“Once a Sea” explores the deep emotional and cultural ties between the Caspian Sea and the people who have lived along its shores for centuries. Blending contemporary art, historical archives, and poetic reflection, the exhibition reimagines the sea not just as a landscape but as a living presence, a keeper of memory, identity, and imagination. Amid warnings that the Caspian could shrink by 25% this century, the project reflects on loss, memory, and the urgent need for reconnection. It invites visitors to look beyond exploitation and rediscover the sea as a space of care, creativity, and spiritual depth. Curated by Zahra Mammadova, Once a Sea is both an artistic journey and a call to see water and ourselves anew.