“What you see exists on its own. But is it still there, when you don’t look at it? Are the things existing out of your gaze, or they  start existing once appearing in your view which formulates and defines them. Look. What you see now on the canvases and describe as “mountains” or “waters”, is just a surface. Both surfaces, the one you imagine and the one you actually see are the results of certain processes. These processes start from definitions, conditional separation of one surface from another, which the eye later sees as sky or a mountain top. All starts from the definition of the borderline. A line that divides the space into two conditional parts and gives them freedom of forming and flowing, though the freedom is previously limited by certain borders. This border is the compromise line between the artist, his desires and the materials with their functional abilities. As a result, we get surfaces, having forms, but lacking formulations. A surface that doesn’t have the need of being filled with narrative or plot. You can see mountains or sky, cold or warm, yours or mine, but you can also liberate yourself from this habit of describing everything and give yourself freedom to see what you see.”

 Ella Kanegarian

-curator-

From Architecture to Artistry

Born in Sisian, Armenia, Armen Hakobjanyan is an architect and a painter. Growing up in a
family of artists, paper and pencil became his childhood companions and he studied at the art school of Sisian until he moved to Yerevan aged 16. His relocation to Yerevan was a major landmark in the formation of his painting style, first because of his studies, and second, because of the urban scenery that was different from what he had in his birthplace. He graduated from the National Polytechnic University of Armenia, majoring in architecture. The art of designing and constructing buildings led him to discovery of new compositions and texture in painting. Moreover, he grew up seeing the mountains on the horizon in Sisian. He recalled, “It was bizarre to see rooftops and antennas out of the window every day when I relocated to Yerevan.”
The unfamiliar horizons were the beginning of his search for the familiar, the mountains. Years passed and his artistic eyes became accustomed to new horizons but mountains remained the recurring themes in his works.
“It happened to be mountains, it was never intentional. To me, my paintings are oil paint flowing down the canvas,” says Armen. He studied under Ashot Avagyan at the art school. The teacher’s unconventional technique of working with paint aroused his interest in oil paint and new techniques. Years later, when he studied architecture, the focus was once more on the materials, therefore, turning his attention to the medium in his artworks. “When I realized that
the paint can stream down the canvas, I tried to get more of what oil paint could do. Then the experiments resulted in the appearance of mountains and later, a series called 0-panorama,” explains Armen. He believes when the artist gives the medium the freedom to develop, the paint duplicates nature in its own way. In his case, it is the formation of the mountains that have undergone a geographical process over centuries.
“I think about how to paint rather than what to paint,” says Armen. According to him, there are two approaches: The artist either develops his work around a specific theme or the medium prompts them to produce the theme. “For the time being, the latter is my approach. By the medium becoming a source of inspiration for the painter, the second approach is the best way to overcome the artist’s block. In fact, it is a loop: First, the medium generates the technique.
Second, the technique brings about the start of a series. Next, the idea develops until it becomes exhausted, making the artist start all over again. Essentially, the functional technique at the beginning transforms itself into something symbolic and a series comes to life with the completion of each loop,” explains Armen.
Nonetheless, he thinks that he is gradually surrendering to the idea that his works represent the mountains of Sisian. The idea manifests itself in the depiction of the sky as Sisian is situated on top of the mountains, giving the spectators an eye-level view of the sky. Hence, the sky takes up relatively the same amount of space in his compositions as the mountains do. “ This
composition must have formed itself in my childhood. Even the choice of colors is probably inspired by the scenery that I had in Sisian,” admits Aram.
Armen believes 0-panorama still has the potential to develop and display more. “If the viewers consider my artwork as a painting of mountains, then that is not pure art. Why do we have to depict something that already exists in its absolute beauty and perfection? ” asks Armen, “A painting has to be a painting, nothing more,” he continues. However, It is a long journey and it
takes imagination. It is impossible to get to that point overnight thus, any deliberate interference is unauthentic according to Armen. “I will be copying Mark Rothko if I do it now,” he says humorously. The artist, who started his professional journey without knowing that painting could be a career, now stresses the need for hard work and not a muse to arrive. Organized by Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation, 0-panorama went on display in May 2021, marking Armen’s first official exhibition. “I could not see any point in having exhibitions before. But I learned a lot from the experience,” says Armen. He realized that exhibitions are independent of artists. “It is all the same for the viewers what the artist thinks of the pieces displayed there. They form their own opinions and might pick up the least favorite works of the painter. Their reactions were interesting to watch,” he continues. However, he does not wish to display the same series elsewhere. He will have more exhibitions when he feels that there is something new to show.

Interviewed by Annie Nazari