"9" An exhibition of nine artists held at the Yerevan Museum of Contemporary Art, organized and curated by Sonia Balassanian, served as the spring-board for several projects in following years, leading to creation of the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA).
With an expanded group of artists, an exhibition entitled "Identification" was again held at the Yerevan Museum of Contemporary Art.
The group presented "The Third Exhibition" at the Toumanian Museum. By this time the group had established itself as a distinct presence in the Yerevan artistic landscape, and had acquired recognition of art enthusiasts and intelligentsia. The Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art was officially registered in Yerevan on October 4, 1994, under the Armenian acronym “NPAK”, which stands for “Norarar Pordzarakan Arvesti Kentron”.
In June Sonia Balassanian initiated and organized the first ever official participation of Armenia at The International Art Biennale of Venice, which also coincided with the centenary of the Venice Biennale. Commissioner and curator of the Armenian Pavilion was Sonia Balassanian, herself.
The new facility of ACCEA in Yerevan was inaugurated on April 25, 1996, with a "Martyrs' Day Commemoration Exhibition"—honoring the memory of the victims of the 1915 Genocide, by celebrating the new, the young, and the progressive. Many artists, art enthusiasts, dignitaries, and members of the diplomatic corps attended.
On august 26 Vahram Aghassian, one of the young members of the ACCEA, presented his works in Vienna, Austria, at an exhibition named "Text as a Measure of Space". The exhibition was organized with the help of ACCEA and Austrian "Kultur Kontakt" organization.
From August 21 through August 28 the group "ACT" presented an audio installation: "Beautiful Progress".
During the entire month of September, a multi-disciplinary "Festival of Arts" took place at the Center, celebrating the 5th anniversary of establishment of the Independent Republic of Armenia. Works of 21 artists were presented in a group exhibition, together with concerts of Armenian religious and folk cantilenas, Jazz music, and three experimental performances.
In October the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Georgia invited ACCEA to the inaugural exhibition of “International Art Biennale of Tbilisi”. ACCEA represented Armenia. Other participants were Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation.
In October, "Viewpoint", an exhibition curated by Vahram Aghassian, was mounted. It intended to bring together immerging artists of shared viewpoints.
1997
Annual group exhibitions of "Young Artists" was inaugurated on March 11.
"Representation", an exhibition curated by Azat Sargsian took place in April.
On May 3rd a rock concert of "Strangers" took place.
On May 8th an exhibition called "Civil Values", curated by Arman Grigorian was organized. It attempted to address the issue of "Aesthetics In Terms of Contemporary Realities".
On May 30th, ACCEA sponsored presentation of a collection entitled "Clean Creation" in the provincial town of Yeghegnadzor. The exhibition was curated by Vahram Aghassian in collaboration with the Aram Khachatrian International Fund.
ACCEA was appointed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia to organize Armenia's second participation at the XLVII Biennale of Venice once again. As a reflection of the fact that the Armenian people, while dispersed throughout the world, have maintained a distinct identity, artists representing Armenia were selected from Armenia proper and the Armenian Diaspora. They were Arman Grigorian, Azat Sargsian, and Stepan Veranian from Armenia, and Sonia Balassanian from USA, and Atom Egoyan from Canada. The Armenian Pavilion opened on June 11, 1997. The Commissioner was the First Deputy Minister of Culture, Anelka Grigorian.
The exhibition "Post Factum" was held on June 11. It was curated by David Kareian.
July 24 through August 1, "A Closed Discussion on Conceptual Architecture" organized and moderated by Michael Mkrtchian, was held at the Center. The focus was the interrupted relationship between architecture and philosophy. The role of conceptual architecture was explored as a means of re-establishing this relation.
From August 8 through August 26 "Mono-Polis" a project participated solely by female artists was organized. Initiator and Curator was Arevik Arevshatian. The focus was women's views and reflections on civilization.
On September 6, Sonia Balassanian organized an international exhibition of photography entitled “Body and Skin”. Works of Armenian and non-Armenian artists were presented. Photographs of artists from Armenia and Diaspora together with non-Armenian photographers from abroad (USA, Italy, Greece, and Iran) provided a unique experience, and exposed the Armenian audience to alternative treatment of this age-old medium.
On September 28 ACCEA organized a "Festival of Wandering Musicians" in Abovian Street. The initiator of the festival was Grigor Khachatrian. A procession of performers and audience to the Opera Square concluded the festival. At the Opera Square, also popularly known as "The Freedom Square", all of the musicians performed the National Anthem of Armenia, each in his or her own way and style.
