Sothebys : At The Crossroads 2: Contemporary Art from Istanbul to Kabul

Press Release London | [phone] |Mitzi Mina | [e-mail]

Rosamund Chester |[e-mail]

For Immediate Release

AT THE CROSSROADS 2 CONTEMPORARY ART FROM ISTANBUL TO KABUL A Sotheby's Selling Exhibition of Contemporary Art From the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iran and Turkey SPONSORED BY PASHA BANK LONDON: 27TH MARCH - 2ND APRIL 2014

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Tair Salakhov, Rooftops. Granada (1970s); Bahman Mohasses, Untitled (1969); Almagul Menlibayeva, Red Butterfly (2012)

Sotheby's London is delighted to announce At The Crossroads 2: Contemporary Art from Istanbul to Kabul, an innovative selling-exhibition bringing contemporary art to London from across the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Middle East - in some cases for the very first time.

Following the success of last year's inaugural exhibition At The Crossroads: Contemporary Art from Caucasus and Central Asia (March 2013), the geographical reach of the second instalment has been expanded to include top-end contemporary art from Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. All in all, some 50 works by both well-established and emerging artists - some of whom have scarcely been exhibited in the UK before - will be showcased at Sotheby's in London from 27th March to 2nd April 2014.

Jo Vickery, Senior Director and Head of Sotheby's Russian Art Department in London said: 'The vibrant art scene in this region is too often overlooked by the international art world. It's a fascinating area to explore with flourishing art institutions, galleries and new artists and collectors emerging all the time. By showcasing these artworks in London we're aiming to raise the profile of the artists on an international stage and to connect them with art connoisseurs and collectors alike. We're very much looking forward to seeing how they are received.'

Artists from the following countries will be represented at the exhibition: Afghanistan, Armenia,

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

Spanning a vast and fascinating geography, At The Crossroads 2 will explore the relationship between this diverse group of contemporary artists and examine how their shared political and cultural past has influenced the art being produced in the region today. While the turbulent socio- political changes of the 20th century and the disintegration of the USSR has dramatically influenced artistic production, the contemporary identity of the region also stems from a rich history of artistic practices dating back to antiquity - from the production of delicate Persian miniatures and Azerbaijani carpets to Ottoman architecture, ancient Georgian frescoes, and Central Asian jewellery and crafts.

--Please note a more detailed press release will be available in early March-

Notes to Editors

PASHA Bank is a leading corporate bank in Azerbaijan. Established in 2007, it provides a range of corporate, investment and private banking services.

PASHA Bank employs circa 289 people across its head office and four branches as well as its subsidiary PASHA Bank Georgia. It was declared "Azerbaijan's Best Investment Bank" in 2012 by the international financial journal, EMEA Finance. In September 2012, PASHA Bank was assigned "BB-" long-term and "B" short-term counterparty credit ratings with stable outlook by Standard & Poor's, an international credit rating agency. This is the highest rating assigned to an Azerbaijani commercial bank with 100% local capital and second highest for a private bank in Azerbaijan.
PASHA Bank is part of PASHA Group, a major investment holding group in Azerbaijan, which also includes significant assets in insurance, property development, production of construction materials, tourism and other businesses. Kapital Bank, one of the largest retail banks in Azerbaijan, is also owned by PASHA Group.

Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in eight different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids in real-time from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, as well as Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

Estimates do not include buyer's premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer's
premium.
Images are available upon request
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