Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
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Gagik Arotuinian—Kiss the Ground Curated by Todd Bartel Thompson Gallery, The Cambridge School of Weston Published on the occasion of the exhibition series Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia Part 1, December 6, 2014 - January 20, 2015 Part 2, January 25 - March 15, 2015 © Thompson Gallery, The Cambridge School of Weston, and Armenian Museum of America, Inc. Forward © 2014 Gary Lind-Sinanian, Todd Bartel Essay © 2014 Todd Bartel Edited by Eli Keehn Design Todd Bartel Printed on demand by Lulu.com All reproductions of art furnished by © the artists, except Yefkin Megherian, Jessica Sperandio and Apo Torosian—photos by Todd Bartel All exhibition and performance photos © 2014, 2015 Todd Bartel All other photography credited below reprinted images All rights reserved Cover: Adrienne Der Marderosian, Migration (Tattoo Trails II series), 2014 found images, maps, vellum, thread, ink on paper, 7.75 x 5 inches, [photo credit: Todd Bartel]
The Cambridge School of Weston 45 Georgian Road Weston, MA 02493
Thompson Gallery
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The Armenian Museum of America, Inc. 65 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472
ARMENIAN MUSEUM OF AMERICA
Kiss the Ground Gagik Aroutiunian, September 5 - November 15, 2014 A New Armenia, part 1, December 6, 2014 - January 20, 2015 (Armenian Museum of America) Talin Megherian, December 18, 2014 - March 13, 2015 A New Armenia, part 2, January 25 - March 15, 2015 (Armenian Museum of America) A New Armenia, part 3, March 30 - June 13, 2015 Kiss the Ground is a five part exhibition series that examines and celebrates contemporary Armenian art, one hundred years after the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The third part of the exhibition series, Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia, is itself a three part exhibition series in two venues—ALMA and the Thompson Gallery. Part I of the Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia series brings together the work of Gail Boyajian, Adrienne Der Marderosian, Aida Laleian, Talin Megherian, Yefkin Megherian, Kevork Mourad, Marsha Odabashian and Jessica Sperandio. Part 2 of the Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia series examines the work of Gagik Aroutiunian, John Avakian, Jackie Kazarian and Apo Torosyan. ABOUT THE THOMPSON GALLERY The Thompson Gallery is a teaching gallery at The Cambridge School of Weston dedicated to exploring single themes through three separate exhibitions, offering differing vantages on the selected topic. Named in honor of school trustee John Thompson and family, the Gallery promotes opportunities to experience contemporary art by local, national and international artists and periodically showcases the art of faculty, staff and alumni. The Gallery is located within the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, The Cambridge School of Weston, 45 Georgian Road, Weston, MA 02493. M–F 9–4:30 p.m. and by appointment (school calendar applies). Visit thompsongallery.csw.org to view exhibit art. ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON The Cambridge School of Weston, located in a Boston suburb, is a progressive, coeducational, day and boarding school for grades 9 through 12 and post graduate. Established in 1886, the school is dedicated to fostering individual strengths and deep, meaningful relationships through a wide range of challenging courses and a variety of teaching styles. csw.org ABOUT THE ARMENIAN MUSEUM OF AMERICA Founded in 1971, the Armenian Museum of America is a major repository for all aspects of Armenian culture, combining an archive, museum, library, and art gallery. The Museum’s collections include over 20,000 artifacts, including ancient and medieval Armenian coins, textiles, inscribed rugs, Urartian and religious artifacts, ceramics, illuminated manuscripts and various other cultural objects. The Library includes over 27,000 titles, an oral history collection sound recording, photographs and archival materials. The Museum offers historical exhibitions, traveling exhibits, art shows, lectures, films, concerts, genocide workshops, dance classes and other cultural and literary programs to the public. The museum celebrates Armenian culture and tells the story of the Armenian-American experience. almainc.org 3
Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
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Forward & Acknowledgements I’ve been curating exhibits for several decades, and learned early on that life is a lot simpler when one focuses on one-artist shows. Group shows have always been a logistical challenge for me, with conflicting demands and needs, to be avoided when feasible. I’ve curated or hosted exhibitions by over 400 Armenian artists at the Armenian Museum, representing a vast range of styles, philosophies, and countries of origin. It’s been an interesting experience. When I first met Todd Bartel, I was hesitant about his concept “Kiss the Ground.” It sounded like an interesting idea, but I was all too aware of the problems and issues that would have to be dealt with. Todd showed me how one does it right. His gentle humor, enthusiasm, persistence and wide knowledge of the arts pulled together a disparate range of artists and media, unified around a common theme of “Memory.” The show explores a wide range of viewpoints and experiences, and offers an overview that is refreshing. Most shows I’ve created along similar themes tended to be grim, if not depressing, but Todd’s exhibits are thought-provoking challenges to the viewer. The inclusion of other media including film and theater adds other layers of context to the works, and I envy his skills in creating this exhibition catalog. The exhibit has been favorably received and has attracted wide attention to our galleries. I’m glad I listened to him. Gary Lind-Sinanian, curator Armenian Museum of America February 7, 2015
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When I first took on the Kiss the Ground project during the early summer of 2014, I quickly realized that the roster of artists and their individual works were going to outgrow my original vision. I came to understand this fact not only because of the quality of the work I was seeing, but also due to the quantity and type of available work. There were monumental pieces and series work that clearly demanded public attention, and there was a lot of it. Compelled and inspired by a greater vision than I was able to accommodate, I realized the Thompson Gallery alone could not display the volume of important work available for the Kiss the Ground project. Thus, I reached out to Rev. Fr. Vasken Kouzouian, of the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge, MA, to assist in my search for additional venues. His suggestion to seek exhibition possibilities at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (Watertown, MA) seemed a remote possibility—I did not know anyone at the museum and surely it would be booked at that late date. As destiny would have it, the museum was still undergoing renovations, and I had asked at the exact right moment to fill a few openings in their busy schedule during an exceedingly important moment in the history of the Armenian people. As the project unfolded, it expanded into a rich and multi-disciplinary collaboration between our two institutions. Thanks to the expertise, openness, and support of Gary Lind-Sinanian, Head Curator at the museum, the Kiss the Ground exhibition series was able to more deeply explore the work of the artists within the series. The generous offering of the newly renovated Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries afforded the opportunity
to examine additional works of art by artists Gagik Aroutiunian, Adrienne Der Marderosian, Talin Megherian and Yefkin Megherian. It also allowed for the unusual opportunity to display works which require a lot of room. Were it not for the abundant space, it simply would not have been possible to explore the oversized works of John Avakian, Gail Boyajian, Aida Laleian, Kevork Mourad and Marsha Odabashian. Nor would it have been possible to include the series work of Jackie Kazarian, Jessica Sperandio and Apo Torosyan. I am particularly grateful for having been afforded the opportunity to pull together these particular works, as they collectively illuminate the exhibition’s title in powerful ways. As the haunting image on the cover of this catalog illuminates, A New Armenia is largely about the trajectory of diaspora Armenians and how far they have come in the last hundred years. Adrienne Der Marderosian’s Migration raises timely, simple and penetrating questions. Who are we to be here? How are we to inhabit the space we are in? What have we brought with us from where we once were? Where will we go next? How shall we go? We are all moving somewhere; what can we do along the way? These questions have many answers and the pages that follow shed much light on the spirit of such inquiry.
