Vartan Avakian
Subtitle: all that is seen and unseen
By: with an essay by Merve Bedir ; editors, Daniela Leykam, Dr. Nicola Müllerschön, Christoph Tannert
Contributors: Bedir, Merve; Leykam, Daniela; Müllerschön, Nicola; Tannert, Christoph, 1955-; Künstlerhaus Bethanien
Publisher: Verlag Kettler
Published: 2018
Place of publication: Dortmund
Language: eng
Number of pages: 64
ISBN-13: 9783862066902
Subjects: Exhibitions
Other titles: All that is seen and unseen
Description: The works of Vartan Avakian (born in Byblos, Lebanon, in 1977) cut across different genres, ranging from video clips, installations and sculptures to photography and other media. He often works with natural materials which he transforms, preserving the history of these materials while turning them into novel objects. For his series entitled 'Collapsing Clouds of Gas and Dust', for instance, Avakian used dust particles collected at historical landmarks to create glittering crystals. In his work 'A Very Short History of Tall Men', he portrays leaders of failed coups d'état as little golden figurines. Although these figurines are in some way modelled on traditional monuments, they refuse to fulfil their representative function and instead become symbols of the protagonists' failure. This kind of ambivalence is characteristic of Avakian's entire oeuvre, making us acutely aware of the significance of history, culture and memory. Exhibition: Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (25.5.-17.6.2018).
Notes: Catalog of an exhibition held at Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, May 24-June 17, 2018.