Curated projects

The exhibition VOULU / OBLIGÉ, outskirts of a small contradiction is part of a large-scale project called Underconstruction that has been in existence since 2005. Since its inception it has served as a platform for Armenian artists to ponder, discuss and analyze sensitive issues in a globalizing and increasingly technologically sophisticated world, namely: identity, nationality, citizenship and social cohesion. One of the outcomes of this process is currently on display as part of the Krossings platform, a collateral event of the 53rd Venice Biennale. The artists—whose powerful commitment to the project can be seen as a metaphor for the rhizomatic construction of the transnation—propose images which do not claim to speak with one monolithic voice or to possess the solidity of nationalist symbols, but rather aim to act like various thread composing a large tapestry.

The exhibition thisPLACEd real • virtual • in between in Tallinn aims to show this transnational and hybrid identity model and to juxtapose it with the arising understanding of Estonians in a post-Soviet framework “on the way” to becoming a full member of the European Union. The Armenia related artists of the platform under_construction invited Estonia related artists to participate in an open process, a visual-virtual dialog using a blog format as an artistic tool for exchange (from January to December 2008) with the goal of developing an exhibition in Tallinn.

This exhibition presented works by 7 artists of Armenian origin from Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Buenos Aires and Yerevan. The exhibition will take place from 1st to 15th November at the Armenian Cultural Association of the City of Buenos Aires.
Artists: Achot Achot, Tina Bastajian, Jean Marie Casbarian, Silvina Der-Meguerditchian, Archi Galentz, Kariné Matsakian and Garine Torossian.
A(R)MAR   ARMENIA - Transnational Video Art. From 1st to 15th November 2008 at the Armenian Cultural Association Armenia 1366

The exhibition " UNDER_CONSTRUCTION":Talking about identities in the Armenian transnation is meant as an experimental play. It presents a forum for frank dialogue on questions relating to identity, the potential for an Armenian identity beyond defined borders and notions passed on for generations, such as nationality, tradition and language. On display are works by seven artists of Armenian descent whose biographies resemble a cultural patchwork. All of them are multi-lingual and grew up in diverse cultural contexts. The nomadic, hybrid nature of their existence not only enables them to move effortlessly in different languages and cultures as international artists, but also shapes a kind of culture in which identity is a paradoxical, fleeting and constantly changing process. Remembering their Armenian roots – the search for the lost garden – has become the driving force behind the visual dialogues and creative work of Achot Achot, Emily Artenian, Andrew Demirdjian, Silvina Der-Meguerditchian, Dahlia Elsayed, Archi Galentz and Sophia Gasparian.