acknowledge his support with arranging the two film screenings—Apo Torosyan’s Voices and Roger Hagopian’s Memories of Marash—and Elliot Baker’s The Past Is Not Past reading. It was a great pleasure to work a second time with the cast and director Sophie Landa in their reading of Baker’s play at the Museum. The feeling and care they brought to their portrayal was obviously appreciated by all those who attended the first reception. I also want to extend my deep appreciation for all the logistical help of Theresa Antonellis, who did an outstanding job of getting the word out to the surrounding community for all our programming. I am particularly thankful for Rev. Fr. Kouzouian’s help in connecting me with the Armenian Museum of America. His introduction amounted to something deeply meaningful for a great many people. Todd Bartel Curator, Director, Thompson Gallery January 29, 2015
I have greatly enjoyed working with Gary Lind-Sinanian and am most grateful for his assistance in helping me install these first two A New Armenia exhibitions. His encyclopedic knowledge proved a value beyond measure each and every time we met and communicated, and it often informed my ideas as I pulled these shows together. I deeply appreciate his tireless energy and good spirit and also want to 7
Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
Part 1: December 6, 2014 - January 20, 2015 Armenian Museum of America Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries
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Genocide studies show that the trauma does not stop at the generation that experiences the genocide. So the experiences of second and third generations continue to affect the next generations.1 Gagik Aroutiunian The Thompson Gallery (The Cambridge School of Weston, Weston, MA) and The Armenian Museum of America have joined forces to present Kiss the Ground, a 5-part exhibition series centering on the work of 12 Armenian artists. The exhibitions examine and celebrate contemporary Armenian art at a particular moment in history, organized to coincide with the centennial memorialization of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. At its core, the exhibition series is catalyzed by the contrast between celebration and remembrance. The first exhibition in the series took place in the fall and examined the art of Armenianborn, Chicago-based Gagik Aroutiunian, whose work focuses on memory and identity through the imagery of family, loss and displacement—the aftereffects of a culture nearly brought to extinction. The Gagik Aroutiunian—Kiss the Ground virtual exhibition may be viewed online by visiting thompsongallery.csw.org. Part II of the series, Talin Megherian—Kiss the Ground (December 18, 2014 – March 13, 2015) focuses on the abstract-narrative paintings of Talin Megherian (Watertown, MA). Her work explores family and cultural stories about the Armenian Genocide, often focusing on the stories of Armenian women in particular. Part II overlaps with this exhibition and may be seen at the Weston location until March of 2015. Kiss the Ground—A New ArmeniaI runs between December 7, 2014 and January 11
20, 2015. The middle exhibition of A New ArmeniaII occurs between January 25 and March 1, 2015 here at ALMA. The final part of Kiss the Ground—A New ArmeniaIII will take place at The Cambridge School of Weston’s Thompson Gallery from March 30 June 13, 2015. Kiss the Ground takes its namesake from the etymology of one of the Armenian words for “worship.”2 The word “yergurbakootyoon” translates literally to mean “kissing the ground,” but figuratively refers to total submission—voluntary or involuntary. A gesture of the body, such as laying face down on the ground, is an act of deep veneration. The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church points out, “words and thoughts alone cannot express all that we believe,” nor can they express all that the Armenian people have endured, and that is why the gesture requires great effort. Though it is used as a term of “worship” today, the word is largely disconnected from its initial roots and is not commonly used. The aftereffects of disconnection, and the need for cultural redefinition, are what prompted this exhibition series. As a verbal expression that describes a figurative activity, yergurbakootyoon in the context of this exhibition series signals a metaphorical reference for an expression of hallowed respect and connection. The particular action conjures many images, thoughts and associations that go beyond its original usage. Spoken in English on American soil, “kissing the ground” brings to mind reverence for land, for home, for country, for people, and for a way of living. It is an act of great dedication to connect to a difficult past and build an uncertain future. Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia offers a glimpse of the work being made today by American-Armenian artists from as nearby 12
as Watertown and as far away as Chicago. Some artists in the show embrace their heritage and family histories, while others do not; the choice to engage with a difficult past is a personal one for artists and families alike. A New Armenia begins with the premise that all post-traumatic experiences are valid. Each artist in their own way contributes something vital to the collective memory of Armenian people and culture, which today, despite its traumatic past, is thriving and expansive. Gail Boyajian (Cambridge, MA) considers her landscape drawings and paintings to be “characters, created by the voices and ghosts of present and past inhabitants.”3 Her painting Anatolian Memorial depicts a vast panorama viewed only by native birds— contemporary Eastern Anatolia, scattered with historic Armenian ruins and the remnants of many past cultures. Adrienne Der Marderosian (Belmont, MA) creates works on paper that shed light on the relationship between collective memory, human motivation and navigating the future. Her art asks us: “How do we endure the most challenging of situations? Do we control our destiny or do events determine the direction that our lives take?”4 As her series title—Tattoo Trails II—suggests, the indelible trauma of Armenian displacement prompts such questions even now—one hundred years later. Aida Laleian (Williamstown, MA) works with digital photography to “liberate the image from the page” in ways that are “unimaginable in analog photography.”5 Often embroidering her photographs, she is interested in “the irony of using an infinitely
reproducible medium to create a one-of-akind, laboriously crafted object.”6 Though Laleian does not directly explore themes of genocide in her work, the notion of maternal protection is a welcome interpretation of her untitled gum dichromate print. Similarly, the randomly generated title Turn To Their Blameless Deceits conjures imagery of facelessness and denial. Talin Megherian (Watertown, MA) has been making abstract-narrative paintings for the past decade that explore collective Armenian memory and identity. She describes her efforts: “I feel compelled to give them a voice—in part, for a people that have not healed, in part for myself, and in part for my family that still remembers.”7 Upper Torso exposes the brutality inflicted upon Armenian Christians living under the auspices of the 1915 Ottoman government. Yefkin Megherian (Queens, NY) creates bronze bas-reliefs and portraits of various personages and events from Armenian history, including Armenian clergy and members of her own family. Her plastilene model for bronze casting entitled St. Mesrob & St. Sahag—The Invention of the Armenian Alphabet 404 A.D. was commissioned in memory of Paul DerOhannesian and installed in the nave of Saint Peter Armenian Church, Watervliet, NY.8 Marsha Odabashian (Dedham, MA) works to obscure the horror of genocide with decoration, much in the same way people place flowers on tombstones—with a hope of creating temporary solace.9 In Greatness has Passed, the grandeur of a rich culture is ironically incarnated though the confrontation of large-scale painting.
