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BIO

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

His work is a direct way of journaling past and present physical as well as emotional events. Using oil paint as the main medium in his work, he invites the viewer to engage with his world.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores the relationship between the internal and external. Tracing the physical and emotional imprints of both past and present experiences through oil 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 extend beyond the limits of language.

PERSONAL STORY

Born in Sumqayit, a small, coastal city in Azerbaijan, Rafig, later moved to the capital city of Baku. Here he graduated from high school and moved to The United States as an international exchange student. After a year abroad he returned to Baku, but left shortly after to The Netherlands. Here he received his BA in Fine art from Minerva Fine Art & Design Academy. During his studies he was interested in the Music & Visual art scene in The Netherlands so he moved to Rotterdam where he did a residency program at The Hamburger Community of Art. He later decided to pursue his MA in Fine art at Willem De Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. After graduating, he went back to Baku for 3 years. During this time he worked as a Director of Marketing for a local health product company and soon after moved to The United States and started painting. His fascinations include works by Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Yves Klein, Piet Mondrian and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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