Swimming Upstream S ergei D javadian 's search for music of art by Laurence Vittes
SERGEI DJAVADIAN's first discovery as a major collector of modern Armenian art was Jimi Hendrix. The young Armenian businessman growing up in USSR didn't speak English yet but the emotions and language of American jazz went right to his head. He was looking to immerse himself in something different, against the mainstream; while most people listened to Russian socialist pop music, Sergei became "energized in an American way." Buying vinyl in the former Soviet Union could be an exciting if perilous adventure in those days. "To get an American LP in Russia," Sergei explained, "was like winning the lottery." At the beginning of the 70s, he would fly long hours to Moscow just to get LPs, and get back to work net day. In doing so, he met foreigners – "which was dangerous because American vinyl was basically forbidden by the KGB." As he listened to more jazz, refined his tastes, slowly built up a library of 100 LPs, and his way of thinking became more abstract, a friend suggested he would find an analogous visual experience in the underground art world. He was not worried that he would be caught. "I was used to swimming upstream, and the music inspired me to be even more strongly determined."
Sergei Djavadian
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