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Armenia Art Fair meets 4Plus

Founded in 2012 by Nazik Armenakyan, Anush Babajanyan and Anahit Hayrapetyan, 4Plus is a collective of Armenian women photographers. Through the medium of photography, 4Plus is committed to documenting social issues and human rights violations, while also empowering not just female photographers, but women in general. With the aim of developing documentary photography and empowering women in Armenia (and beyond), the collective organises workshops, exhibitions and lectures. Armenia Art Fair met with one of the collective’s founders, Nazik Armenakyan, to speak about the role of women in the arts in Armenia, Armenia Art Week and 4Plus’s upcoming Female Festival.

4Plus presentation of book-box “Postcards from Artsakh”

 How did each of you meet?

All of the 4Plus members were students of the same photojournalism course – organized by Ruben Mangasaryan in collaboration with World press photo in 2004. Later in 2012, Anahit Hayrapetyan, Anush Babajanyan and I established 4Plus Documentary Photography Center. In 2016 Piruza Khalapyan and Nelli Shishmanyan joined 4Plus. Currently we are 4: Nazik, Anahit, Piruza and Nelli. But during these years we’ve also built a great photography community of female and male photographers, curators and editors around 4Plus, with whom we do several projects.

 

Why do you think it is important to document women, and empower other women in Armenia?

We created 4Plus after realizing that we shared the same concerns and difficulties in our careers as women photographers. We decided to join our powers in finding ways to support each other and others as well. But we also found that there is lack of visualisation of women’s roles and women’s issues in Armenia. There are also small nuances: women photographers mostly work on social and human rights issues in Armenia, women photographers are more interested in documenting in women’s issues and they have more access to taboo issues relating to women. That’s why empowering not only women photographers, but also women whose rights are being violated, by bringing their issues to light, has become the core of our activity.

Glazed Time exhibition in Diyarbekir, in collaboration with Nar Photos Agency, Turkey 23 May – 5 June, 2015

Do you think women have been adequately recognised in the arts in Armenia up until now?

I think women artists, mostly locally, still haven’t been recognised adequately in Armenia. For example if a woman creates an artwork and she is not active in promotion, no one is going to distribute her work. But women who have somehow gained international recognition, for example by being published in international newspapers, won awards, and had exhibitions, they become more recognizable in Armenia.

 

Do you think that things have improved for female Armenian photographers since you founded in 4Plus in 2012?

Yes, they have definitely improved. Firstly, we’ve organised group and solo exhibitions of female photographers. By establishing 4plus.org we give more opportunities for female photographers to be published. We also have the physical place of 4Plus center, where we work with photographers, edit their work together, give advice and support them.

“mOther Armenia” exhibition opening curated by Svetlana Bachevanova/FotoEvidence.com, featuring the work of ten Armenian women documentary photographers. July 3, 2013, Yerevan

What responses have you had from your work?

We have many followers from abroad. When we published the multimedia ‘About Nora’ [a photo story about a young woman with cerebral palsy living in Great Ayrum]by Vaghinak Ghazaryan on our website, we received an email from a US resident who wanted to help Nora’s family and she did. When we published photo story about MP Lena Nazaryan, we received unexpected feedback from different audience. We’ve also received wishes to be photographed from different active women from politics and other spheres.

We really hope that our work, our photography will bring social change, a change in people’s minds of understanding in several topics. We also hope to collaborate and work with many professionals in the field.

Nazik Armenakyan and Piruza Khalapyan during 4 days workshop with photography community at 4Plus documentary photography center. February, 2019

What will you be exhibiting during Armenia Art Week?

We will show 4 photographs, people and places taken by the 4Plus photographers. Anahit Hayrapetyan’s “Grandma portrait” taken in Artsakh and Nelli Shishmanyan’s “Portrait of Girl” from her project “Together is possible.” I will show an interior scene of Salt sanatorium in Yerevan, and Piruza Khalapyan will exhibit a photograph from her story “Mental hospital.”

 

Can you tell me about your plans for Female Festival [a forthcoming festival hosted by 4Plus]?

Having female festival in Armenia is the idea of one of our co-founder’s, Anahit Hayrapetyan. The idea came several years ago by visiting photography festivals and making connections with different professionals in the field. We found that we can organise an international female festival in Armenia. It’s in our future plans and we hope to find funding and resources to make it real.

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Asymetria Gallery presents Burned Archives at Armenia Art Week

A new addition to Armenia Art Fair, the very first Armenia Art Week will open on 25th May 2019, offering an exciting cultural program that includes work from renowned international and local artists and curators. Included within this series of art-related events, Poland’s Asymetria Gallery will present Burned Archives, an exhibition with a strong focus on archival photography of Sergei Parajanov.

Image of Sergei Parajanov from Yuri Mechitov’s archive

Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990) is among one of the most recognised Armenian artists internationally. Born in Tbilisi, the Armenian film director rebelled against the principles of socialist realism to inventing his own cinematic style, which ultimately led to many of his projects being banned by Soviet film administrations.

Armenian-Georgian photographer Yuri Mechitov (b. 1950) began his career as the director of neorealist documentary Nina Iosifovna Koslovskaya in the late 1970s, whose titular heroine once taught history to Parajanov. Mechitov invited the now infamous director to a screening of Nina. Having been met with Parajanov’s approval, Mechitov went on to follow Parajanov on his cinematic journey as a photographer. During this time, he collected many years worth of material, going on to found his own archive of images of Parajanov in Tbilisi. Some of this archive will be displayed within Burned Archives, an exhibition that will be presented by Asymetria Gallery during Armenia Art Week in May 2019.

