The Armenia Art Fair announces its highly anticipated follow-up to its 2018 debut. The 2019 edition will include 35 participants, with representation from galleries and curators across the Caucasus, Europe, Middle East, and USA.
For its second edition, the fair’s program will focus on supporting young artists, building an art market, and developing art education in Armenia. Emerging talents from Iran will be presented by curator Karami Hamidreza as well as London based Gallery Girl, who will be presenting painters Luska and Ripsy May.
Photo: "Burned archives" exhibiiton by Asymetria Gallery
Juraj Carny, the founding director of Kunsthalle Bratislava, will present “New Names,” an exhibition of young artists from Slovakia.
Armenia Art Fair will welcome Iranian galleries Saye and Vista, as well as Armenia’s local Arame and Karoyan, who will be presenting the work of Israeli artists Nechama Levendel and Avraham Eilat. There will also be an open studio presentation by Armenian women’s photography collective 4Plus, which aims to develop documentary photography and to empower women in Armenia and beyond.
Beyond the Caucasus, galleries include Spain’s Crisolart and Weber-Lutgen, in addition to presentations by Berlin’s MAIFOTO and London’s Le Dame.
The post-Soviet art scene will be exhibited through independent curator Oleg Kostyuchenko (Belarus). Kostyuchenko represents Belarusian artists in the project "Talent for Export.”
Photo: "Burned archives" exhibiiton by Asymetria Gallery
In conjunction with the fair, a series of “Night Owl” Art Talks will run, including a lecture on new art and new markets by Dr. Iain Robertson, Head of Art Business Studies at London’s Sotheby’s Institute of Art. There will also be an “In the Woods There is a Bird,” sound performance by German conceptual artist, Olaf Nicolai in partnership with Goethe-Zentrum Eriwan.
Exhibitions during Art Week will include “Burned Archives,” from Poland’s Asymteria Gallery. Goethe-Zentrum Eriwan will present “Die Grenze.” The group exhibition curated by Thibaut de Rutyer and Inke Arns translates as “The Border,” and reflects on the cultural and geographical border between Europe and Asia. Approaching the topic from an artistic standpoint, the project directs its gaze beyond a purely political and economic perspective to include cultural, personal and even humorous dimensions. Ruben Malayan, an award-winning creative director and visual artist from Armenia, will also be giving a workshop.
Photo: "Burned archives" exhibiiton by Asymetria Gallery
As part of a commitment to encourage innovation in art production as well as across disciplines, Art Week will introduce an “Art and Technology” program. This will focus on the impact of new technologies in the art and cultural sectors, which is particularly appropriate since Armenia has a strong science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) tradition. This program includes a talk by Pau Garcia, (Spain) Founding Partner Domestic Data Streamers Studio, speaking on the perception of data in politics and history, exploring through a series of examples, how the physical representation of arts and data can be a way to help people access the meaning behind each number. Przemyslaw Jasielski, a visual artist who works on the intersection of engineering, art and science, will also host a workshop with local artists, with the resulting artwork being presented at Armenia Art Fair.
Main sponsors and partners of the Armenia Art Fair 2019 are: General sponsor Ameriabank, Rostelecom, Ministry of Culture of the RA, Artprice, Arterritory, Goethe-Zentrum Eriwan and others.
Photo from the official opening of the Armenia Art Fair's "Art Week" cultural program
25 May 2019
Cover photo: Liquid Votes (Domestic Data Streamers)