Art of the Day - Martiros Saryan

Still Life with Flowers by Martiros Saryan, 1928.

Nina Katchadourian's Sorted Books Project

Read the titles of the books from top to bottom. Fun, isn't it?

The process is the same in every case: culling through a collection of books, pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom.

Nina has a lot of other projects on her website, including maps as seen on moss, crossdressing animals, renovated mushrooms, and much more.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, she is of Swedish-Finnish and Turkish-Armenian-Lebanese descent.

Here are the links: Sorted Books Project and Nina Katchadourian's Home Page

Modern Art in Armenia, Oh My!

Click to enlarge.

UPDATE: Thanks to reader Karen, it has been determined that this is not art. Rather, it is a promotion for a movie. Thanks, Karen!

What do you think this piece of art is trying to portray? I'd much rather watch the Garfield movie being advertised in the background than witness such art. By the way, this is in front of Kino Moskva.

Image source: Flickr

Let's Paint Armenia's Apartment Buildings!

(Click to enlarge)

Here we see typical Armenian apartment buildings, sometimes known as tower blocks. These were built with panels of concrete - in the name of efficiency and cost-cutting - in a Soviet attempt to house all of its workers. Many of them look beautiful on the inside, with Euro-style remodels and the latest in furniture and electronic gadgets, unique reflections of the families who live in them. But from the outside, they look old, dirty, uninspired, depressing, and generally bad.

Russia had the same problem, until they began experimenting with color. The result? THIS!


(Click to enlarge)

This is what Armenians need: COLOR! Expression, happiness, art, sillyness, change, brightness! Imagine how the skyline will look if instead of shades of gray we have color. Children all across can create the artworks and adults render them onto the buildings. Flags, landscapes, abstracts, even portraits will adorn decades-old buildings. Our cities will become vibrant and everyone would follow our lead. It would be a rebirth: It would be revolutionary!

Who am I kidding? That would never happen.

Sources: Flickr and LiveJournal (many more pictures here)

France to Restore Two Saryan Paintings

I've always loved Martiros Saryan's work, and not just because half of all Armenian artists nowadays are trying to emulate his use of colors!

A French town is allocating $3,000 to the restoration of two Saryan paintings from 1925 and 1928.

What is not known is whether these pieces are truly in need of a restoration.

Source: Yerevan.ru (translated)

British Dancer Strips With Armenian Flag

I couldn't make this up even if I tried! One thing I do know, however, is that I would have loved to have been there. You'll see why.

While appearing at Stanislavsky State Theater before a full hall of about 600 dance fans, [Nigel]Charnock performed a dance that many in the audience said was like "from a strip club", making some uncomfortable and challenging conservative definitions of "art".

...trouble came when he wrapped his loins in a British flag, then covered his torso in the Armenian tricolor. He also danced on top of each flag. Charnock told reporters that he wore the Armenian flag because he "felt surrounded by Armenian friendship".

While ordering that Thursday’s performance be cancelled, [Ministry of Culture's Hasmik] Poghosyan said it was not a matter of censorship, but that: "He can stand, chew, swallow his flag, but it is forbidden to disrespect the Armenian flag and is punished by criminal law."

This is just too much fun! I don't know which part I like more: the fact that Armenians in Armenia most likely aren't aware of the word "art" outside of a museum or that there is a law in Armenia that prohibits "disrespecting" the flag, which is punishable under criminal law?

Frankly, the outcome of the elections has taken a back seat for me. Without freedom of expression, who the hell needs a democratically elected president?

On another note, turns out you can even email Hasmik Poghosyan, the Minister of Culture! I'll drop her a line and tell you if she responds.

Source: ArmeniaNow

Contest: Monument for Shushi's Liberation

Here's one for all you art people:

The Yerevan city administration has announced an open contest for a monument model symbolizing the liberation of Shushi town (Karabakh) during the war with Azerbaijan...The memorial should symbolize the liberation struggle of the Armenian people in Artsakh. The stuff and height of the monument is up to the authors.

The monument will be inaugurated at the crossroad of Freedom Avenue and Babayan Street (not far from the city center). The winner of the contest will receive $1500. Those who take the second and the third places will receive $1000 and $300 respectively (in AMD equivalent). Architects, sculptors and artists are eligible for the contest. The appeals should be submitted to the department of architecture and town-building no later than February 15, 2007...

Grab a piece of clay and get cracking!

Source: Yerkir

The Independence of Armenia's Art

Armenia Now has a really good article about the the near loss of Armenia's artistic resources. Jivan Gasparyan also talks about his experiences from that time.

You can find the article here.