A group exhibition – also including the work of Nikita Kadan, Zbigniew Libera, Pawel Pierscinski, Waclaw Ropiecki – Burned Archives will ask why artists create, and sometimes go on to destroy their archives. Within the exhibition, the act of burning the archive will be divided into three stages: “Destruction” (burning), “Archivization” (preservation) and “Creation”.

“There is no such separation from destruction”, explains Rafal Lewandowski, curator of the exhibition, “There is always a birth and creation that comes from destruction.” Thus, Polish avant-garde artist Zbigniew Libera (b. 1959) – who destroyed many of his works throughout his life – will exhibit a film and installation in the Armenian language to conclude the exhibition. “We understand that all living images are the survival of those which are erased”, adds Lewandowski, “We often forget.”

Image of Sergei Parajanov from Yuri Mechitov’s archive

On display in the “Destruction” section of the exhibition, will be remnants of landscape photographer Pawel Pierscinski’s work (1938-2017), who systematically burnt his negatives for twenty years after being evicted from his studio. Similarly, after becoming a missionary in remote Russia following a friend’s death in the 1990s, Waclaw Ropiecki (b. 1951) destroyed his works on short returns to his home city of Wroclaw.

The “Archive” part will focus on Mechitov’s photographs of Parajanov. “The negatives are kept in old soviet envelopes on which he attached the contact photo and adds some remarks in Russian”, says Lewandowski, “It is amazing and beautiful together. I’ve decided to show some parts of it in the form of montages.”

Image of Sergei Parajanov from Yuri Mechitov’s archive

Within the final “Creation” segment, Mechitov’s classic photographs present the world of Sergei Parajanov. On exhibiting work focused on Parajanov in Armenia, Lewandowski says: “It’s like being in the centre of a cyclone of the heritage of Sergei Parajanov – completely mysterious. I don’t know what to expect, maybe that’s the most interesting part.” Lewandowski did some research at the Sergei Parajanov Museum in Yerevan. “It was very fruitful and the people there are very nice”, he explains, “In fact, in Yerevan – with Yuri Mechitov – we will show completely new works about this great artist.” This will be in the form of The Atlas of Creation of Sergei Parajanov, which is a big part of the result of Lewandowski and Mechitov’s journey.

Burned Archives asks why archives are made, and why they are destroyed, commenting on the significance of the production, preservation and death of an image. Rather than offering questions into why such repositories are created and demolished, the exhibition will allow the viewer to ask questions about these images, while also presenting the Armenia Art Fair audience with archival images of Sergei Parajanov, which they are unlikely to have seen before.

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Supporting Emerging Artists while Starting a Collection

If you are reading this blog, the chances are that you like art. You probably spend your time reading about artists and going to museums. You might even be an artist yourself. It’s unlikely however, that you collect, or even actively buy artworks. Why would you? Most art is expensive and a luxury that few can afford. In spite of this, there are ways to support artists that don’t have to break the bank. Armenia Art Fair spoke to a number of art world figures who are helping to support emerging artists while also educating young people about how to start an art collection – and much of these “gallerists” are doing this through online platforms, making art accessible from all corners of the globe.

AucArt artist Rene Gonzalez

“I strongly believe that young people should begin by collecting art school graduates”, says Natasha Arselan, the founder of AucArt, an online auction platform. AucArt is unique. It sells works by artists at the earliest stages of their careers, all of which are recent university and art school graduates. The auctions therefore, start at a low price point, making the art-buying experience more affordable. It also means that it is the lowest price you’ll ever pay for the work because it is improbable that these young artists will regress in their careers. “It’s highly unlikely that you’ll lose money”, Arselan adds, “As you follow the artist from the very beginning.” Therefore, the buyer is able to watch every milestone the artist reaches, whether that is a work in an exhibition, or an article in the press, enabling them to enjoy the same journey as the artist they’re supporting.

Amar Singh, founder of London’s Amar Gallery, and a new platform called Curated believes that art lovers should fill their homes in “anyway possible.” He even advocates for enthusiasts to fill their homes with images printed from the Internet. “Seriously!”, he says, “High prices can often be alienating and art is meant to be for everyone.” He also comments on the benefits of buying affordable prints, and the purchase of artworks that can be bought with the assistance of 0% interest monthly payments – a great way to get onto the collecting ladder. That said, earlier this year Singh launched Curated, an inexpensive online art programme with a heavy focus on female artists. “There was no fine gallery I knew of that had an affordable art programme”, he explains, “In addition to this, female artists are underrepresented.” The platform therefore not only helps artists sell their work, it works to balance out gender inequality within the art world, all while allowing collectors to browse works at accessible price points.

Curated artist Joe Hummel’s Newell Studio, credit Julian Winslow

Similarly, Emergeast is an online gallery that focuses on selling the works of emerging Middle Eastern artists at affordable prices. Founded by Dima Abdulkader and Nikki Meftah in 2014, the platform was created after the pair spotted a gap in the market for emerging Arab and Iranian artists. “As young urban professionals in our early 20’s we wanted to start our very own art collection”, says Abdulkader, “Specifically art tied to our roots’ culture, history and background.” The pair realised the need for a platform like Emergeast when they found that there was no immediate place to acquire art by Middle Eastern artists at prices a 20-something urbanite could afford. “We chose to strictly be online as it gives us the chance to reach a wide international audience”, adds Meftah, “Technology is powering the volume of interest.” And, unlike many unattainable artworks in “blue-chip” galleries, the price tag is clearly marked on the artwork from the outset, allowing the buyer to know exactly what they are paying for.

Emergeast is broad in its scope, representing artists from the USA to Muscat, and with roots across the Middle East. In the future, Curated hopes to grow too. Currently the platform hosts 50 female artists from the United Kingdom, but has big plans. “I hope to grow this initiative to multiple cities worldwide”, explains Singh, “But just imagine having hundreds of artists from every major city in the world on such a platform.” Indeed, this could help thousands of artists.