Kevork Mourad (New York, NY) draws and paints on bodies, paper and canvas, and is widely known for his performance drawings in which the artist responds to live orchestral music. In the oversized drawing Standing Alone, the artist considers the power of one individual who takes a stand. Jessica Sperandio (Franklin, MA) explores issues of presence and absence in her familial-biographical sculptures and installations. Her recent work documents family history “to preserve what is left of her Armenian family heritage.”10 Collectively, the work in Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia juxtaposes complicated issues for consideration, in which reverence often commingles with solemn remembrance. As the title of the series implies, veneration requires effort. But such exertion also results in the recognition of a new experience, a new understanding, a new Armenia. Todd Bartel Gallery Director, Curator Thompson Gallery
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1. Gagik Aroutiunian Interview, Waltham, MA, August 29, 2014 2. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Ed., The Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, St. Vartan Press, New York, 2011, ix 3. Gail Boyajian, artist’s statement, 2012 4. Adrienne Der Marderosian, artist’s statement, 2011 5. Aida Laleian, artist’s biography statement, 2014 6. Ibid. 7. Talin Megherian, artist’s statement, 2011 8. Yefkin Megherian, artist’s statement, 2014 9. Marsha Odabashian, artist’s statement 2014 10. Jessica Sperandio, artist’s statement, 2014
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In the 5th century CE, after Armenia became the first kingdom to accept Christianity as its national religion, an Armenian alphabet became necessary for the translation of the Bible and other important works into the Armenian language. Catholicos St. Sahag, supreme head of the Armenian Church, and King Vramshapuh sent St. Mesrob Mashtots to Mesopotamia to find the letters for an Armenian alphabet. St. Mesrob supplemented Greek and Syriac letters with his own original work, resulting in an Armenian alphabet of 36 letters. This scene represents St. Mesrob presenting Catholicos St. Sahag with the completed alphabet, which is still in use today. 14
Yefkin Megherian Model for St. Mesrob & St. Sahag—The Invention of the Armenian Alphabet 404 A.D., 2003 plastilene, wood frame, aluminum letters and bead on plywood, acrylic case 30.625 x 22.625 inches 15
When I read about the atrocities of the Armenian Genocide, women in particular, I often respond through the creation of abstractions that reference particular stories. There are tragic stories from both sides of my family. I feel compelled to give them a voice—in part for a people that have not healed, in part for myself, and in part for my family that still remembers. In Upper Torso, I recall a story I heard as a child about Armenian women being tortured by breast amputation. 16
Talin Megherian Upper Torso, 2004 gouache, ink and gesso on watercolor paper 10 x 17.75 inches 17
my memory is the history of time Charles Olson, (M II 86) This series of works, entitled Tattoo Trails II, explores the relationship between memory and identity. As an artist of Armenian descent, I carry a history that embodies not only my past but also that of my ancestors. My families’ stories of survival are not only rich and textured, but also complex and traumatic. Their collective history has led me to consider how exiles that are separated from their homeland navigate their lives. How does migration affect them psychologically? Do immigrants face feelings of alienation, isolation and displacement? How are their cultural identities impacted by their separation from their homeland? Throughout my work, I investigate these questions and challenge the viewer to consider the strength and endurance of the human spirit. This series is based on a video still by Erwin Wurm entitled Shopping, 1995/96. 18
Adrienne Der Marderosian Passage No. 2 (Tattoo Trails II series), 2014 found images, maps, vellum, thread on paper 7.75 x 3.8125 inches 19
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Adrienne Der Marderosian Migration (Tattoo Trails II series), 2014 found images, maps, vellum, thread, ink on paper 7.75 x 5 inches 21
A gum dichromate print is a nineteenth-century process that yields what can best be understood as a ‘photographic watercolor.’ In retrospect, some twenty years after making the print, I realize it was the process which helped me move into making digital art. Nor did I realize at the time that photographing my daughter moved me away from photographing myself. My maternal grandparents survived the genocide, but their two-year old daughter (my mother’s sister, my aunt) did not; my daughter was about the same age when these photographs were taken, circa 1994. 22
Aida Laleian Untitled, 1993 gum dichromate and van Dyke print on BFK 13 x 23.5 inches 23
St. Gregory the Enlightener baptizing King Drtad and then the Queen and Princess. Armenia becomes the first Christian state in 301 CE St. Gregory the Enlightener Baptizing King Drtad has been donated to the recently relocated St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, NY. 24
Yefkin Megherian St. Gregory the Enlightener Baptizing King Drtad, 2010 bronze 16.25 x 21.75 inches 25
Most of my works of the last three years have been influenced by the news I get of my home country. Many of my paintings mourn places of great beauty or significance that have been lost. In Standing Alone, I tried to capture the wealth and sophistication of our Middle Eastern culture, but also the sense of hope that has been the driving force in the struggle of the past few years. With our peoples’ long histories of survival, as long as there is at least one person standing, creation will happen; things will be rebuilt. 26
Kevork Mourad Standing Alone, 2013 acrylic on paper 48 x 120 inches 27
Anatolian Memorial was painted after I returned from a visit to Eastern Turkey with Armen Aroyan in 2008. We visited Sivas, where my paternal grandparents had lived, as well as Ani, Aghtamar, and many other former Armenian centers. The landscape seemed haunted to me, with ruins everywhere from many civilizations, and quite empty except for shepherds and farmed fields with dramatic landscapes—mountains, valleys, rivers—and lots of birds and animals. The visual and emotional richness there has been a source for my painting ever since. 28
Gail Boyajian Anatolian Memorial, 2010 oil on panel 12 x 60 inches 29
Greatness Has Passed is part of a series called Half-perceived: Stalking the Peacock. Inspiration for the series originated from the abundance of peacock motifs in medieval Armenian manuscripts. Peacocks have taken on multiple meanings culturally, historically and in fashion. In this case, the gold-crowned peacock alludes to a glorious civilization gone by. This painting addresses the complexities of a lost past. 30
Marsha Odabashian Greatness Has Passed, 2010 oil on canvas 48 x 36 inches 31
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Aida Laleian Turn to Their Blameless Deceits, 2008 UV ink on canvas, silk border 54.5 x 72 inches 33
Perousse and her brother were the only known family members that made it to America. Her brother took his own life soon after making it to the United States. 34
Jessica Sperandio Those Who Survived and Those Who Perished, 2014 laser cut leather, thread, wood, acrylic 53 x 34 x 2 inches 35
The last words Perousse Boyajian heard were “Run to the forest!� as her village was being raided. She fled with her brother, leaving behind her mother, infant and toddler sisters. 36
Jessica Sperandio Last Words: Run to the Forest, 2014 laser and hand cut leather, thread, acrylic 80 x 40 x 2 inches 37
The dinner scene depicted in Chakatagir is informed by a photograph of Turkish soldiers with two men’s heads displayed on a platter. I grew up hearing about family members losing physical body parts during the Turkish raids. At the bottom of Chakatagir, physical parts lost by family members are memorialized. 38
Jessica Sperandio Chakatagir, 2014 laser cut leather, thread, wood, acrylic 70 x 68 x 2 inches 39
Passage is an imaginary attempt to depict how Mardiros Boyajian and Perousse (Sahagian) Boyajian were able to escape Turkey for France in 1919. No one knows for sure. 40
Jessica Sperandio Passage, 2014 laser cut leather, thread, wood, acrylic 25 x 44 x 1 inches 41
Reading: Elliot Baker’s
The Past Is Not Past Deember 6, 2014
Kasey Soderberg ‘15 - ARAM (Grandson) Sophie Landa ‘15 - ANRANIK (Father) & Director Amanda Madigan ‘15 - Assistant Director & Narrator Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother) Zelime Lewis ‘17 - HARON (Son) 44
Sophie Landa ‘15, Director, The Past Is Not Past & ANRANIK (Father)
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Sophie Landa ‘15 - ANRANIK (Father) & Director Amanda Madigan ‘15 - Assistant Director & Narrator Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother) Zelime Lewis ‘17 - HARON (Son) 46
Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother) Zelime Lewis ‘17 - HARON (Son)
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Sophie Landa ‘15 - ANRANIK (Father) & Director Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother) Amanda Madigan ‘15 - Assistant Director & Narrator
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Sophie Landa ‘15 - ANRANIK (Father) & Director Zelime Lewis ‘17 - HARON (Son) Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother) Amanda Madigan ‘15 - Assistant Director & Narrator 49
Amanda Madigan ‘15 - Assistant Director & Narrator
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Miranda Jacobs ‘15 - ADELINE (Mother)
