On April 17, 2017, Armenia Art Foundation announced 6 projects that received funding under its Financial Support for Art Projects program. The Foundation’s Advisory Board selected the winning projects out of 55 entries by artists and artist groups from Armenia and Armenian Diaspora.
The following projects were chosen:
“Means and Objectives”, Arman Grigoryan (Yerevan, Armenia)
The project suggests a total site-specific installation and is an attempt to actualize the issue of choice of means and objectives, still actual, while the year of 2017 marks the centenary of the Great Socialist Revolution.
“Seasonal Matriarchy”, ARTLABYEREVAN (Hovhannes Margaryan, Vardan Jaloyan, Arthur Petrosyan, Ara Petrosyan, Olya Azatyan) (Yerevan, Armenia)
The Seasonal Matriarchy is a research work about changes in gender roles and, especially, labor roles in a village, caused by migration. Artists face a paradox of remote or transnational patriarchy which is formed due to modern technologies.
“An Alternative, Transparent”, Gohar Smoyan (Gyumri, Armenia)
The installation project carries an important message for society and discusses several global issues, regardless of national and regional identities. It gives a clarification to the limits of choice which might expect right decisions on which also the vision of our future depends.
“My place is empty (Memories of disappearing city)”, Piruza Khalapyan (Metsamor/Yerevan, Armenia)
Going through story of her family, the artist will be photographing the city that grows old. Day by day, one more element is missing there, and one more house is emptied, new hole is occurred, another tree is cut, just like memories of people, disappearing in time.
“And You, What Do You Seek?”, Ayreen Anastas, René Gabri (Iran/Palestine/USA)
The artists propose a trip departing from a village near Yeghegnadzor and visiting villages and small towns. Organizing meetings and conversations and interviews with residents and inhabitants, collecting stories, senses, impressions, sensibilities of the conditions of daily life today.
“Secret Equals”, Mika Vatinyan (Yerevan, Armenia)
Secret Equals is a suite of oil paintings that oscillates between the borders of conceptual, minimalist and abstract expressionist painting. The project is an investigation on the meaning of painting in the contemporary world and a meditation on the unspoken contract between the artist and the viewer.
Armenia Art Foundation (AA Foundation) is an independent non-profit organization aiming to support the development of contemporary art in Armenia. Based in Yerevan, it was established in 2016 by David Nazaryan and Rafael Nazaryan, and a group of people passionate about Armenian culture.
The members of Advisory Board are:
Ruben Arevshatyan, artist, art critic and independent curator, president of AICA Armenia
Adelina Cüberyan von Fürstenberg, curator, founder and director of Art for the World, winner of the Golden Lion of the 56th Biennale of Venice for curatorship of the Armenian Pavilion
Viktor Misiano, independent curator, art theorist, founder and editor-in-chief of Moscow Art Magazine
Jack Persekian, curator, founder and director of Anadiel Gallery and Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem
Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt, curator, artistic director of Viennacontemporary art fair.