‘One window for seeing

One window for hearing

One window, which like the shaft of a well

Extends in its depths to the heart of the earth

And opens towards the expanse of this blue and recurring kindness.’

 

Forugh Farrokhzad

 

 

Referring to Forugh Farrokhzad’s renowned poem 'The Window,' Mahmudova continues to explore solitude, nostalgia and longing, capturing the essence of inner turmoil and the yearning for freedom through vivid imagery and introspective narration.

 

This project stands as a powerful testament to Mahmudova’s ability to articulate universal emotions with profound precision, and represents her closest realisation yet of complete harmony with her inner compulsions towards personal, social, and artistic freedom. Undergoing a turbulent period of reflection concerning her artistic approach and its social dimensions, she advocates for how fragile the balance is between self-autonomy and external influences.

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Featuring over 80 pieces, including both previously exhibited and newly commissioned works, the exhibition occupies the second floor of the Saatchi Gallery. It delves into themes of (self)limitations, confinement in the earthly space, and the sensation of being encased within one's physical form.

 

As a starting point, the artist invites us into her personal archive, which chronicles her domestic realm over years. These images are all the results of Mahmudova’s durational approach – an artistic method defined by collecting, layering, and intimate attention to every detail. The absence of inhabitants emphasises the pervasive feeling of confinement, underscoring introspection inherent in these works. The uniform square format of the slide projector serves as a metaphorical window through which both the artist and the viewer peer into moments frozen in time, capturing the essence of solitude and longing. Sourced from personal photographs, she turns autobiographical memories into gypsum objects and sculptures, questioning how to bear witness to moments of liminality and transformation.

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Whether figurative or abstract, Mahmudova incorporates natural materials – both as sites of death and centers of life – sustaining her as she increasingly develops a profound sense of belonging in the world. Corals, seashells, dried plants, stones, and crystals are objects with embodied history and fragments that recall the geopoetics of the places she belongs to. These materials reveal a regenerative power, transcending limited perceptions and re-imagining oneself as an integral part of a unified existence. For the artist, feelings, evoked by nature, are closely associated with healing.