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Zelime Lewis ‘17 - HARON (Son)
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Kasey Soderberg ‘15 - ARAM (Grandson)
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Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
Part 1 Exhibition Installation
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Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
Part 2: January 25 - March 15, 2015
Armenian Museum of America Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries
The literature of witness has had a significant impact on our understanding of the twentieth century. What we know about our age of catastrophe we know in crucial part from memoirs‌stories that have taken us inside episodes of mass violence and killing, genocide and torture. They have allowed us acquaintance with individual victims and perpetrators, offering insights into the nature of torture, cruelty, suffering, survival and death. By the end of the twentieth century some scholars had referred to our time as an age of testimony.1 Peter Balakian How to remember the past but to be able to enjoy the present? That was my new search‌I discovered I could gain some mastery over the terrorizing images‌.get them out of my brain by painting them on canvas. I could transform the scenes and make them less frightening by creating beauty amidst the vultures of death. I could be faithful to history AND be able to free myself from the frozen past.2 Elliot Baker The Thompson Gallery (The Cambridge School of Weston, Weston, MA) and The Armenian Museum of America have joined forces to present Kiss the Ground, a 5-part exhibition series centering on the work of 12 Armenian artists. The exhibitions examine and celebrate contemporary Armenian art at a particular moment in history, organized to coincide with the centennial memorialization of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. At its core, the exhibition series is catalyzed by the contrast between celebration and remembrance. The first exhibition in the series took place in the fall and examined the art of Armenian68
born, Chicago-based Gagik Aroutiunian. The virtual exhibition for Gagik Aroutiunian— Kiss the Ground may be viewed online by visiting thompsongallery.csw.org. Part II of the series, Talin Megherian—Kiss the Ground (December 18, 2014 – March 13, 2015), focuses on the abstract-narrative paintings of Talin Megherian (Watertown, MA). Her work explores familial and cultural stories about the Armenian Genocide, often focusing on the stories of Armenian women. Part II overlaps with this exhibition and may be seen at the Weston location until March of 2015. The work on display in the Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries, the second part of the Kiss the Ground—A New ArmeniaII exhibition series (which is itself an exhibition in three parts), runs between January 25 and March 1, 2015. The final part of Kiss the Ground—A New ArmeniaIII will take place at The Cambridge School of Weston’s Thompson Gallery from March 30 - June 13, 2015. Kiss the Ground—A New ArmeniaII centers on large-scale works and serial works, which tend to be forthright in their portrayals of the events of a hundred years ago. Some of the works are blatantly grim. Some works are meditative or contemplative through repetition of theme. And a small group of works challenge the viewer to consider compassion as a vehicle for change. With this ensemble of contrasting approaches, the collective work in this second exhibition alerts viewers to the complex situation in which Armenians today find themselves, calling to mind Elliot Baker’s question: “How to remember the past but to be able to enjoy the present?”3
John Avakian (Sharon, MA). Since 1989, John Avakian has been developing a hybrid mono-printmaking technique, which combines digital scanning and photo-imaging with monotype and paper-litho plate-making processes. Avakian’s one-of-a-kind prints blend a painterly attitude with printmaker’s technologies. His confrontational, serial monoprints are often monumental in scale. The scale of the work can be seen as an allusion to great personal and cultural turmoil. On the one hand, the size of the work visualizes the immensity of the crimes against humanity. On the other hand, the scale also alludes to the emotional and psychological burden endured by the artist as he created the series, which takes as its base imagery the photo-historical record of the Armenian Genocide. Avakian’s sobering imagery is by far the most graphic and shocking work in the Kiss the Ground exhibition series. As Avakian states:
These powerful and unique prints are both beautiful and horrific, and represent the most visually imposing statement I can make as an artist regarding the Armenian Genocide.4 Apo Torosyan (Newton, MA) Apo Torosyan is a filmmaker and painter. Torosyan’s films and paintings are included in A New Armenia parts II and III, with planned screenings for both venues. Torosyan’s films trace the history of the Armenian Genocide and provide a platform for the descendants of survivors to tell their stories. Torosyan’s mixed media paintings tell stories in a different way. Torosyan has made over 500 mixed media paintings in his Bread series. Interested in its metaphoric potential, Torosyan incorporates the “staff of 69
life” as a way of recalling Armenian history. Having made a vast amount of Bread works, the artist reminds us that this staple can easily be found in cultures around the world, but we should not take it for granted. For Torosyan, bread is an allegorical memorial. As he points out: Many people died of starvation on the death marches for want of bread. There are photographs of Ottoman Turks offering small pieces of bread, too small to share, and dangling the scraps over children’s heads. The Bread pieces are the hidden story of the genocide. I have a lot of bread stories from my family and there is not an Armenian family who does not have a bread story.5 Gagik Aroutiunian (Chicago, IL). Armenian born, Gagik Aroutiunian’s work focuses on memory and identity through the imagery of family, loss and displacement. In his sculptures, Aroutiunian uses fragments of objects to construct homages to particular family members. The notion of assembling broken bits of things, often repurposed objects, with many more parts missing inbetween, is a painful reminder of what is lost when people, places, and things are forced into memory. Aroutiunian often uses media that transmits or projects light, and these elements too are abundant in his sculptures and installations. As Aroutiunian points out in his artist’s statement, his work is “intertwined” with an exploration of “two different entities:” …the rough, explicit, material quality of object/matter, and the ever-elusive image/illusion that we dream, envision or imagine. Sculptural processes and materials 70
are manifestations of object/ matter. Images, video and light, on the other hand, represent illusion. While the first is a primary means for me to represent identity and its displacement, the second is a way to represent memory and its transience.6 Jackie Kazarian (Chicago, IL). In her Project 1915, Kazarian pays simultaneous homage to Pablo Picasso’s Guernica and the Armenian Genocide.7 But rather than depicting the horrors of the 1915 Genocide, Kazarian has been working over the last year on a monumental painting and series studies that “celebrate Armenian history” and the “vitality” of “a culture that has survived for 3000 years.”8 The works on display in Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia are a group of studies Kazarian produced to work out ideas for the 11.5 x 27 foot painting. In her Cross Lace series and her Forgiveness Lace series, like the larger parent work, Kazarian uses “Armenian lace, like a mandala,” to “refer to the infinity sign.”9 The embroidered lace imagery comes from a sample of lace that was given to her by her grandmother10—who is from Marash, a city lost to the Armenian Genocide and which was known for its unique and beautiful embroidery techniques. The lace, scanned and then screen-printed on all of Kazarian’s Project 1915 paintings and series work, stands “as an image of hope.”11 Perhaps the most provocative works of art in the Kiss the Ground exhibition series are Kazarian’s Forgiveness Lace series—many of which have the Armenian word for “forgiveness” as part of the composition. The Forgiveness Lace series present, if not propose, the possibility of healing after one hundred years of cultural anguish.
In his introduction to his great-uncle’s book, Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1918, Peter Balakian acknowledges the impact of the “literature of witness:” Memoirs such as Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel’s Night, Michihiko Hachiya’s Hiroshima Diary, Nadezhda Mandelstam’s Hope Against Hope, and many others…have allowed us acquaintance with individual victims and perpetrators, offering insights into the nature of torture, cruelty, suffering, survival and death. In this “age of testimony,” insight into the catastrophes of the 20th century is abundantly available in the art of those artists who have boldly explored the darker side of humanity. The artists of A New Armenia have shed much light upon the “forgotten genocide,” and have afforded us a better understanding of the conscious makeup of contemporary Armenian identity. But there is also the fact that the splintered Armenian culture is vetting their place in the world; diaspora and homeland Armenians have never let go of the vitality of their culture and have worked to keep alive much of their traditions and cultural grounding.
