Aidan Salakhova is an Azeri and Russian artist based in Moscow and Carrara, Italy, who works in sculpture, painting, drawing and video. In her works, Salakhova investigates gender themes, women’s sexuality in the context of Islam, contrasts between the East and the West, matters of prohibition, esotericism, and beauty. Her work became a point of interest for BE OPEN’s ‘North/South – East/West’ programme.
BE OPEN supported Aidan Salakhova’s exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. ‘Revelations’ opened with two rooms dedicated to the artist’s earlier series: the veiled figures that contained references to traditional and religious symbols and set out to deconstruct and challenge the patriarchal order. The second half of the exhibition showcased new work, including a provocative video installation exploring the erotic potential of the veil, the archetype of the dominatrix and the fantasy of female domination and male submission.
In her new sculptural work, Salakhova returned to the human form with representations of both female and male nude. These were rendered in granite or marble following the techniques and principles of classical sculpture.
