CONTACT

BIO

Rafig Abbas is an Azerbaijani artist living and working in Raleigh, North Carolina.

His work is a direct way of journaling past and present as well as mental and physical, emotional and spiritual, internal as well as external, events. Using mixed media such as oil and acrylic, pastels and other materials in his work, he invites the viewer to step into his world.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores the relationship between the internal and external, mental and physical, emotional and spiritual. Tracing the dynamics of both past and present experiences through painting I invite the viewer into a personal visual space, offering a glimpse into the underlying currents of my life.

Through painting, I seek to create compositions that serve as visual records of thought, emotion, and perspective—expressions that transcend beyond the limits of language.

PERSONAL STORY

Born in Sumqayit, a small, coastal city in Azerbaijan, Rafig, later moves to the capital city of Baku. Here he graduates from high school and moves to The United States as an international exchange student. After a year abroad he returnes to Baku, but leaves shortly after to The Netherlands to pursue his studies. Here he receives BA in Fine art from Minerva Fine Art & Design Academy. After graduation, he takes part in an artist in residence program at the Hamburger Community of Art in Rotterdam. 

He then decides to pursue a MA in Fine Art at the Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. After graduating, he returns back to Baku for 3 years. During this time in Baku he takes the position of a Marketing Director for a local well known product company and later moves back to The United States. Here he starts painting. His fascinations include works by Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Yves Klein, and Keith Harring.

CONTACT

Rafig Abbas's Studio is located in Downtown Raleigh, North Carolina.

Please send all inquiries directly to Rafig.

E-mail: hello@rafigabbas.com

Socials: @rafig.abbas

ARTIST CV