When asked how he thinks people should start an art collection, Singh responds by saying: “Buy what you love. Forget about the pretentious ‘art world jury’ and truly purchase whatever moves you or makes you smile.” If you look through history, some of the most innovative collections are built from early career artists – just look at Peggy Guggenheim. So, if you truly love art, it makes sense then to support emerging artists. “You become a patron because you support them from the beginning”, explains Arselan, “You are one of the first to discover that artist. You feel like you have a protégé.”

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A Tribute to Paul Guiragossian: Armenia Art Fair meets Manuella Guiragossian

Paul Guiragossian (1926 – 1993) is easily one of Lebanon’s most celebrated modern artists, famous for his colourful and figurative paintings, which sometimes border on the edge of abstraction. Born in Jerusalem, his family moved to Lebanon in 1947, where he spent the majority of his career, becoming one of the most loved artists of the Arab world.

Earlier this year, his much-anticipated monograph Paul Guiragossian: Displaced Modernity – edited by the curatorial duo Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, together with Paul Guiragossian’s daughter and president of the Paul Guiragossian Foundation, Manuella Guiragossian – was launched at Art Dubai. The book was recently transformed into an exhibition at Beirut Art Fair called Lebanon Modern! A Tribute to Paul Guiragossian, which consisted of a chronological display of the artist’s work that not only included paintings and drawings, but also family photographs, film clips and quotes. Armenia Art Fair spoke with Manuella Guiragossian about her father’s artwork and the exhibition in Beirut.

Paul with his paintings during the installation of his solo exhibition at the Artists’ Union Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, 1972. © Courtesy Paul Guiragossian Foundation archives

Armenia Art Fair: How did the exhibition at Beirut Art Fair come about?

Manuella Guiragossian: This year, and more specifically November 20, 1993, marks the 25th anniversary of Paul Guiragossian’s passing so over a year ago the Paul Guiragossian Foundation planned for a few commemorative events surrounding this anniversary as well as the release of the much anticipated monograph, Paul Guiragossian: Displacing Modernity published by Silvana Editoriale and edited by Sam Bardaouil, Till Fellrath and myself.

The book was launched at Art Dubai in March 2018 in parallel with an exhibition at the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah with works coming from collections only in the UAE.

The Tribute exhibition at the Beirut Art Fair took place in September as the monograph was also released worldwide and was set to take the audience on a little walk through the 5 decades of Guiragossian’s career.

Image from the Paul Guiragossian “A Tribute” Retrospective 01. © Courtesy Paul Guiragossian Foundation. Photo Credit: Beirut Art Fair 2018

AAF: What was the reception like to the exhibition?

MA: Anything we do around Paul Guiragossian always gets great reception and fascination by all generations. We usually get major attendance and very often re-attendance by people who want to learn more and can’t get enough. I feel that people have a thirst to learn more about Guiragossian and working on this book for over 5 years gives me great satisfaction in sharing a lot about the artist’s life and work with the public.

We get art collectors, art enthusiasts, students and press as well as people who are newly discovering the artist. Audiences are always thankful and appreciative of the efforts we make as a foundation and that gives us the drive to continue.

AAF: How did you go about curating the exhibition, why did you select the images that you did, the film clips, the photographs?

MA: As I had worked on the archives for more than 10 years, I have a very particular understanding of my father’s path and artistic evolution, so I wanted to present that (as we did in the monograph) through the archival material as well as the original works. I wanted to create that path through the decades of his life and have the audience walk through the book and discover the different stages of Paul’s life.

Image from the Paul Guiragossian “A Tribute” Retrospective 02. © Courtesy Paul Guiragossian Foundation. Photo Credit: Beirut Art Fair 2018

AAF: What is your favourite work in the exhibition?  

MA: It’s very difficult to pick one work as my favourite because I have many. Every decade has masterpieces that are stunning and have such depth, especially since I know the stories behind them, it makes it hard to choose. Having said that, I have a special place in my heart for “Composition” (also titled “La Grande Charge”, 1990-91. Oil on canvas. 130 x 200 cm.) which is magnificent in my opinion because it encapsulates my father’s entire career. To reach that kind of virtuosity after about 50 years is just amazing. It’s also why I used a detail from it on the cover of the monograph.

Beacon Over the City (1977) – Oil on canvas – 118 x 89 cm. Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Lebanon

AAF: The book that the Beirut Art Fair exhibition was based on (Paul Guiragossian: Displacing Modernity) launched at Art Dubai in March of this year, what did it mean to have this exhibition in Beirut?

MA: Beirut is the city that embraced my father, gave him a permanent home, a family and success. The Lebanese people adore Paul Guiragossian and are always very excited and proud to see his work, that’s why it’s very important for us to release this book in Beirut and to do exhibitions around Guiragossian as often as possible.

Silence (circa 1968) – Oil on canvas – 165 x 120 cm. Paul Guiragossian Estate collection, Lebanon

AAF: With the inclusion of quotes and film clips, it seemed like you tried to let people know about Paul Guiragossian’s personality, adding layers to Paul Guiragossian the painter, with the father, husband, teacher. What is it most important to you for people to know about him? 

MA: I think people need to know the combination of things Paul was in order to have a better understanding of his work and his philosophy. It’s through monographs such as the one just published with 400 pages, 600 artworks and archival documents and comprehensive anthology of primary documents that we can tap into the world of Guiragossian a little bit. People are usually familiar with one aspect of his work while there is a fascinating amount of ideas, history, conferences and a very unique look at life that they need to know as well. Only then will people be able to have a clear idea of who Paul was and then the artwork will mean so much more.