On October 1 the Center was the venue of an exhibition-competition called "Design 96-97". The Municipality of Yerevan organized the event. The purpose of the exhibition was to explore visual objects of the cityscape in Yerevan, and to propose new solutions, alternatives, and ideas.
On October 10 an exhibition was held called "10.X-5.XI 1997". It presented works produced during the period of the title of exhibition.
On November 14 the concert of the rock group "Angels" was held.
1998
From March 20 through April 10 the exhibition "Never Mind" took place. This was the second of series of annual youth exhibitions, which started in spring of 1997. The curator of the exhibition was Vahram Aghassian.
On April 3 the lovers of rock music were treated to a joint concert of rock groups "If" and "King Cross".
On April 25 the exhibition "Opus Etc." was held in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The curator of the exhibition was Stepan Veranian. The exhibition featured the work in progress on the construction of a medieval sailboat, and art impressed by the concept of the boat. The exhibition was received and praised widely.
An exhibition of three artists Ara Alekian, Gevork Mshetsi-Javroushian, and Heriknaz Galstian, entitled “Preamble”, opened on June 6. Sculptress Heriknaz Galstian curated the exhibition. Relation with the land was the main theme of the exhibition of sculptures, installations and paintings, all using “earthly” materials—wood, stone, metal, and a live rooster!
“ROCK’NPAK”, a rock marathon-concert was organized on June 14. 24 rock bands converged on Yerevan from across Armenia. The idea was to create a venue for rock music and enthusiasts, as well as rejuvenate the tradition of the Armenian Rock.
On June 28, “Vostan Hayots” rock group inaugurated a series of concerts as follow-up of the June 14, Rock Marathon.
On August 1, an architectural exhibition, the forth in an annual series, entitled “Dimension VI” was held, curated by Michael Mkrtchian, and participation of seven architecture students and an architect—the curator.
“Weekend”, an exhibition of photography, curated by German Avakian, opened on August 28. 14 professional and amateur photographers took part. The theme of the exhibition was “...Escape, which assumes return to some kind of previous condition, to the ‘bosom of mother’, to the ‘paradise’, to a place where man plans to be more ‘childish, more immediate, unpredictable, rebellious, free, natural...’, but it is not...” we read in the exhibition write-up.
“Two Artists, One Creation” On October 9, a joint exhibition of installations by Arevik Arevshatian and Ruben Grigorian opened at the Center. “The object of our cooperation is to find aesthetic common ground for differing views and visions of artists of opposing gender.” State the artists in the brochure of the exhibition. They are husband and wife.
On October 18, “Festival of Wandering Musicians” was repeated, this year in cooperation with “AR” Television Station. It was held on the plaza in front of “Moskva” movie house, and the “Painters’ Union”, on Abovian Street. The organizer, this year also, was documentary cinematographer-video artist Grigor Khachatrian. 28 street musicians took part. All received prizes. On that sunny Sunday, in the most popular square of the most popular street in Yerevan there was festive mood. Number of Spectators well surpassed one thousand.
For the third consecutive time, the Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sport, of the Republic of Armenia, appointed the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art to organize the Armenian Pavilion at the XLVIII International Art Biennale of Venice, in 1999.
November 9-20. “Yerevan Biennial Exhibition of Avant-Gardes Art”. A group exhibition organized as preamble to the Venice Biennale. Also termed as "Yerevan Biennale", this group exhibition was organized as an interim review of the continuing process of evolution of plastic arts in Armenia, and as a means of selecting and developing Armenian participation at the Venice Biennale at the following year.
1999
March 15-24, "Fanatics of Mind and Body" traditional exhibition of young artists, curated by Mher Azatian.
April 10-21, "Negation of Negative", an exhibition of photography, curated by Artak Poghossian.
April 27, "Design 99", an exhibition/competition for the logo of the traditional "Youth Exhibition" of ACCEA, curated by Anna Baghdassarian.
May 9-14, "Accounting/Review", an exhibition of video art curated by Grigor Khachatrian.
May 25, "Cine-Laboratory", a one-day cinematic event/installation. Curator and Designer Gagik Ghazareh.
May 18-28, one-person exhibition of recent works by Ashot Bayandoor.
May 29, "Children's Exhibition" on the occasion of International Children's Day.