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1. Grigoris Balakian, translated by Peter Balakian, with Aris Sevag, Armenian Golgotha: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1918, Vintage, New York, NY, 2010, p. xiii 2. Elliot Baker, Kiss the Ground: Elliot Baker—The Past Is Not Past, Thompson Gallery and Lulu.com, 2014, p. 40 3. Ibid. 4. John Avakian, Artist’s Statement Part II—Lest We Forget, published in Kiss the Ground: Elliot Baker—The Past Is Not Past, Thompson Gallery and Lulu.com, 2014, p. 83 5. Apo Torosyan interview, 10/13/14 6. Gagik Aroutiunian, Artist’s Statement, catalog to the exhibition, Gagik Aroutiunian—Kiss the Ground, Thompson Gallery and Lulu.com, 2014, p. 146 7. Jackie Kazarian, quoted from video, Project 1915, http:// vimeo.com/115499757, 1/11/15 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Jackie Kazarian, email correspondence, 1/8/15 11. Kazarian, quoted from video
Todd Bartel Gallery Director, Curator Thompson Gallery
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Text quoted in Serenity at Last: About the end of October Dr. Atkinson took a trip around Lake Goljuk, which was about fifteen miles distant. He had only gone a short distance when he began to see bodies by the roadside. Near the foot of the mountain were a great number, these still having their clothes on. But around the lake, he estimated that there were between five and ten thousand, all entirely naked, nearly all women and children and nearly all the women showed signs of mutilation, let us hope after death. They showed signs of having been killed in various ways. Some were shot, some beheaded, many were hacked or cut with hatchets or knives. In one place he found a ravine where the bodies lay four or five deep just as they had fallen. They had evidently been stripped and then crowded over the precipice…These evidently were not our own people, but were from the regions north of us, as was indicated by many papers that were found scattered about…Is it any wonder that Dr. Atkinson came home sick of heart, not wanting to live any longer on this wicked earth. Two months later he died… [Lesley Davis, quoted in, The Slaughterhouse Province: An American Diplomat’s Report on the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1917, Aristide D. Carazas Publishing, New York, NY, 1989, p. 31.]
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John Avakian Serenity At Last, 2001-2002 stencils for color, digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, seamed together paper-litho printings, and computer generated text on BFK 42 x 73.75 inches 73
I began collecting photographic evidence of the Armenian Genocide in 1991. When I first started, I had no idea what I would find. I knew there were photographs of the Holocaust, having seen them in magazines and on TV, but I could not believe that photographs recording the Armenian Genocide actually existed. Over the years, I have collected a group of images that literally move me to tears. From this collection of images, I developed a large body of one-of-a-kind prints using an elaborate photo-transferring process. I first started out making small prints and wanted to eventually increase the size of these images up to a monumental scale. In my mind, such a project became a daunting and horrifying task and I hesitated a long time before beginning the series. I turned to my therapist at the time, explaining my incessant trepidation about making large human-scale images. She asked me, “What is holding you back?” I reflected for a long time on the question, and finally responded: “I’m afraid that making large scale images will suck me into the horror and I will not be able to get out.” While that was a milestone revelation for me, I needed more sessions before I could even approach the actuality of making the larger works in the Genocide series. I eventually realized my own trepidation could be included in the work. In the topmost part of The Proud and the Profane 1, for example, I include a phrase that I found myself acknowledging during another therapy session. I have done other research as well, such as the cataloging within my prints the more than 60 cities, towns, and villages affected by the Genocide—many such places no longer exist, and today have new names. 74
John Avakian Genocide Hangings 2, 1999-2001 digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, seamed together paper-litho printings, computer generated text, colored dots hand painted on BFK 42 x 67.375 inches 75
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John Avakian Trophies of Genocide, 1998-1999 Stencils for color, dots hand painted, digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, seamed together paper-litho printings, and computer generated text on BFK 42 x 67.5 inches 77
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John Avakian The Proud and the Profane 1, 1998-1999 digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, seamed together paper-litho printings, and computer generated text on BFK 59.5 x 42 inches 79
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John Avakian Madonna & Child 1, 1998-2002 digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, seamed together paper-litho printings, and computer generated text on BFK 60.75 x 42 inches 81
The brave men named below their portrait images in The Avengers were part of Operation Nemesis, organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. From top left to top right: ARSHAVIR SHIRAGIAN assassinated Said Halim Pasha, the Ottoman Grand Vizier from 1913-1916, in Rome on December 5, 1921. He also assassinated Cemel (Djemal) Azmi, known as “the monster of Trebizond,� in Berlin on April 17, 1922. On March 15, 1921 in Berlin, SOGHOMON TEHLERIAN assassinated Talat Pasha, who was one of the leaders of the Young Turks and a leading member of Sublime Porte. Bottom from left to right: ARAM YERGANIAN assassinated an Azerbaijani Government official by the name of Gasimbekov in 1920. In 1921 he assassinated Fathali Khan Khoiski, the former Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, in Tiflis. On April 17, 1922 in Berlin, he assassinated Behaeddin Shakir, who was a founding member of the Committee of Union and Progress. MISSAK TORLAKIAN assassinated Bihbud Khan Jivanshir, the former interior minister of Azerbaijan, on July 18, 1921. 82
John Avakian The Avengers, 2000-2003 digital stylistic augmentation of photo reproduction, paper-litho printings, and computer generated text on BFK 41 x 30 inches 83
Bread, which is the staff of life, was taken away from my ancestors. It represents victims of oppression. They died in starvation, including my grandparents. I immortalize bread within my concepts. It is an organic metaphor. It is the cycle of life. The form is expressive. If you look closely, you can never find one single slice of bread similar to another. This accelerates one’s imagination. 84
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 171 (Enver), 1999 fabric, Xerographic print, plastic, paper, wire, wire mesh, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 3 inches 85
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 179, 1999 Soil, paper, Xerographic print, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2 inches 86
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 150, 1998 soil, fabric, Xerographic print, marble dust, whiting, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 87
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 144, 1998 soil, marble dust, acrylic, breadcrumbs, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 88
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 102, 1997 marble dust, modeling paste, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 89
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 108, 1997 soil, modeling paste, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 90
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 125, 1997 fabric, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 91
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 174, 1999 burlap, brown paper, Xerographic print, acrylic, breadcrumbs, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 92
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 129, 1997 burned linen, Xerographic print, pastel, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2 inches 93
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 177, 1999 fabric, Xerographic print, marble dust, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 94
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 136, 1997 soil, fabric, marble dust, whiting, sand, acrylic, matte medium, Xerographic print, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 95
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 164, 1999 fabric, modeling paste, Xerographic print, acrylic, breadcrumbs, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2 inches 96
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 131, 1997 soil, rope, marble dust, sand, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2 inches 97
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 107, 1997 modeling paste, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 98
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 140, 1998 marble dust, whiting, Xerographic print, acrylic, breadcrumbs, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 99
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 109, 1997 soil, acrylic, matte medium, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x .75 inches 100
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 170, 1999 soil, Xerographic print, rope, Xerographic print, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 3 inches 101
