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW” project, the “Stream of Memory” exhibition, featuring works by several artists, was presented.
MODERN.AZ
Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of IDEA Public Union, shared a post from the "Axar Yadash" exhibition on her official Instagram account.
