Lali Binyatova is an Azerbaijani visual artist and documentary photographer based in Berlin, Germany. Her multidisciplinary practice brings together personal narratives, everyday realities, and social research to explore the relationship between memory, identity, and belonging. Centering ephemerality, memory, forgetting, and loss as fundamental aspects of the human experience, her work examines how individual stories reflect wider social contexts.

Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the In-Visible Festival, Bursa Photo Festival, and Kolga Tbilisi Photo, and featured in The Guardian, Zeit Online, Revue6mois, and Chai Khana Media. Binyatova is a member of the Women Photographers International Community, founder of "Təcili Foto", a photography community supporting contemporary Azerbaijani photographers, and a finalist for the International Women Photography Award (IWPA) 2024.

She was commissioned by TIME Magazine during COP29 and featured in BBC News’ Ultimate Azerbaijan.

PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

Articles, Features & Interviews

Die Zeit (Online) — Selected photo publication | 2025
Turan News Agency — ‘A Different View of Reality: Lali Binyatova’s Exhibition in Baku’ | 2024
Chaikhana Media (Online) — ‘Whispers of the Past: Secrets of Azerbaijani families’ | 2024
Heritage AZ Culture — ‘Interview with Artist Lali Binyatova’ by Zeinab Jahan | 2024
Nargis Magazine (Online & Offline) — ‘Road to Harmony’ | 2023
Baku Magazine (Online & Offline) — Photo series about Novruz Bayram | 2022
The Guardian — ‘Women behind the lens: Friendship in photography’ | 2022
Chaikhana Media — ‘Dark Diaries’ | 2021
Baku Magazine (Online & Offline) — ‘About Baku: Baku Day and Night’ | 2021

Video Interviews & TV

BBC — ‘Ultimate Azerbaijan’ — Feature & Interview | 2024
Mədəniyyət TV (Local TV Program) — Interview about project 'Bratsk' in the framework of exhibition 'SAFE ZONE' in ARTIM Project Space | 2022
First Channel (1TV Georgia) — Interview about project 'Masalli' in the framework of exhibition 'What I See' during KOLGA Photo festival | 2022
Çağdaşçılar — ‘Sənətçi dostlar #10: Leyla Musayeva, Lali Binyatova və Emin Mathers’ | 2021

MENTORSHIPS, RESIDENCIES & AWARDS

Hamburger Portfolio Review — Shortlist (Reviewed by Jay Davies, Martina Bacigalupo, Fiona Shields, Laurence Tan), Hamburg, Germany | 2024
IWPA & TAF — Photography Challenge Finalist (Exhibited at Tbilisi Art Fair), Tbilisi, Georgia | 2024
Women Photograph — Selected Member of International Platform | 2024
KOLGA Tbilisi Photo — Mentorship Program, Tbilisi, Georgia | 2023–2024
Chaikhana Media — ‘Editor’s Picks: Photo Stories of 2023’ | 2023
‘Black Sea’ Artist Residency — Mentored by Guram Tsibakshashvili, Poti, Georgia | 2022
IN-Visible Mentorship Program — Mentored by Rena Effendi (6 months) in Salaam Cinema, Baku, Azerbaijan | 2021
Chaikhana Media — ‘Editor’s Picks of 2021: Photo Stories’ | 2021

EXHIBITIONS

Solo Exhibitions

‘Baku in Colors’ — Mixed-media series (photography & oil), organized by Var Yox at Sara Bistro, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2025
‘Soul’s Revolution’ — Organized by Tacili Foto at Yuva, Baku, Azerbaijan, 2024


Group Exhibitions & Art Fairs

2026

‘The Mermaid at Caspian Sea’ — Poster project showcase as invited artist, organized by cizucu at Salon am Moritzplatz, Berlin, Germany

2025

‘Her Art in Action’ — Presenting ‘My Mom’s Dowry’ project, organized by Var Yox, Baku, Azerbaijan

2024–2025

‘Last Weekend’ — Showcasing the ‘Soul’s Revolution’ collection with 8 ARTI 1, Istanbul, Turkey

2024

‘Shifting Witness’ — Displaying ‘My Mom’s Dowry’ project during KOLGA Tbilisi Photo, Tbilisi, Georgia
‘Her Art in Action’ — Featuring ‘Whispers of the Past: Secrets of Azerbaijani Families’, Var Yox at Gazelli Art House, Baku, Azerbaijan
Tbilisi Art Fair (TAF) — Selected for the International Women Photographers Association (IWPA) showcase with ‘Masalli’ photo series, Tbilisi, Georgia

2023

‘Chromatic Reveries’ — Presenting a special edition of ‘Soul’s Revolution’ at Gazelli Art House, Baku, Azerbaijan
‘30 Under 30 Women Photographers’ — Screening of ‘Masalli’ series by ARTPIL at Recontemporary during Torino Art Week, Turin, Italy
‘9 Different’ — Azerbaijani contemporary art showcase featuring ‘Soul’s Revolution’ series, organized by Var Yox & the EU Association at the EU Ambassador's residence, Baku, Azerbaijan
Vienna Photo Book Festival — Displaying ‘Soul’s Revolution’ handmade photo-oil artist book, Vienna, Austria
‘Force of Love’ Fest — Presenting ‘Untitled’ single image, organized by Nargis Magazine, Baku, Azerbaijan

2022

‘Watch to Hear’ — Displaying ‘Masalli’ photo series with F37 Union as part of KOLGA Tbilisi Photo at ArtArea, Tbilisi, Georgia
‘Women in Photography’ — Exhibiting ‘Qadin’ and ‘Untitled’ single prints, Var Yox at Gazelli Art House, Baku, Azerbaijan
‘A Palette of Perspectives’ — Featuring ‘Masalli’ photo series, organized by F37 Union at Dissolution Gallery, Tbilisi, Georgia
‘Safe Zone’ — Presenting ‘Bratsk’ photography project at ARTIM Project Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
‘Black Sea’ — Artist residency showcase presenting photo series at Poti City Library, Georgia

2021

Bursa Photo Festival — Invited photographer with ‘Dark Diaries’ project as part of the official program, Bursa, Turkey
‘Monochrome: Yellow to Green’ — Displaying ‘Grandfather’ single print, organized by F37 Union at Baku Photo House, Baku, Azerbaijan
‘Watch What I See’ — In-Visible Fellowship final exhibition presenting ‘Dark Diaries’ (mentored by Rena Effendi) at Salaam Cinema, Baku, Azerbaijan

I am an Azerbaijani multidisciplinary artist and photographer based in Berlin. My practice brings together personal narratives, everyday realities, and social research to explore the relationship between memory, identity, and the concept of home through the lens of movement and relocation.

A traditional and conservative upbringing in an Azerbaijani family deeply influenced my early work. This led me to look closely at closed family dynamics, gender roles, and local customs within my culture. Through these projects, I address questions of domestic space, patriarchal norms, and cultural traditions, bringing forward stories that often remain outside official histories.

A transitional period in my practice began when I started combining painting and photography, working with oil on photographic prints to construct my own visual reality. Another significant shift followed my relocation to Berlin, where my practice evolved into tactile, mixed-media works combining photography, textiles, and metal. Through these layered surfaces, I bring image and materiality together, exploring how personal and collective experiences of memory, displacement, belonging, and history can take material form.

ARTIST STATEMENT

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