Shahnaz Aghayeva Useless calf (2024)

framed: 30h × 41w cm

Aluminium etching on Fabriano Rosaspina paper

In this composition, a small calf appears only as a blank silhouette – suspended between presence and absence. The choice reflects a quiet moment of resignation: Aysel’s cow had given birth to a male calf, and with it came an unspoken truth. “What can I do,” she had said, “I’ll sell it… Males are no good.” Her words, both practical and fatalistic, echo through the image. The calf’s form is outlined but hollow, already marked for departure. Around it, the traces of care, labor, and womanhood remain – embodied fully in the cow, who stands as a reflection of Aysel’s devotion. But here, as in life, part of the cycle is silently erased.