Image from the Paul Guiragossian “A Tribute” Retrospective 03. © Courtesy Paul Guiragossian Foundation. Photo Credit: Beirut Art Fair 2018

AAF: Will the exhibition tour? What do you hope people will take away from the exhibition?

MA: Paul Guiragossian represents multiple people not just Armenians, Palestinians, Lebanese but a vast region, which is mostly misunderstood, misrepresented or marginalized. A touring exhibition sheds light on all these things to a larger public and other cultures who never come to our region to be able to learn and experience our arts and artists. Our culture. A comprehensive monograph about Paul Guiragossian that is distributed worldwide for the first time, is a good start and we hope these exhibitions will get a chance to reach more countries and museums for us to be able to share all this with.

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Armenian Art Fair meets Anahita Sadighi

Born in Tehran and raised in Berlin, Anahita Sadighi founded her first gallery Anahita Arts of Asia in the summer of 2015. Exhibiting antique arts from the Middle East and East Asia, the gallery focuses on ceramics, woodblock prints, carpets and textiles. As an extension to her eponymous gallery, Anahita opened her second gallery Anahita Contemporary just two months ago in April 2018, providing Berlin gallery-goers with the opportunity not only to view, purchase and admire Asian and Middle Eastern art from the past, but also to discover the artists who will be valued as significant historically in the future. Armenia Art Fair spoke to Anahita about how she got started as a curator, her decision to open a modern and contemporary art gallery and the relationship between Armenian and Iranian art.

Armenia Art Fair: Can you tell us a little about how you got your start as a curator?

Anahita Sadighi: Growing up amidst a vast collection of art, from ancient excavations to contemporary painting, I couldn’t avoid being attracted and fascinated with the arts of different countries, cultures, and periods. In London I studied Islamic Art and Architecture at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) where my academic interest in this field was nourished. Working at Art Dubai I got in contact with the exciting art scene of the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) and decided soon after that we need a more visible and broader representation of the artistic achievements of this important region in the Western dominated art market. It was clear that I must pursue this idea. So, I decided to open a gallery for antique Asian and Oriental Art in Berlin – the city I grew up in and one of the busiest art scenes in the world. It was just a matter of time when I had the idea of opening a second gallery dedicated to Contemporary Art. Again, works of art from the Middle East and Asia are playing an important role.

Before your new contemporary gallery opens, you already opened a gallery on historical and antique arts from Persia, Central Asia, China, and Japan. Why do you think that now is a good time to open a modern and contemporary gallery?

Historical and antique arts from the Middle East and Asia offer fascinating insights into the artistic identity and material culture of these diverse and ancient civilisations, which have strongly influenced the artistic developments in the West. To this day the presentation of and preoccupation with art is limited mainly to one area or field. I, however, believe that the 21st century should allow us to open existing boundaries and paradigms to offer a deeper and more open approach to art which, for example, demonstrates the interconnection between Antique and contemporary Art – between East and West, past and present. I would like to close the existing gap between the times and rather focus on connections and shared ideas, techniques, and history between these spheres.

What is it you think, that draws people to Iranian art?

I think Iran has always been a country of great interest and mystery, people feel drawn to Iran, its history, culture, and people. As one of the oldest civilisations with a highly dynamic and particularly interesting history, and with regards to their important artistic achievements, Iranian people have continually pursued the contemplation of the material and spiritual arts. This manifested itself in a strong and specific artistic identity, influencing and shaping the artistic achievements of other powerful dynasties – such as the ancient Romans, Chinese, Byzantine, Ottomans, or Indians.

The classical Persian style was dominated by the artistic identity of the ruling dynasties, without shutting out other influences, but has never lost its identity. The collective consciousness of a rich national heritage has always been present in Iran and to this day Iranian people reflect on their glorious past – which often appears in contrast to current political issues. Political restrictions and international isolation have of course challenged the working conditions for artists and creatives in the country, but they have certainly not been able to erase the essential urge for artists to follow their purpose. It should also be taken into consideration that the Iranian diaspora belongs to the most successful communities worldwide that enjoys great respect and appreciation in their new countries of residencies. So, I guess it’s quite natural that people are interested in what Iranians have to say.

How would you describe the art scene in the region?

The art scene in the region is quite diverse with different developing art hubs, all with their very own character and history, such as Dubai, Tehran, or Istanbul. Iran has a vibrant art scene with different art centres and traditions: In Tehran, for example, there is an upscale art market with art collectors pursuing a lifestyle which demonstrates their wealth and status rather than discovering and supporting different artistic discourses in their country. This trend is consequently reflected in the artistic programme of some galleries. Of course, this phenomenon is not only the case in Iran but in many other countries. But in the Middle East this trend appears more evident, and people sometimes seem to perceive only these one-dimensional impressions of the contemporary art scene there. In Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, however, there are growing underground art scenes with many individual, authentic and ambitious working artists, captivating works, and exciting art happenings addressing various issues – political or non-political – and reflect different parts of society. In this region extremes have always existed and will continue to exist.

Have you had any experience working with Armenian artists?

Not yet, but I would be very interested in discovering Armenian artists and the Armenian art scene. I have not visited Armenia yet but looking very forward to visiting it one day. I have heard so many positive things from my friends who have been there.
As neighbours, Iran and Armenia have had relations for thousands of years beginning with the Median Empire in the 7th-6th Century BC. The Christian Armenian community in Iran is amongst the largest and oldest communities in the world. They enjoy great recognition in Iran, which by the way is also the case with the Jewish community in
Iran. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of that. The more people visit these countries the better they will understand these realities. We share a formative historical past but more importantly we share important cultural sensitivities that will continue to
exist. Discovering Armenian artists will allow us new perspectives and insights to this fascinating country.

