Irada Bagirova, a resident of Baku, is an “ABAD” artisan. She studied civil engineering at the Baku Railway Transport Technical School. However, she left this profession, often considered male-dominated, and dedicated her activities to decorative-applied arts:

“For eight years, I have been engaged in fine arts. This idea struck me while sitting at the computer; I came across information about the decoupage technique on the internet and eagerly tried to replicate it. It’s not difficult, but it felt very vibrant to me. And so, this passion grew from gluing napkins.”

Later, gradually making her handicrafts more complex, Ms. Irada now creates her works primarily using the dot painting technique and, currently, the stained glass technique.

“Before ‘ABAD,’ I sold my handicrafts through Facebook. On the advice of other artisans, I decided to join ‘ABAD.’ I saw that it is a young but promising organization. I am very satisfied. Because art is relaxation for me, it is everything, my every day, my universe. I engage in it, improve myself, and thanks to ‘ABAD,’ I comfortably earn my income.”