ROOTS

One of a kind print. Shipped in a tube. Hangs unframed (recommended: hang from ceiling a few inches from the wall to allow for natural motion). Comes with a lightweight plastic mounting bar, 6ft of fishing line, two clips and hanging instructions.

Three people had a profound and diverse influence on my personal development, my relation to Armenia and my world vision:

Just as she enjoyed unveiling the secrets of Armenian cuisine, it was my Aunt who took on the responsibility to share with me her appalling stories of massacres and torture. Her stories did not just help me develop a relationship to an abstract country: they defined the Armenian community by which I was surrounded. More importantly, they gave me an acute awareness of the horrors in our world and engendered my unwavering commitment, through my art, to stand against them. 

Passionate about history, art, culture and politics, it was my uncle, while I watched him sculpt, from whom I discovered Armenian aesthetics. These aesthetics, like the stark and somber architecture of the churches that fascinated me on my visits to Armenia, reflect the sorrow and resilience of its people.

From my father I learned that cruelty and violence do not belong to a people but instead to individuals. He would say “There are good Turks and bad Armenians – you can’t generalize”. Although he remained deeply attached to his country of origin, my father had an absolute love for Switzerland. He saw in it the possibility of a rebirth, a new future and a new homeland. His openness to being both Swiss and Armenian allowed me to define myself not as either but ultimately as a citizen of the world.

The human experience is as fundamental a source of inspiration for me as is the search for beauty a means for its expression. Just as injustice and violence affect me intensely as I dive into my studio to create art, it is the pursuit of balance and harmony between aesthetics and these emotions that guide my world.