What do you hope for the future?

I hope that the perspective of lifting sanctions along with a moderate Iranian government focusing on domestic policies and prioritizing the needs of the Iranian people will establish a more stable and improving economic situation in the country. This will lead to better working conditions for artists and creatives, as well as facilitate an empowering of the art scene. This, I believe, will fuel a growing interest for Iranian artists worldwide and the successful implementation of an attractive art market infrastructure receptive to different segments of Contemporary Art from the Middle East. Artists and art professionals from the region need to liberate themselves of Western dominance in the current art market trends and develop a strong and confident national voice which shall be heard and acknowledged. Middle Eastern countries also need to work more closely together rather than opposing each other. I think this idea is becoming more important for the geopolitical and strategically perspectives of Asia as a continent and the Middle East as a region. Along with this there is a need for a growing number of academics and art professionals from the Middle East to work, and this initiative will contribute more significantly to a flourishing of intellectual exchange and new discourses in the Middle East. Of course these ideas are closely connected to the political developments in the region.

The photos are by courtesy of Alessia Cocca

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Arloopa: Creating an Environment of Technology for Armenian Artists

Co-founded by Arman Atoyan in 2014, Arloopa is a games development company that provides advanced AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) services. Using image-recognition and computer vision technology to convert the real world into content rich, interactive experiences, Arloopa is also equipping Armenian artists with the ability to bring two-dimensional artworks to life, paving the way for Armenia to stand at the forefront of the increasingly technological art world. Armenia Art Fair chatted to Atoyan to find out about how the app works, and what it can offer to the Armenian art scene.

Atoyan is passionate about art, and excited about the different options that are becoming available to fuse art and tech together. Arloopa created its first art piece in 2015, creating a VR experience for viewing a Martiros Saryan painting, brining a nineteenth-century artwork into a contemporary technological environment. Atoyan was first inspired to mix art and technology when watching an old Armenian cartoon with his daughter. His attention was caught when the main hero became a part of the painting. “I took the idea from one that was made 30 or 40 years before VR even existed”, explains Atoyan. He then worked to recreate the two-dimensional Saryan painting in a three-dimensional format.

 

After his initial work with the Saryan image, Atoyan wanted to see what would happen if paintings could come alive and show animation. He told us about an artwork gifted to him by one of his designers in which a girl was playing a violin. For three months, the Arloopa team secretly worked on the painting to make it three-dimensional, so that the girl was actually moving to play her violin. One day, Atoyan gave the designer an iPad and asked him to scan the artwork. His co-worker was so touched by the three-dimensional image that had been created that he was almost crying.

Arloopa adds new value to artworks by inserting new dimensions and sensory experiences. Not only does the application transform paintings into three- dimensional moving images, but also adds music, allowing the viewer to hear what the artist might be listening to while making their artwork. Now, Arloopa is working with an Armenian painting called Last Night of Komitas by Sargis Muradyan, which was painted in 1956. The work shows the moment when police entered Komitas’s home in Turkey in 1915 and took him away at the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. In Muradyan’s painting Komitas is playing the piano by candlelight as his intruders open the door in the background. Arloopa is working to bring the viewer into Komitas’s room by recreating a piano with keys that move and emits music in a virtual three- dimensional space. The Arloopa team has even sourced voice clips of Komitas’s voice to add to the VR experience. “People have become quite emotional about it”, explains Atoyan, who is working to create a tour in which people can experience the work, which was first shown in Monaco during Armenian Collection 2018 in a presentation of Armenian products in Monte Carlo.

As well as working to bring art historical works of art to life, Arloopa is also collaborating with contemporary artists. During Yerevan-based curatorial initiative HAYP Pop Up’s exhibition The Scale of Life in 2015, Arloopa worked with painter, filmmaker and street artist Luska to bring her mural Vishapunette (Dragonette) to life with the help of VR. Vishapunette is a mythical woman-serpent-dragon created by Luska. In the water-based paint mural, the creature becomes three-dimensional when scanned with the app. The piece was so popular with visitors that viewers asked why the rest of theartworks weren’t given the VR treatment too. Following the show, HAYP and Arloopa worked together to print posters of Luska’s work, allowing people to experience the 3D effect long after the exhibition closed.

 

In 2017, Arloopa collaborated with the HAYP team again for their Nor Dada (New Dada – Dada was a twentieth-century art movement launched in Zurich which mocked artistic and social conventions and emphasised the illogical and absurd) exhibition in Venice, Italy. Comprising the work of Gayane Yerkanyan, the show presented Armenian typography and its permutations as a metaphor for the individual in an increasingly globalized world. The exhibition deconstructed letters to dismantle traditional and sacred cultural assumptions. Through the incorporation of augmented reality, Arloopa and the show’s curators introduced the “absurd Dadaist machine,” where today’s information technology substituted the iron gears of the early twentieth- century, asking how IT has changed the artist’s craft, lifestyle and the viewer’s experience of the visual world.

So what does Atoyan think about the future of art and technology? He believes that that the two will become more tightly linked. Citing Google’s “tilt brush” tool as an example – which allows people to paint in 3D – Atoyan thinks that before long all artists will be painting in 3D. “Augmented reality makes art more deeper,” he affirms, “Soon art will be much more advanced, adapting to
who is viewing it whether it be kids or adults.”

And what about art, technology and Armenia? Atoyan is always trying to engage people and thinks that art could be more technologically enhanced. “Arloopa is assisting artists to make augmented reality”, explains Atoyan, “It could be the differentiation with Armenian artists and the rest of the world, making them more advanced than their competitors.”

