This week, the launch of the inaugural 012 Baku Public Art Festival is happening in the Azeri capital, where they will present a unique opportunity for a selection of the finest emerging and established Azeri artists to showcase their work, in locations of their choice around the historic city of Baku.
Aided by local historians, each artist has researched a meaningful place for them within the city and then created a visual reinterpretation. These artworks will be unveiled one at a time over 21 weeks, in the setting that inspired their design, thus bringing art directly into the public eye.
The 012 Baku Public Art Festival is presented by YARAT!, a non-commercial, private organisation which is committed to promotion and nurturing of Azeri contemporary art both nationally and internationally.
YARAT! is one of several new ventures which has placed Baku as one of the world’s most exciting new players in the arena of contemporary culture. With the recent show Fly to Baku at Phillips de Pury, London and the launch of Conde Nast’s publication Baku International, the city is seeing renewed interest from around the world.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
