Zohrab Salam-zadehGuests of a Red Café (2024)

Set within the dimly lit interior of a Parisian salon, the composition evokes the cultural tensions and allure of late 19th-century Baku, a city on the brink of transformation. Amid the ambient energy of the café, two men sit quietly, dressed in tailored European suits yet still wearing traditional ‘Bukhara’ hats. This subtle juxtaposition captures the spirit of an era when oil wealth propelled Azerbaijani society into unprecedented contact with Europe. Men traveled to Paris, brought back architecture, automobiles, and stories. The artist draws on these layered histories to create a portrait of duality, where the East observes the West with curiosity.