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BEIRUT ART FAIR

 

September 2018 saw Lebanon present its ninth BEIRUT ART FAIR. Hosting 53 exhibitors, the fair also included two stand-alone exhibitions, as well as a week of events that run concurrently across Beirut.

Consisting of predominantly Lebanese and French galleries, there was also gallery representation from Belarus, Belgium, Egypt, Switzerland and even Yerevan’s own Aramé Art Gallery. Two of the most memorable artworks at the fair included references to famous art historical paintings. Voodart from Cameroon, exhibited the large paintings of Marc Padeu, whose work comments on the way in which the King is celebrated within Cameroonian society. Padeu’s The King is Back is a particularly powerful image, which includes Botticelli’s infamous The Birth of Venus in the background. Also of note was Alireza Shojaian’s Hamed Sinno et un de Ses Frères, which was exhibited by ARTLAB Beirut. The painting references the 1594 painting of Gabrielle d’Estrées pinching the nipple of her sister by an unknown French artist. In Shojaian’s painting, Hamed Sinno – lead singer of Lebanese band Mashrou Laila – pinches the nipple of Anubis. The painting garnered the attention of the young Arab audience at the fair and is also a comment on the arrests of a number of concertgoers at a Mashrou Laila concert in Cairo in 2017, who were detained for waving the rainbow flag.

In addition to gallery representation, two exhibitions took place within the fair. One of these was a tribute to the life and work of Paul Guiragossian, an Armenian artist who lived and worked in Beirut. Curated by his daughter Manuella Guiragossian, the retrospective exhibition was based on the latest monograph Paul Guiragossian: Displacing Modernity, which was recently published by Silvana Editoriale. The exhibition at BEIRUT ART FAIR not only exhibited paintings and drawings, but also included photographs, sound and video recordings that had never before been exhibited to the public.

As well as the Paul Guiragossian exhibition, BEIRUT ART FAIR also included a photography exhibition titled Across Boundaries, which highlighted the evolution of Lebanese photography over the past century. Curated by Lebanese collector Tarek Nahas, the event included over 100 photographs that covered three themes: Territory, Document and Intimate. The exhibition comprised works from 30 collections, and included works by Manoug Alemian, on loan for the first time, with Lebanon’s first photographic studios having often been run by Armenian traders.

BEIRUT ART FAIR attracted a record number of visitors, and an impressive programme of concurrent events, highlighting the strength of the art scene in Lebanon.

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Armenia Art Fair

“Highlights “ Լիզի Վարդանյանից

2018 թվականի մայիսի 11-14-ը Երևան Էքսպո կենտրոնում տեղի ունեցավ Հայաստանի առաջին գեղարվեստի ցուցահանդես-տոնավաճառը, որտեղ ներկայացան կուրատորներ, պատկերասրահներ, ցուցադրություններ, անցկացվեցին մի շարք երկխոսություններ, պերֆորմանսներ: Armenia Art Fair-ին իրենց ներկայությունը բերեցին արվեստի աշխարհի պրոֆեսիոնալներ, գնորդներ և հանրությունը՝ վայելելու և բացահայտելու Սևծովյան տարածաշրջանի, Կովկասի, Միջին Արևելքի, Միացյալ Թագավորության և այլ երկրների արվեստը:

Լինելով Արևելքի և Արևմուտքի խաչմերուկում՝ Armenia Art Fair-ին հաջողվել է  ներգրավել պատկերասրահներ  բազմազան մշակույթներից:

Հայաստանյան պատկերասրահների շարքում ընդգրկված էին դասականները, այդ թվում՝ Ալբերտ և Թովէ Բոյաջյան պատկերասրահը, որը ներկայացրեց Սարո Գալենցի (1946-2017) աշխատանքները, որի նատյուրմորտները համեմատելի են եվրոպական սյուրռեալիստական նկարների հետ:

«Սյուրռեալային» բաղադրիչը նկատելի է Կարոյան պատկերասրահի ցուցադրությունում: Երևանի Ժամանակակից արվեստի ինստիտուտի մի մասը կազմող պատկերասրահն աշխատում է այն արվեստագետների հետ, ովքեր ստեղծում են պոստմեդիա գաղափարախոսությամբ  ստեղծագործություններ: Սա առավել տեսանելի էր Վահրամ Գալստյանի Instinct & Intelligence աշխատանքում:

Աշխատանքն իրենից ներկայացնում էր գիպսե ծածկոցով երկար սեղան, ծայրերին երկու աթոռներ: Աթոռների դիմաց՝ սեղանի վրա երկու սպիտակ ամաններ էին՝ լցված մի քանի սպիտակ գլուխներով, որոնք լողում էին խորհրդավոր կապույտ հեղուկի մեջ: Արդյունքում աշխատանքը կարծես երկիր էր ընկել ֆանտաստիկ ֆիլմից: Աշխատանքն, անշուշտ, գրավեց ցուցահանդեսի այցելուների մեծամասնությանը:

