BAKU.- Björn Geldhof has been appointed as the new Artistic and Strategic Director of YARAT Contemporary Art Space, the not for profit organisation based in Baku, Azerbaijan. Geldhof will oversee the future development of the organisation following the successful launch of YARAT Contemporary Art Centre in March 2015.

Geldhof is the former Deputy Artistic Director of the PinchukArtCentre in Kiev where he developed a museum programme that initiated a dialogue between international artists and the artistic context in Ukraine. He also helped establish the PinchukArtCentre as a leading platform for emerging artists through both the Future Generation Art Prize and the PinchukArtCentre Prize.

Geldhof has curated numerous projects internationally including: the Ukrainian National Pavilion at the 56th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia; the Future Generation Art Prize exhibitions in Venice in 2011 and 2013; and solo exhibitions with Candice Breitz, Damián Ortega, Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Wall, Gary Hume, Anish Kapoor, Tony Oursler, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Jake & Dinos Chapman.

Prior to this role, Geldhof worked directly with the Belgian artist Jan Fabre and managed the art and culture magazine Janus. Geldhof studied at Katholieke Universiteit of Leuven, Belgium and is a former professor of the Conservatory of Kortrijk in Belgium.

YARAT is a not-for-profit art organisation based in Baku, Azerbaijan. Founded by Aida Mahmudova and a group of artists in 2011, YARAT is dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and internationally.

YARAT (which means create in Azerbaijani) have commissioned over 140 projects to date, the majority of which have been in Baku, Azerbaijan. Education is at the heart of YARAT’s work; they hold artist residencies, workshops, lectures and screenings. In 2014 they launched a summer school and a new building housing artists’ studios and spaces to support their residency programme. YARAT’s programme ARTIM (meaning progress in Azerbaijani) supports young practitioners in the arts providing opportunities to curate and feature their work in exhibitions.

YARAT Contemporary Art Centre opened in March 2015 and is the organisation’s first permanent space. The 2,000m2 centre, converted from a former Soviet-era naval headquarters, overlooks the Caspian Sea and is a dedicated hub for contemporary art and art education in the region. The centre features both temporary exhibitions and exhibitions from YARAT’s permanent collection. The permanent collection focuses on work by leading artists from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and neighbouring countries, as well as international artists including Shirin Neshat, which was the Centre’s inaugural exhibition.