The exhibition Street Signs by Ma-El Weiher is initiated by Atesh Hub creative platform, with the support of the Austrian Embassy in Baku, and in partnership with the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Administration. The project is funded by the State of Carinthia, Austria, and the City of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Location: Baku Photography House, Baku, AZ
House-Museum of Tahir Salahov, Baku, AZ
Date: 17 April - 30 April, 2026
Coordination: Agnessa Tariverdiyeva
Mentor: Sabina Shikhlinskaya
Presented Artists:
Ma-El Weiher
The main conception of the exhibition Street Signs is about to read the city as a living tapestry of indications, rules, and unspoken emotions. The exhibition explores "Signs" in their broadest context: as the traces of human existence left behind in the concrete and the abstract. Here, the «body" remains at the center of the work, yet it is no longer the human form we see. Instead, we encounter the bodies of the things we leave behind and the surroundings that act as projection surfaces for our own perception.
The exhibition unites works f rom distinct series, such as Take Me Home and Whispering Walls, showcasing a practice that oscillates between the manufactured and the organic: On one side Take me home lets bicycles emerge as the primary actors of the urban space —symbols of movement, standstill and abandonment. On the other side, Whispering Walls encounter the interaction between architecture, social structures and nature. These works capture growth, preparation, and decay, connecting the viewer to ecological, social, and political undercurrents.
Ma-El Weiher poses a vital question: Which signs do we follow, and which do we overlook? When we ignore the signs, we risk harm; yet, in the rush of the modern world, we often bypass the very details that ground us. This solo show focuses on these «close- ups of life"—loneliness, abandoned objects and places—elevating the seemingly worthless to the status of the valuable.
Ultimately, Street Signs offers a mirror of our collective lives, opening up a dialogue with the metaphysical. By isolating the individual motif as part of a larger whole, the exhibition manifests human action and emotion in the physical world. It is an invitation to look closer at the discarded and the quiet, finding beauty in the traces of our presence.
Exposition
Artists and presented works:
Ma-El Weiher (born 1999) is a multi-award-winning German-Austrian artist who trained at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and the Accademia di Belle Arti (Florence), among others. She has had several solo exhibitions in Germany and Austria and participated in numerous group exhibitions (including in Italy, Austria, Germany and Turkey).
About:
Atesh Hub is an independent contemporary art platform based in Azerbaijan, bringing together emerging practitioners—artists, curators, and managers working across digital and interdisciplinary fields. It serves as a meeting point for young creatives with diverse perspectives, languages, and ideas, each contributing a unique vision and a shared drive to inspire new ways of thinking, with the aim of making art vibrant, open, and accessible. Founded by Sabina Shikhlinskaya, curator and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan, the platform supports new voices within the art scene and provides an open environment for experimentation, collaboration, and research. Through exhibitions, projects, and interdisciplinary initiatives, Atesh Hub fosters artistic dialogue and introduces innovative creative practices to a broader international audience. Atesh Hub’s mission is to increase the international visibility of emerging Azerbaijani artists and to contribute to the global development of contemporary art.
Baku Photography House is a multifunctional space operating under the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Administration. Located in the historic Zanjirli building in Icherisheher, it serves as a platform for the implementation of various projects. The venue is one of the key platforms supporting the realization of significant cultural programs and creative initiatives.
The House-Museum of Tahir Salahov is located in Icherisheher, on Ilyas Efendiyev Street. As part of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve Administration, the museum houses nearly 800 exhibits reflecting the life and творчество of the world-renowned artist, including paintings, a carpet collection, personal belongings, and a photo archive. The space functions both as a memorial museum preserving the artist’s legacy and as an important cultural platform used for official events and exhibitions.