Առաջին տարում ցուցահանդես-վաճառքին ներկա է գտնվել լիբանանյան Art Residence Aley և Լոնդոնում հիմնված սիրիական Litehouse ցուցասրահը: Դամասկոսի մայրուղու վրա գտնվող  Ալեյ քաղաքի Art Residence Aley-ը բնակավայրային ծրագիր է, որը սիրիացի փախստական արվեստագետներին հնարավորություն է ընձեռում ստեղծագործելու  Լիբանանում: Երևանում Art Residence Aley-ի շրջանակներում ներկայացվել են Ֆարա Ազրակի, Ադել Դավուդի, Հասկո Հասկոյի ստեղծագործությունները՝ կոլաժների, կտավների, լայնածավալ նկարների շարքով, ինչպես նաև արվեստագետները հրավիրվել են Հայաստան ներկա լինելու ցուցահանդես-վաճառքին: Aley նախագծի ընդլայնմամբ լոնդոնյան Litehouse ցուցասրահը ներկայացրեց սիրիացի մի շարք նկարիչների ժամանակակից կտավներ, այդ թվում Հեբա Ալ Ակկադի և Շադի Աբու Սաադայի:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ներկայացված էին նաև մի շարք կուրատորական տաղավարներ, այդ թվում բելառուսցի Նատա Սոկոլովսկան և Դոկտոր Ռանդալ Ռոդեսի The Figure: Presence and Absence խորագիրը կրող տաղավարը: Սոկոլովսկան ներկայացրեց Օլեգ Կոստուչենկոյի աշխատանքները, որոնք ցնցող էին, հատկապես հում մսի ֆոնի վրա ճոճվող կնոջ վառ կարմիր կտավը (Flashback, կտավ, յուղաներկ, 2016) և Ինքնադիմանկարը, որտեղ նկարիչն իրեն պատկերել է հարմարավետության գոտուց դուրս մղվելիս (Approaching zero – 3, կտավ, յուղաներկ, 2017):

Երիտասարդ հայ արվեստագետների մասնակցությունն ընդգծվում էր Հայաստանի գեղարվեստի պետական ակադեմիայի տաղավարում: Ներկայացված էին նաև մի շարք ծրագրեր, որոնք ներկայացնում են հայկական արվեստը սահմաններից դուրս, այդ թվում՝ KulturDialog Armenian և Progressive Art Agency, արտիստների միջազգային կոլեկտիվը, որոնց ստեղծած արվեստը անցնում է սահմաններ. Վահագ Համալբաշյանի Սուզանավը (կտավ, յուղաներկ, 2016 թ.) կտավում մի քանի կերպարներ հավաքվել են ծովափին պաղպաղակ ուտելու:

Բացի ներկայացված 19 տաղավարները, առանձին հարթակով ներկայացված էր ‘Open Space’-ը, որը հինգ ցուցահանդեսների միջոցով ներկայացրեց երիտասարդ ժամանակակից հայ նկարիչների աշխատանքները: Կուրատոր Եվա Խաչատրյանի գլխավորությամբ արվեստի ցուցահանդես-տոնավաճառի այս հարթակը լույս է սփռում նոր ի հայտ եկող հայ արվեստագետների և մասնագետների վրա, որոնք նորարար են, դինամիկ ու համարձակ: Այս շարքում մասնավորապես ուշագրավ էին Համլետ Հովսեփյանի և Տիգրան Խաչատրյանի ֆիլմերի մի շարք նախագծեր, որոնցում հանդիսատեսը կարողացավ ականատես լինել հայ ավանգարդի հազվադեպ ցուցադրվող ֆիլմերին, ինչպես նաև Գրիգոր Խաչատրյանի աշխատանքին. <<Նրանք, ովքեր սիրում են ինձ, իմ վրա իշխանություն ունեն, ավելի մեծ իշխանություն ունեն նրանք, ում ես եմ սիրում>>:

Armenia Art Fair-ին զուգահեռ և համատեղ Hayp Pop Up Gallery-ին ներկայացրեց The Leather Show-ն: Մերգելյան ինստիտուտում կազմակերպված շոուն ներկայացրեց Նարեկ Բաղդասարյանի աշխատանքները՝  90-ականների փոփ մշակույթով ոգեշնչված մի շարք լայնածավալ աշխատանքներ: Աշխատանքները ներառում են հայերեն, ռուսերեն և անգլերեն տեքստեր, վառ կապույտ և վարդագույն կերպարների վրա, որոնց հագին սպիտակ վերնաշապիկներ և կաշվե բաճկոններ են: Բացման ժամանակ տեղի ունեցավ նորաձևության ներկայացում, որտեղ մի շարք դիզայներներ, ովքեր համագործակցում են նկարչի հետ, ներկայացրեցին իրենց աշխատանքը:

Հաջորդ պերֆորմանսը Transliterative Tease էր: Ցուցահանդեսի բացման ժամանակ տեղի ունեցավ անսպասելի պերֆորմանս, երբ մի խումբ արվեստագետներ քաղաքական հայ գործիչների դիմակներով, այդ թվում` վերջերս մերժված Սերժ Սարգսյանի և նորընտիր Նիկոլ Փաշինյանի, խառնվեցին հյուրերին կարմիր ճամպրուկով, որի վրա հայերեն գրված էր Իշխանություն: Արտիստները հանդիսատեսին հրավիրում էին շփվելու և լուսանկարվելու իրենց հետ՝ Հայաստանում տեղի ունեցած վերջին քաղաքական իրադարձություններին հաղորդելով հումորային տարր:

Գերիշխող վիզուալ արվեստի տոնավաճառը համալրեց կլոր սեղան քննարկումը և հարց ու պատասխանն արվեստի ոլորտի մասնագետների և լսարանի միջև: «Տեղաշարժելով արվեստի հեռանկարները տեղականից դեպի գլոբալ»  night owl երկխոսությունը վարեցին Հայաստանի ամերիկյան համալսարանի ռեկտոր դոկտոր Ռանդալ Ռոդեսը, Սուսաննա Գյուլամիրյանը (Արվեստի և մշակույթի ուսումնասիրությունների լաբորատորիայի տնօրեն), գրող և կուրատոր Գեորգ Շոլհամերը և  Ժամանակակից արվեստի ինստիտուտի տնօրեն Նազարեթ Կարոյանը:

Ընդհանուր առմամբ, դեբյուտային Armenia Art Fair-ը հաջողությամբ ներկայացրեց ոչ միայն Հայաստանի ներսում գտնվող արվեստագետների, կուրատորների և պատկերասրահների տաղանդը, այլև ներգրավեց արվեստագետների տարածաշրջանից դուրս՝ ստեղծելով բազմազան հիմք, որի վրա պետք է կառուցվի  2019 թվականի ցուցահանդես-վաճառքը:

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Armenia Art Fair

Highlights

From the 11th – the 14th of May 2018 Armenia’s very first Art Fair, was held in Yerevan Expo. Playing host to curators, galleries, exhibitions and a number of talks and performances, Armenia Art Fair welcomed artworld professionals, buyers and the general public to come together to discover art from the Black Sea region, the Caucasus, the Middle East, UK and beyond.

