SHELTER FOR FREEDOM (I FOLLOW THE FIRE)
In 2023, as a resident of the CEC ArtsLink program, I brought Shelter for Freedom to Baku, Azerbaijan, engaging with Ukrainian refugees and locals who had experienced recent war.
The performance was designed for the historical building of Salaam Cinema, now a venue for underground art, originally built as a church for the Malokan community who fled from the Russian empire. This adaptation provided a unique experience for the local cultural scene, with the performance taking place on the cinema stairs, allowing both visitors and passers-by to actively engage by following instructions performing on stage, and interacting with symbols of both Ukrainian and Azerbaijani cultures like pomegranates and sunflowers that fostered cultural dialogue and sense of belonging.
“Since Russia started a full-scale invasion in February 2022, I feel an urgent need to bring visibility to Ukrainian values and culture through my art. With this performance, I’d like to unite the Azerbaijani and Ukrainian people to explore our cultures together. I know that many Ukrainians due to the war found their homes here in Azerbaijan, and were warmly supported by local people. My performance will become a stage where both cultures can meet, encourage each other, and get in touch with their flames of freedom inside their hearts”.
Salaam Cinema, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2023.
