Close-up of an artwork.

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Firetti Contemporary has inaugurated Astral Space Exploration: The Cosmic Renaissance, an exhibition by Kaikhan Salakhov (Sept. 18 – Nov. 18). Salakhov’s work explores the fusion of science, art and spirituality through geometry, to reveal cosmic home truths. Influenced by classics such as Star Wars and the philosophies of Ken Wilber and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, his art reflects a deep fascination with futuristic concepts and advanced technologies and the spiritual energies which should ideally power them. Salakhov warns that without spiritual awareness, advanced cosmic engineering could lead to catastrophe. His work integrates technological innovation and spiritual responsibility and invites viewers to consider the relationship between humanity and the cosmos, and the importance of spiritual insight for achieving synergies.

Combining his background in architecture and philosophy, Salakhov developed the Astral Space Exploration Model of Consciousness (ASX-Grid), a framework that integrates cosmic and spiritual evolution. He outlines eight stages of progression for cosmic civilisations, ranging from Pre-Planetary to Universal. Each stage represents a particular level of development, and also maps the possible evolution of societies in the universe. Over the past seven years, Salakhov has used this model as the foundation for 36 acrylic paintings that blend Renaissance aesthetics and contemporary scientific ideas.

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Through his paintings, he explores future challenges in fields such as architecture, robotics, economics and philosophy. Instead of offering fixed and rigid solutions, he poses thought-provoking questions, using geometry as a symbolic language to invite viewers to draw their own conclusions. Obtaining from 36 concepts in fields such as quantum physics and cosmic awareness, Salakhov encourages the audience to reflect on how his paintings mirror these themes and the issues it presents.

His logical approach identifies materiality, while his creative side offers solutions through symbolic geometry. In his view, humanity can – and should - achieve a harmonious balance between technology and spirituality. Salakhov emphasises that addressing these topics today can help avoid future challenges, without technology and spirituality being in conflict with each other. His ASX-Grid framework demonstrates how narrow, technology-driven approaches to space exploration overlook essential aspects of inner growth. He underlines the need for a balance between external and internal progress.

Across his body of work, seven central themes emerge. Spirituality plays a key role, with Salakhov drawing inspiration from Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Pietà and Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna Litta. The works help him understand themes of divine love, compassion and spiritual ascension, encouraging reflection on how spiritual growth may flower as civilisations advance through the ASX-Grid. Architecture is a major influence in Salakhov’s work, particularly inspired by da Vinci’s Last Supper and The Annunciation. He interprets figures like Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) as symbols of transcendental unity and embodying cosmic architects, who guide the universe. Space exploration is another pivotal theme, where Salakhov examines the connection between consciousness and travel beyond the stars. Inspired by Caravaggio’s The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, he highlights the need for inner growth, alongside technological advancements.

  Kaikhan Salakhov is showing his works in Dubai.

Salakhov’s work also draws on Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam to explore the intersection of technology and spirituality. Here, he reflects on the convergence of human intellect and divine consciousness, raising questions about how future civilisations can evolve in alignment with their technological achievements. He suggests that without spiritual growth, technological advancements could lead to dysfunctionality.

Robotics plays a significant role in Salakhov’s weltanschauung. Using Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera as inspiration, he reflects on the future of interstellar robotics. He warns that if robotics and technology are disconnected from spirituality, they risk becoming out of sync with cosmic harmony. Through art, he attempts to bridge this gap. In his exploration of cosmogeopolitics, Salakhov examines the political and economic relationships between cosmic civilisations. Drawing from works like Michelino’s Dante and His Poem and Masaccio’s The Miracle with the Stater, he investigates how civilisations navigate diverse identities, economic ties and geopolitical complexities across vast cosmic distances. Through the ASX-Grid, he reflects on how diplomacy and cooperation could foster peace and progress in interstellar societies. Lastly, Salakhov delves into xenoanthropology, or the study of relationships between posthumanity and alien cultures. Inspired by Raphael’s The School of Athens, he envisions how future civilisations, with different intelligences and cultural frameworks, might connect without letting prejudices getting in the way. The theme highlights the importance of fostering cooperation and understanding even across species, imagining a future where diverse life forms coexist in a vast, interconnected universe.

Through these seven key themes, Salakhov presents a forward-thinking vision that blends Renaissance humanism with futuristic ideals. His art wants viewers to consider how humanity’s technological progress must always be balanced with spiritual and ethical growth. It envisions a harmonious future for civilisations among the stars. Lara Palmer, in an essay on Salakhov in World Arabia online has said that “until man hoists a flag of a ‘United Human Republic’, we must focus on improving our thinking patterns to prevent aggressive ethnocentric ideas from spreading beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and waging senseless star wars in the future.”

Salakhov is an American and Azerbaijani artist, writer, musician, architect, curator and actor. His artistic practice serves as a guide for those seeking to understand the mysteries of the cosmos and our place in it. According to him, “a human being, as any other sentient life form, is a citizen of the Cosmos, not just some specific universe, galaxy, solar system, planet, country, village or tribe.”