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 176, 1999 burlap, rope, fabric, acrylic, brown paper, Xerographic print, marble dust, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 102
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 168, 1999 breadcrumbs, acrylic, oxidized gold leaf, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2.5 inches 103
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 167, 1999 soil, fabric, Xerographic print, paper, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 2 inches 104
Apo Torosyan Bread No. 105, 1997 sand, modeling paste, marble dust, acrylic, bread on canvas 18 x 18 x 1.5 inches 105
To My Mother-Between Two Stones reflects on the life of my mother using threedimensional form and space as a kind of metaphor for her deprived life. A Genocide survivor, she was orphaned at the age of five in 1920, lived in an orphanage, married very young and had to give up her professional career as a schoolteacher to care for her four children. And yet she was infused with enormous kindness, compassion and fairness towards her fellow humans regardless of their origins or status. Along with these qualities, she also instilled in her children the value of learning and education. I am proud to consider myself a product of that upbringing. She was also my first (and thus most important) art teacher. 106
Gagik Aroutiunian To My Mother—Between Two Stones, 1996 carved marble, welded/fabricated steel, paint, patinas, battery, light bulb, wires, broken ceramic vessel, transferred photographic images 68 x 24 x 24 inches 107
Traveler & His Road (Sm. Sc.), is also an homage to my mother, in which I attempt to portray the relationship between my mother and me, close yet separated within the complex reality of our lives, symbolized by the heavy, cold gray steel tower structure that both holds and separates us. 108
Gagik Aroutiunian Traveler & His Road (Sm. Sc.), 2013 fabricated and welded stainless steel, transferred photographic images on transparencies, broken glass 27 x 5 x 5 inches 109
These are studies for a monumental painting that is being created for the 100-year anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, called Project 1915. The Cross Lace and Forgiveness Lace series include the needle lace of my grandmother, Mariam Kazarian, who came from Marash. The eight-pointed stars within the lace medallions mirror the octagonal architectural plans of many Armenian churches. The eternity (spiral) symbol in some of the circles signifies everlasting life and transformation. The studies also show human figures and ornamental motifs from Armenian illuminated manuscripts and the architectural typologies of significant monuments, including Ejmiatsin Cathedral (Forgiveness Lace 1), Saint Hripsime Church (Cross Lace 1) and the Church of the Apostles, in Ani (Cross Lace 4). The Armenian word ներում “nerum” (forgiveness) refers to a healing process that begins by acknowledging the past, mourning the loss, and releasing the pain. Please visit project1915.org for further information. 110
Jackie Kazarian Cross Lace 1, 2014 gouache, water, acrylic, ink, on paper 30 x 22.5 inches 111
Mariam Betlezian needle lace, c. 1970 cotton 24 inch diameter Mariam Betlezian, my grandmother, was from Marash. When my grandmother’s father, a language professor, was killed by Ottoman soldiers, her mother put her in a missionary-run orphanage and fled with her other children. My grandmother later agreed to marry Kazar Kazarian, an immigrant living in the U.S. She visited her mother only once in Beirut, in 1958. 112
Jackie Kazarian Forgiveness Lace 1, 2014 gouache, water, acrylic, ink, on paper 30 x 22.5 inches 113
image source: photo silk-screen Kodalith composite for Project 1915 (detail), of silk, needle lace samples made by Mariam Betlezian, c. 1970 24 x 24 inches 114
Jackie Kazarian Cross Lace 4, 2014 gouache, water, acrylic, ink, on paper 30 x 22.5 inches 115
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Jackie Kazarian Forgiveness Lace 3, 2014 gouache, water, acrylic, ink, on paper 30 x 22.5 inches 117
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Screening: Apo Torosian’s
Voices January 25, 2015 Armenian Museum of America Adele & Haig Der Manuelian Galleries
Voices incorporates period photographs with interviews of three survivors of the Armenian Genocide and one survivor of the Greek Genocide. These mass murders of innocent civilians between 1915 and 1923 in Turkey claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and 1 million Greek and Assyrian citizens. The Turkish government still has not officially recognized these crimes against humanity. Yeghsapet Giragosian was born in 1900 in Hussenik, Harput, Turkey. Her mother and little brother died during the death march. Yeghsapet was saved by a Turkish neighbor. A deeply religious woman, she believed in the goodness of some people in every society. Hovhannes Madzharyan was born in 1902 at Dort Yol in Turkey, to a family of ten. In 1915, he was abducted by Turks, and then sold as a slave to Bedouin Arabs. He escaped with his mother and sister by walking over dead bodies all the way to Aleppo, Syria. Luther Eskijian was born in 1913 in Ekiz-Oluk in Syria where his father was a Protestant minister. Reverend Eskijian saved many hundreds of refugees of the Armenian Genocide before he died of typhus in 1916. Mrs. Eskijian and her two sons returned to her ancestral home in Aintab, Turkey in 1920, where at six years old, Luther took food to the Armenian freedom fighters. 120
Apo Torosian’s Voices, 2007 00:24:00 minutes 121
left to right: Talat Pasha, Enver Pasha and Djemal Pasha, the military triumvirate known as the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian Genocide and World War I [photo credits: Wikipedia (public domain)]
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1915, Armenian deportees - women, children and old men. The woman in the foreground carrying a child in her arms, protecting it from the sun with a shawl, the man on the left carries the bedding, no other belongings or food is there to be seen from what they wear. They all fall under the sun on a dirt road with no possibility of protection from natural elements. Location: Ottoman Empire, Syrian region [photo credit and caption: Genocide 1915.0rg, Gallery: Armin T. Wegner ]
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Two boys with bare and bandaged feet starved to death in the open desert, 1915-1916. Location: Ottoman Empire, the Syrian desert. [photo credit and caption: Genocide 1915.0rg, Gallery: Armin T. Wegner ]
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The corpse of an Armenian boy who has starved to death, collapsed at the threshold, 19151916. Location: Ottoman Empire, Syrian region. [photo credit and caption: Genocide 1915.0rg, Gallery: Armin T. Wegner ]
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Smyrna burning, 1922 [photo credit: unknown, greece.org]
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Panicked, Smyrna citizens trying to reach the Allied ships during the Smyrna massacres, 1922 [photo credit: unknown, greece.org]
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Screening: Roger Hagopian’s
Memories of Marash February 1, 2015
Memories of Marash is a 75 minute documentary film about the legacy of a lost Armenian community. It  traces the ancient history of the city of Marash from its Hittite, Roman, and Crusade periods, through a series of massacres from the late 1800s to the final expulsion and genocide of the Armenians by Ottoman Turkey between 1915 and 1923. I wrote, videotaped and edited this film with the initial desire to tell my family story within the context of history. In the process of my research, the theme of the story shifted from the plight of my grandmother and uncle to the tale of a vibrant way of life that had once existed in Marash and is now forever a memory. 130
Roger Hagopian Memories of Marash, (jacket art), 2004 and 2014-15 clockwise from top left: View of Marash, Photograph by Dr. Stanley E. Kerr; Paresghian Family in Marash, c. 1915 (collection of Roger Hagopian); Marash Embroidery c. 1900 (Armenian Library and Museum of America); Lion-shaped door jamb with Hittite hieroglyphs, Marash, 8th C. BCE (Drawn by Boudier, from a photograph of the cast shown at the Paris Exhibition of 1889) 131
Paresghian Family in Marash, c. 1915 [photo credit: collection of Roger Hagopian]
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Armenians Dancing (Hamshentsi Armenian dance) Collection of Maggie Land Blanck, 1915 [caption and image, National Geographic October 1915]
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Aleppo Camp Girls Stitching, c. 1920s [photo credit: Vartan Derounian]
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Marash embroidery, stylized floral, birds, Atlazhlama stitch, late 19th century [photo credit: Todd Bartel, from the collection of Armenian Museum of America]
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This picture shows part of the 5,000 children from Kharput en route on donkey back and foot. [Picture and Caption from “Story of Near East Relief” by James L. Barton, New York, 1930, p. 152]
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Orphaned children from Marash, 1919 [Photograph by Dr. Stanley E. Kerr]
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Those Who Fell By The Wayside Scenes like this were common all over the Armenian provinces, in the spring and summer months of 1915. Death in its several forms—massacre, starvation, exhaustion—destroyed the larger part of the refugees. The Turkish policy was that of extermination under the guise of deportation. [Photograph and caption reprinted from Henry Morgenthau, The Murder of a Nation, Armenian General Benevolent Union of America, Inc., New York, NY, 1974, page 129.]
