Said Sharif - IDENTITY DRIFT

Identity Drift marks Said Sharif’s debut solo exhibition, bringing together six years of photographic work alongside site-specific installations and ready-made objects that reflect his ongoing exploration of identity and self-expression. Exhibition was held in YAY Gallery which is located in the center of old city in downtown Baku.

The exhibition transforms the gallery interior into carefully balanced, two-part compositions. Each project carries themes of local and global identity topics.

On the first floor key element of the exhibition is "Windy Windshields" , a photo-based project documenting Baku’s car culture and subculture. Stretching across the gallery’s ground floor, this body of work presents archival photographs, publications, and custom prints, framed in gleaming golden aluminum. The aesthetic reflects both the kitsch and the bold visual language of the avtosh scene, while connecting it to broader narratives of the city’s identity.

At the heart of this exploration stands a VAZ-21011 “Zhiguli,” once a beloved car among the "Avtosh" car culture. By placing it inside the gallery, Said highlights the playful yet significant cultural practice of young drivers performing tricks—a phenomenon that took root in the 1990s amid social transformation and the growing influence of Western pop and kitsch culture in local media. The composition is accompanied by "Windy Windshields" zine publication that offers a deeper look into the project.

On the second floor, a central highlight is a series of locally crafted reinterpretations of traditional Caucasian hats — Papakhs, created in collaboration with a local artisan. Each papakh in the composition is carrying a national or global identity theme. In the Papakh series, these hats appear in suspended form — deconstructed and reimagined with irony and humor, offering a contemporary perspective. Shiny graffiti walls form an immersive corner within the space, exposing distorted imagery and playful tension.

Curated by Zahra Mammadova.