Selections II

The increase in production resources and the societal changes mankind underwent as a result of the Industrial Revolution caused overt changes in art just as it did with every other facet of life. The dazzling leaps in the fields of science and technology that emerged at an increasing speed – in the 20th century especially – as well as the changes and sociopolitical developments of this period directly affected artists and their production as much as it did society as a whole. Emerging in the 1960s and enduring today, contemporary art heavily focuses on the subjects of globalization, the environment, technology, identity, and class; with each artist differing greatly in terms of their production methods, thus comprising a movement wherein art finds a more liberated form that is more subjective. This process, in which nearly all traditionalist rules are ignored at the conceptual level, led to artistic production with a never-before-seen level of variety due to a liberal perspective and the substantiality and abundance of subjects, no doubt assisted by the brand-new materials provided to us by new technologies.

Unfolded in two stages and having the first stage in the beginning of this year, “Selections” focuses on this concept of variety. As the second stage of the series, “Selections II” features Galeri 77 artists Vahram Davtian, Bayram Demir, Gago, Sedat Girgin, Edgar Grigoryan, Hakan Gürbüzer, Armen Hakobjanyan, Vav Hakobyan, Mehmet Resul Kaçar, Roman Kakoyan, Mesut Karakış, David Martirosyan, Daron Mouradian, Ani Qananyan, Armén Rotch and Tigran Sahakyan, bringing their exciting works of various styles, expressions, and techniques together in a selection that aims to provide a different, colorful, and enjoyable experience for the viewers.

Using the multilayered painting method of the Old Masters, Daron Mouradian and Vahram Davtian create surreal compositions that carry us beyond time and space, unlocking the door to worlds the keys to which only they themselves possess. With their photorealistic works that unite photography with painting, David Martirosyan allows us to observe the effect of tiny nuances in light and shadow on the artwork as a whole. Using unorthodox materials and fresh reinterpretations of contemporary techniques, the near-experimental works of Armen Hakobjanyan, Tigran Sahakyan, Mesut Karakış, Armén Rotch and Mehmet Resul Kaçar carry touches of minimalism and let us experience the limits of art that are only within reach through different approaches. Rejecting all traditional rules of painting, the works of Vav Hakobyan, Gago, Sedat Girgin and Hakan Gürbüzer completely distance their figures from reality, completely deforming them to better express their states of emotion, taking us on a ride through a strange, colorful and uncanny world of imagination. Roman Kakoyan, who focuses on the spaces we live in in his works, stands out with his works that surprise our perception of depth with the illusionistic effect he creates by enriching his interior compositions, which he mainly creates with a single-angle perspective, with a striking Hockney-like color palette, light, shadow and various contrasts. Connecting the graphic arts, textile technology, digital image, philosophy, psychology, symbology, mythology and poetry, Bayram Demir tells unique philosophical and symbolic stories using his best technique, weaved fabrics, mastered through years of experience. Noticing a value in using vast amount of garbage heaps for a beneficial cause in our time of increasing consumption, Edgar Grigoryan creates his sculptures transforming used (waste) materials, and over these, aims to form a new art dialogue between human and life. Ani Qananyan depicts nature in her paintings in his own perspective, also creates white clay ceramic artworks, leading us on a search for hints of the external world’s reflections within ourselves.

Blending different concepts, styles, and production techniques together and bringing the viewer a great amount of variety through the works of these 16 artists, “Selections II” allow us to compare and associate different works, while also providing us with a multivocal visual feast, a safe harbor where we may momentarily shed our daily woes and rest our weary souls.