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Armenian refugee camp in Aleppo, c. 1920s [photo credit: Vartan Derounian]
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Kiss the Ground—A New Armenia
Part 2 Exhibition Installation
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Artist Biographies
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Gagik Aroutiunian was born in Armenia and grew up in the former Soviet republic. He holds a BA in painting, Studio Specialist Program, from the University of Toronto (1987), and an MFA in sculpture from Towson University, Baltimore, MD (1991). A naturalized Canadian citizen, he has been residing for the last twenty-five years in the United States (Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago). Aroutiunian has had solo shows at Gallery Juno (New York, NY; 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005), Alice &William Jenkins Gallery (Orlando, FL; 1996, 2009), Harris K. Weston Gallery (Cincinnati, OH; 2002), Canadian Cultural Center (Rome, Italy; 1993), Galeria Miejska bwa, and Galeria Kantorek (Bydgoszcz, Poland; 2014), International Sculpture Center (Washington DC; 1990), The Carnegie Visual and Performing Art Center (Covington, KY; 2000), and Thompson Gallery (Weston, MA;2014). In 2001-2003 Aroutiunian was commissioned to make a large outdoor sculpture for the campus of Xavier University in Cincinnati. Aroutiunian’s work is in many private collections in England, Germany, Canada and the US. His work is featured in the book Armenian Palette-New Generation by Henrik Igityan, founder and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Yerevan, Armenia. Aroutiunian currently resides in Chicago and splits his time between making art and teaching it as an associate professor in DePaul University’s Department of Art. http://www.gagikaroutiunian.com John Avakian received a B.F.A and M.F.A. in painting and a minor in printmaking from Yale School of Art. He has enrolled in monotype/ monoprint courses at the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) every semester from 1990 to 2012. He has taught design classes at Northeastern University, Pair College of Art and the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Avakian has been a consistent visiting critic at Massachusetts College of Art’s painting classes since 1998. He has lectured on his printmaking techniques and work, and, the paper-litho 157
method of printing, at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Holy Cross College. Since 1989, Avakian has been developing a hybrid mono-printmaking technique, which combines digital scanning and photo-imaging along with the monotype and paper-litho plate-making processes. Avakian’s prints, due to their one-of-a-kind nature, blend a painterly attitude with printmaker’s technologies. But unlike traditional printmaking, Avakian is not an edition-based printmaker. Rather, he is a serial monoprint artist, dedicated to developing theme-based bodies of work. Avakian’s series work spans many areas of content, including portraiture, family history, themes of social justice and an extensive exploration of the Armenian Genocide. Avakian has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Weiss Sisters prize for the best print in show at the New Haven Paint & Clay Club; 1st prize print for the 10th and 11th Annual Blanche Ames National Art Exhibitions; and 2nd prize print, Fitchburg Art Museum, MGNE 2nd National Monotype/Monoprint Exhibition. Avakian has had solo exhibitions at the Attleboro Arts Museum, Providence College, and the University of the Arts printmaking department. His monoprints have been in numerous national and regional juried shows. Avakian’s prints, drawings, and paintings are in many private collections, and in the collections of the Fogg Art Museum, the New York and Boston Public Libraries, and the New Haven Paint & Clay Club. Elliot Baker is a retired clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Playwriting is a second career. His plays have been produced on Channel 34 (Tarrytown, NY) and KYRS Spokane Radio (Spokane, WA), and published by Off The Wall Plays, UK. Baker’s plays have been performed at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre (NYC), Strike 38 Productions (NYC), Culture Park (New Bedford, MA), Bristol Community College (Fall River, MA), the Mountain Stage Company (Hendersonville, NC), the Jewish Fringe Theatre at J-CAT (North Miami Beach, 158
FL), and Judson University (Elgin, IL). He was a four-time finalist at the Boston Theatre Marathon, a finalist and semi-finalist at the Lake Shore Players (St. Paul, MN), and a semi-finalist at Drury University (Springfield, MO). Two of Baker’s children’s stories have won awards from the Manatee Writers Guild (Bradenton, FL) and two children’s stories won awards from the Mt. Dora Festival of Music and Literature (Mount Dora, FL). A chorale was accepted by the Alfred Publishing Company and performed at two colleges. Baker studied music composition with Dr. Hugo Norden, Boston University, and playwriting with Molly Smith-Meltzer. Gail Boyajian received her BA from Tufts University in 1970 with a double major in fine art and philosophy. She received her Masters of Architecture from MIT in 1976 and practiced architecture in Boston and New York. She taught Architecture at Phillips Academy from 2001-2012. Byuajian has exhibited her paintings in Boston, Vermont, New York and Ireland. Her work is in a number of private, institutional and museum collections, and she has received grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. http://www.gailboyajian.net Adrienne Der Marderosian explores themes of memory, gender and identity in her work. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University in Medford, MA and has studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Her work has been widely exhibited in both national and regional exhibitions in museum, gallery and university venues. Select exhibitions include Off The Wall, Danforth Art, Framingham, MA; Drawing Out Of Bounds, Wheaton College, Norton, MA; Fragile Navigation, Danforth Art, Framingham, MA and The 2nd Annual Art Competition, Hammond Museum, North Salem, New York. She is the recipient of numerous grants including a Massachusetts Cultural Council Professional
Development Grant as well as multiple Local Cultural Council awards. The artist’s works can be found in both public and private collections. Roger Hogopian has been a history lover since his youth. He is a 1972 graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where he received his degree in music. His first film on an Armenian subject, The Journey of an Armenian Family, is about the survival of the Hagopian family of Van, where in 1915, the outnumbered Armenians, including his grandfather, Nishan, heroically held off thousands Turks and Kurds. His father, Hurire, was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. Hagopian has had film presentations at high schools, universities, libraries, and community centers and private homes. “For me, video is a way of telling history that is educational, multidimensional, and compelling.” http://amarasonline.com/amaras/hagopian-fundmain.htm Jackie Kazarian’s paintings, drawings, installations and video have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including New York, Chicago, Miami, Pasadena, Spain, Japan and Syria. Her paintings often suggest a human condition or feeling and are known for their vivid colors and brushwork. Kazarian taught painting and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for 10 years and has served on advisory committees for Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Chicago Park District. Her work is in many private and public collections, including the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Embassy in Armenia. Kazarian’s large-scale installations and videos that have been used in dance performances for The Seldoms and 58 Group, Chicago. In 2010, Kazarian represented the U.S. as a visiting artist for the State Department in Syria, where she presented solo exhibitions and taught painting workshops in Damascus and Latakia. Kazarian is a 2008 fellow of the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of
