Nazilya Nagimova's Felt Works on Home and Migration at NIKA Project Space

NIKA Project Space Dubai presents 'Follow the Snail,' the first UAE solo show by Münster-based Tatar artist Nazilya Nagimova. The exhibition features new works alongside earlier pieces, all exploring felt as a medium and themes of Tatar mobility, home as a mobile structure, memory, and migration. Central works include the installation 'Jort' (2025) and the video 'Chulpan – the Mother' (2022), first shown at documenta fifteen in Kassel. 'Jort' derives from the Tatar verb yörtü (to carry), referencing the yurt as a portable dwelling. The spiral form of 'Jort' echoes a snail, symbolizing movement and cyclicality. 'Chulpan – the Mother' uses felt exposed to natural elements to evoke the maternal body, incorporating texts in Iske Imla, an obsolete Turkic-Tatar script. The exhibition also includes 'Jort III' (2025), a black 'house' reflecting on displacement and loss. Works like 'Where the Voices End' incorporate Islamic architectural references. The press release is from NIKA Project Space.