Located at the crossroads of east and west, Armenia Art Fair succeeded in attracting galleries from a diverse array of cultures.

Amongst the Armenian-based galleries, standouts included Albert & Tove Boyajian’s exhibition of Saro Galentz’s (1946-2017) work, whose still life compositions are comparable to European surrealist paintings.

This ‘surreal’ component carried through to Karoyan Gallery’s display. Part of the Institute for Contemporary Art in Yerevan, the gallery’s overall focus is in working with artists who produce post-media conceptually-driven works. This was most visible in the unmissable Instinct & Intelligence by Vahram Galstyan.

The work consisted of a long table covered in plaster, with a seat at either end. In front of the chairs and on top of the table were two white bowls filled with several white heads floating in a mysterious blue liquid. The resulting work looked like it fell straight onto earth from out of a science fiction movie and certainly entertained and perplexed the majority of the art fair’s visitors.

Among the top booths in its inaugural year was the presence of Art Residence Aley from Lebanon and Syrian London-based gallery Litehouse. Situated in Aley, which is on the Lebanese freeway to Damascus, Art Residence Aley is a residency programme that provides Syrian refugee artists with the opportunity to make art in Lebanon. In Yerevan, Art Residence Aley exhibited the work of Farah Azrak, Adel Dauood and Hasko Hasko in a vibrant display of collages and large-scale paintings of oil and canvas, and also invited the artists to Armenia to engage with the art fair’s audience. In an extension of the project in Aley, Litehouse Gallery in London also displayed a moving array of contemporary Syrian works with paintings by Heba Al Akkad and Shadi Abou Saada being particularly memorable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also of note were a number of curated booths that included the participation of Belarusian Nata Sokolowska and an exhibition entitled The Figure: Presence and Absence by Dr Randall Rhodes. Sokolowska’s display of Oleg Kostyuchenko’s work were especially striking, with deep red paintings of women floating on tire swings in front of large carcasses of raw meat (Flashback, oil on canvas, 2016) and a self-portrait in which the artist represents pushing himself out of his comfort zone (Approaching zero – 3, oil on canvas, 2017).

The participation of young Armenian artists were emphasised through the presence of the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia. There were also a number of projects working to promote Armenian art beyond its borders including KulturDialog Armenian and Progressive Art Agency, an international artistic collective which works to produce art that crosses boundaries and disciplines, with a highlight being Vahag Hamalbashyan’s Submarine, acrylic on canvas, 2016, in which a number of disconnected figures come together to eat ice cream on a beach.

In addition to the nineteen booths, an ‘Open Space’ exhibited the work of young contemporary Armenian artists through five exhibitions. Curated by Eva Khachatrian, this section of the art fair shone a light on young emerging Armenian artists and cemented practitioners from Armenia as innovative, dynamic and daring. Particularly noteworthy amongst this cluster of exhibitions was the projection of a series of films by Hamlet Hovsepian and Tigran Khachatryan, in which the audience was able to witness rarely screened films of the Armenian avant-garde, as well as Grigor Khachatryan’s ticking work Those Who Love Me Have Power Over Me, Greater Power Have Those Whom I Love.

Another young artist was showcased during Armenia Art Fair in Hayp Pop Up Gallery’s The Leather Show, which took place in conjunction with the fair. The exhibition at the Mergerlian Institute presented the work of Narek Barseghyan through several large paintings inspired by 90s pop culture. The works incorporate Armenian, Russian and English text scrawled over images of bright blue and pink figures wearing white t-shirts and jackets. During the opening a fashion-performance took place where a number of designers who collaborated with the artist paraded their designs in an electrifying art-meets-fashion runway experience.

This was not the first performance during the fair, which also hosted a Transliterative Tease by Polish-Iranian duo Slavs and Tartars. An additional and unexpected performative piece took place during the art fair’s opening when a group of artists carrying masks of political Armenian figures – including the recently rejected Serzh Sargysyan and the newly elected Nikol Pashinyan – mingled with guests carrying a red suitcase with the word government printed on the front in Armenian. In an act that could have proved delicate, the artists invited the audience to interact with them and take selfies with their masks, adding an element of humour to recent political events in Armenia.

Adding to the predominantly visual art fair was a round table discussion and open Q & A between art world professionals and the art fair audience. Shifting Perspectives on Art from Local to Global was a night owl dialog moderated by Dr Randall Rhodes, provost at the American University of Armenia between Susanna Gyulamirayn (director of the Art and Cultural Studies Laboratory), writer and curator Georg Schoellhammer and critic, curator and director of the Institute for Contemporary Art Nazareth Karoyan. The evening event allowed for a moment of reflection on the current global trends in an ever-diversifying art market.

All in all, the debut Armenia Art Fair succeeded in not only highlighting the talents of artists, curators and galleries inside Armenia, but also in attracting practitioners from outside the region, creating a diverse foundation upon which to build for the second edition of the fair in 2019.

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