.ART backs Baku Art Weekend with public art, carpet heritage and digital works

.ART Registry is supporting three cultural initiatives during Baku Art Weekend from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026, linking Azerbaijani heritage with contemporary art and emerging technology. The program includes a public artwork in Baku’s Old City, an exhibition at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and a digital art showcase at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

Why it matters: - .ART’s backing ties cultural preservation to new artistic formats, including augmented reality, digital commissions and international collaboration. - The projects connect Azerbaijan’s carpet-making heritage with contemporary artists and new audiences. - The initiatives also place environmental themes alongside art and technology during a major citywide festival.

What happened: - .ART Registry is supporting three cultural initiatives during “Fly to Baku. Art Weekend. Sense the Future NOW,” which runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2026. - Baku Art Weekend is organized by IDEA Public Association in partnership with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. - The festival theme is “The Big Five of the Caucasus: Art, Conservation, and Future Generations.” - .ART is contributing to programming across public art, museum exhibitions, digital art and international artistic collaboration.

The details: - The first initiative is a new Public Art Program developed with the Administration of the State Historical-Architectural Reserve “Icherisheher.” - The program will introduce contemporary art into Baku’s Old City and create new work in public space. - Its first commission, “Fire in Stone,” is a site-specific work by multidisciplinary artist Medina. - The artwork will be placed beside the Maiden Tower. - The piece takes inspiration from fire, a symbol of Azerbaijani cultural identity. - The work is embedded into the pavement as a luminous fissure shaped like a buta, a traditional Azerbaijani motif. - The installation includes an augmented reality layer accessible through a QR code. - At the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, .ART supports “Land of Carpet,” an exhibition opening on Oct. 29, 2026. - The exhibition brings together the legacy of Latif Karimov, Medina, artist-weaver Yashar Malfouzi and digital artists. - The show focuses on the carpet as a living artistic tradition shaped by craftsmanship, interpretation and technology. - The exhibition honors Latif Karimov, founder of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum and a major figure in modern carpet studies. - Newly woven carpets based on Karimov’s original sketches will be shown alongside the historical drawings. - Ulvi Kasimov, founder of .ART, funded and supported the production of those carpets. - Four handwoven carpets based on paintings by Medina will be shown with the original works. - The pairing explores how contemporary painting translates into textile craftsmanship. - Yashar Malfouzi will present a contemporary interpretation of the museum’s historical 19th-century Quşlu carpet. - The exhibition also extends into digital art through the open call “REMIX A LEGEND: Reimagine the Legacy of Latif Karimov,” launched on Hug.art. - Digital artists were invited to reinterpret Karimov’s visual language through contemporary technology. - Selected works from the open call will appear on screens inside the exhibition. - .ART also supported the creation of latifkarimov.art with the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. - The site includes Karimov’s works, research and an interactive carpet classification atlas. - A digital art presentation will take place at the Heydar Aliyev Center on Oct. 30 and 31. - The presentation will feature Medina and two international artists selected through The Big Five open call. - Medina’s digital works focus on nature, ecological awareness and humanity’s relationship with the environment. - Some of Medina’s works were previously shown during COP29 in Baku. - The Big Five open call was launched by .ART on HUG.art. - The call invited artists from Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia to explore biodiversity and the future of endangered species. - The project draws on five emblematic species identified by IDEA Public Association in 2012: the goitered gazelle, Caucasian leopard, brown bear, gray wolf and imperial eagle. - The open call selected two finalists, Muriel Lherm and Mazin. - With .ART’s support, one selected artist will attend Baku Art Weekend in person and join the festival’s VIP Program. - The visiting artist will meet artists, curators, collectors and other cultural professionals. - .ART says it was launched in 2016 through an exclusive agreement with UK Creative Ideas Ltd and ICANN. - The registry says it now has more than 700,000 domains registered in 170+ countries. - .ART operates from offices in London, Beijing, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. - The company says part of its revenue supports philanthropic efforts, including the Healing Power of Art Initiative. - More information is available at www.art.art. - Domain registration is available at www.get.art.

Between the lines: - The program positions heritage not as static preservation, but as something artists can reinterpret through textiles, public art and digital media. - The mix of museum, street-level and screen-based projects suggests .ART is using Baku Art Weekend as a platform to show how art infrastructure can bridge physical and digital audiences. - The emphasis on endangered species and environmental themes gives the festival a conservation message, not just an arts one.

What's next: - “Land of Carpet” opens on Oct. 29, one day before the festival program begins. - The public art initiative, digital presentations and festival programming continue through Nov. 1, 2026. - One selected artist from The Big Five open call will travel to Baku for the event and take part in festival networking.

The bottom line: - .ART is using Baku Art Weekend to connect Azerbaijani cultural heritage with contemporary art, digital experimentation and global creative exchange.