Baku: On June 11, YARAT Contemporary Art Space hosted the opening ceremonies of ‘Programmed Traces,’ a group exhibition curated by Firat Arapoglu, and ‘Errata’, a major solo exhibition by the British artist Mat Collishaw, curated by James Putnam. Aida Mahmudova, founder of the YARAT Contemporary Art Space, attended the opening ceremonies of the exhibitions.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, ‘Programmed Traces’ brings together seven leading Bulgarian artists – Albena Baeva, Jelko Terziev, Kalina Dimitrova, Krassimir Terziev, Marta Djourina, Nadezhda Lyahova, and Pravdolub Ivanov. This exhibition explores how contemporary visual culture, perception, and subjectivity are increasingly shaped by systems of control, technological mediation, and situated forms of knowledge production. Through moving image, installation, and multilayered visual environments, the exhibition reflects on how space, image, and the viewer’s body become entangled with the structures that organize information, attention, and experience.
The ‘Errata’ exhibition by Mat Collishaw invites audiences to confront the invisible power structures of artificial intelligence and social media, questioning where the unintended consequences of human innovation might ultimately lead us. The title refers to a list of errors inserted in a book after it has been printed, representing mistakes that have been discovered too late. Collishaw applies this concept to modern technological progress.
Ahead of the opening of the exhibitions, the panel discussion ‘The Invisible Powers: Discipline and Control’ was held at YARAT Centre. Moderated by Mina Orujova, the discussion featured James Putnam, Mat Collishaw, Firat Arapoglu, and Krassimir Terziev, who exchanged views on the impact of technology on society, mechanisms of control, and how these themes are expressed in contemporary art. The session concluded with a short Q and A with the audience.