Women & Gender in the Arts & Media at Columbia College, and a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (MFA) and Duke University (BS). She lives and works in Chicago. http://jackiekazarian.com Aida Laleian was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1955, to Armenian parents. She immigrated to Chicago in 1960 and was educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 1978) and the University of California, Davis (MFA 1980). After teaching at a number of liberal arts colleges, in 1987 she settled in Williamstown, MA, with her husband Steve Levin where they share a tenured position in the art department at Williams College, Williamstown, MA. Trained in painting, drawing and printmaking, Laleian found photography while studying at SAIC and has been working with, looking at, and thinking about the medium ever since. Laleian also works with moving images, making and teaching 16mm film and video. Despite the fact that Laleian came of age in the time of conceptualism, increasingly, she has grown to embrace the art object. Laleian is interested in pushing at the boundaries between one of a kind works of art and an art form that is inherently reproducible: “Digital photography liberates the image from the page and allows for it to exist in forms hitherto unimaginable in analog photography. I have become quite wedded to exploring those opportunities, as I am currently printing on canvas and embroidering my photographs. I started this work in 2002 and have completed three pieces, with two in progress. This work is ridiculously time-consuming and detail-oriented. The irony of using an infinitely reproducible medium to create a one-of-a-kind, laboriously crafted object is not lost on me. In fact, I fancy it.” http://sites.williams.edu/alaleian/ Talin Megherian studied painting at The School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, and received her 159
BFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1985. She also studied painting in Rome at RISD’s European Honors Program in 1984-85. She was a recipient of a 1991 Pennsylvania Council On The Arts Fellowship and was chosen as “Artist to Watch in 1992” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 1992, she received the Gloria Fitzgibbons Award from the Greater Pittsburgh Commission for Women. She has exhibited her work on the east and west coasts of the United States, Rome, and Scotland. Talin studied Italian Renaissance painting firsthand, and her work incorporates her Italian Masters’ influences while also borrowing imagery from diverse sources of Armenian art, Mexican art, Surrealism, and religious iconography. Talin’s visual vocabulary weaves together recognized symbols with common objects to explore issues of identity, empowerment and rebirth using additive and subtractive painting techniques that imply a collage format. Talin resides in Watertown, Massachusetts. She teaches art at the Atrium School (Watertown, MA). Her most current work gives voice to the history of Armenian genocide while also celebrating her heritage and its rich traditions. http://www.talinmegherian.com Yefkin Megherian served in public education for 19 years, 7 of which were as an art teacher of elementary school children. She is a grandmother of 9 and great-grandmother of 2. Her career as a sculptor began when she enrolled in an adult class in sculpture at Queensborough Community College in New York City in 1985. Her background led her to use Armenian themes and notable Armenian personalities in her work, particularly as bronze medallions, bas-reliefs, and portrait busts. She is a member of AMSA (American Medallic Sculpture Association) and FIDEM, an international medallic organization, and has exhibited her medallions in many juried shows and earned awards for her portrait busts. Her statue of Pope John Paul II is in the Vatican collection, and one of her medals is in the collection of the British Museum. She has also served as a consultant on the design of the doors of 160
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral in New York City. The model of the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob relief exhibited at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown, MA, and which is now in ALMA’s permanent collection, was cast in bronze and mounted in the nave of St. Peter Armenian Church in Watervliet, NY in 2003. Kevork Mourad was born in 1970 in Syria. Of Armenian origin, he received his MFA from the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia, and he now lives and works in New York. Six of his pieces are in permanent residency at the Gyumri Museum in Armenia, and several more at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts. As part of group shows, his pieces were exhibited at the NYU Small Works Gallery in 2005 and 2007, and his digital piece, The Map of Future Movements, toured as part of a group exhibition in Jerusalem and Ramallah and was in the 2010 Liverpool Biennial. He has had solo exhibitions at Gallery Z in Providence, RI, and at JK Gallery in Los Angeles. He is represented in the Middle East by Rafia Gallery in Damascus, Syria, where he exhibited in 2009. His solo exhibition was also shown at the Courtyard Gallery in Dubai in 2010. Five of his pieces are in the permanent collection on the 70 th floor of the Bourj Khalife in Dubai. He has had work auctioned twice at Christie’s Dubai. With his technique of spontaneous painting, where he shares the stage with musicians—a collaboration in which art and music develop in counterpoint to each other—he has worked with many world class musicians. Among them are Kinan Azmeh, Ezequiel Viñao, Tambuco, Brooklyn Rider, Mari Kimura, Ken Ueno, Liubo Borissov, Eve Beglarian, Rami Khalife, Maya Trio, SYOTOS, Song Fusion, and Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, of which he is a member as a visual artist. He has performed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Chelsea Museum of Art, The Bronx Museum of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Chess Festival of Mexico City, The Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art in
Yerevan, Le Festival du Monde Arabe in Montreal, the Stillwater Festival, the Nara Museum in Japan, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Rubin Museum of Art, Harvard University, the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Central Park’s Summerstage with the Silk Road Ensemble and Bobby McFerrin. As a teaching artist with the Silk Road, he has worked with public school students throughout the five boroughs of New York, and has been called back many times as a favorite visiting artist. In 2010 and 2011, with actress/singer Anaïs Tekerian of Zulal, he coproduced and created two plays, Tangled Yarn and Waterlogged, which premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival and toured San Francisco and the Berkshires. His most recent show was in the Lincoln Center Atrium in NYC, with composer Ezequiel Viñao. http://www.kevorkmourad.com/km/home.html Marsha Nouritza Odabashian, the grandchild of Armenian immigrants and genocide survivors, received her primary and secondary education in the Boston area. Odabashian studied at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, the University of New Orleans, the Art Students’ League in New York, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts in Boston, from which she received a Master of Fine Arts degree. She has taught drawing courses at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has taught art in the Westwood Public Schools for over 14 years. She has exhibited in various galleries and museums, including at Galatea Fine Arts and the Bromfield Gallery in Boston, Gallery Z in Providence, Rhode Island, the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts, the Danforth Museum in Framingham, Massachusetts, and the Village Quill in Tribeca. Her current work explores themes of identity, pictoriality and iconographic traditions. Her work has been reviewed in Art Slant, Artscope (‘Blasts’), The Providence Journal (‘Best Bets’), Art New England, The Boston Globe, and Armenian Art Magazine (published in Yerevan, Armenia). Two of
her paintings from the In the Shade of the Peacock series, Exile and Habits of Civilization, have been featured in Studio Visit magazine, vol. 5. http://www.marshaodabashian.com Jessica Sperandio explores presence, absence, and what lies in between. She explores narrative, social, and cultural issues through material and historical research. Jessica is an Armenian-Italian American who has been documenting family history through stories and memories that have been passed along about the Armenian Genocide. This is an effort to preserve what is left of her Armenian family heritage. She is an MFA graduate of MassArt’s Interdisciplinary Art program. http://www.jessicasperandio.com Apo Torosyan was born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Armenian and Greek parents. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Istanbul’s Academy of Fine Arts. His previous films include Bread Series, Water, The Gates, Witnesses, Discovering My Father’s Village: Edincik, and Voices. He is an active member of the Boston Printmakers and the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Since 1986, he has had many solo and group shows all over the U.S. and Europe, and his work has appeared in private and corporate collections in Turkey, Greece, Spain, France, Armenia, Canada, and the U.S. His art works are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art at Tonneins, Bordeaux, France; the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, MA; Ararat Eskijian Museum in Los Angeles, CA; Armenian Western Diocese in Burbank, CA; A.G.B.U. Manoogian Collection, Montreal, Canada; Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT; Flaten Art Museum in Northfield, MN and Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL. http://www.chgs.umn.edu/museum/responses/ torosyan/ http://www.aramaifilms.com 161