June 12-November 9. For the third consecutive time ACCEA/NPAK organized the Armenian Pavilion at the XLVIII International Art Biennale of Venice. This year Armenia was represented by a single artist, Narek Avetissian, who participated with one electronic-video-computer installation entitled "Post Factum: Earth, Space and Dream".
August 17-24, "Bio-Space", an architectural/city planning exhibition/experiment/study. Edward Balassanian, Consultant.
September 24-26, Theatrical installation, "Out-Silence", Designed and directed by Hamlet Haroutiunian, Installation design by Ara Hovsepian.
September 29-October 10, "On Another Scale...”, One-person exhibition of giant scale installations of small satirical drawings by Samuel Abgarian.
November 2-12, "Crisis: Group Exhibition of Non-Conformist Artists", curated by David Kareyan.
December 25, 1999 and January 6, 2000, "Childhood Fears", a group exhibition on the occasion of Christmas, curated by Naira Zolyan.
Every Wednesday, performances of NPAK Experimental Theater Group. Director and Producer, Vahagn Galstian.
2000
March 14-20, "End of the World", Group exhibition of photography, curated by Albert Babelian.
March 12-25, "The Armenian Context: Cognizance, Convergence, Expiration", one-person performance/exhibition by Azat Sargsian.
April 4-9, "Armenian Artists on Cyber-Spatial Relations", Group exhibition of more than 40 artists, curated by Narek Avetissian.
April 18-May 2, "Festival of Alternative Arts: Civic Commotion" Group exhibition of fine and performing arts by 132 artists and performers, curated by David Kareyan.
May 9-May 15, “Exhibition-Collage for a Two-Act Play” Live movements combined with installations, culminating in multi-media performing event, Curator Samuel Abgarian, Director Gagik Ghazareh.
July 25-August 5, "Action-Painting, After Art and After". Performance-Installation by Vahan Roumelian. Curator, Ara Hovsepian.
August 15, September 10, "Collapse of Illusions" Multi-media installation-performance, designed, curated and directed by Sonia Balassanian in cooperation with 10 artists, "NPAK" Theatrical Group, and "Incest" Rock Band.
“ROCK’NPAK”. Once again a marathon of rock music was held at the Center, on October 29. 17 rock bands from across Armenia, and one from neighboring Republic of Georgia, took part. The place was "rocking" for 9 hours, non-stop.
November 27, "Elevator". Harold Pinter. A multi-media adaptation. "NPAK" Theatrical Group, Gagik Ghazareh, Director.
2001
April 25-May 12, "Festival of Alternative Art" Group exhibition of fine and performing arts by 64 artists and performers.
May 17, “Les Petits/Petits: Europe Orientale” NPAK hosted a traveling theatrical project with participation of 18 theatrical companies, comprised of 50 artists from 17 countries of the Eastern Europe, including Armenia. The group traveled by bus and performed in 21 cities from Tbilisi to Paris. The plays, written in languages of participating companies, were 7 minute in length, and were performed on a 1.07 square meter stage! Hence the name of Petits/Petits...
June 10-November 4. Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, of the Republic of Armenia again appointed the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art to organize the Armenian Pavilion at the XLIX International Art Biennale of Venice. Edward Balassanian, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ACCEA was appointed the Commissioner and Curator of Pavilion. This time the Armenian Pavilion was organized as a dynamic and evolving presentation of Armenian avant-garde art, based on the concept of “work-in-progress”. The Armenian Pavilion in Venice opened in Yerevan in November 2000, artists started developing their work in Yerevan, and in May 2001, the process was “relocated” to Venice, where it continued in the same spirit until the end of 49th Biennale, on November 4, 2001.
September 15-28 “Navigator Studio of Video Documentaries” and a group of affiliated scientists, in cooperation with NPAK, organized an exhibition of “interaction” between art, science, and political struggle for independence by people of Mountainous Karabagh. Besides documentary photographs and videos depicting liberation struggle of people of Karabagh, the exhibition displayed prototype models of a 4-wheel drive personnel carrier and an airplane.
On September 26, Sonia Balassanian expanded on the idea of “Collapse of Illusions”, organized by her during the previous year, and created “Shadows of Dust", another multi-media installation-performance. This time the event was “performed” at the public park across NPAK. In the outdoors, 3 Giant screens were continuously showing several video-art pieces designed and produced by Sonia Balassanian, and around them, the performers and other artists, were expanding on their works by further performances, actions and installations. Passer-bys intermingled with performers, and by their presence became part of the event.
October 1-15. A unique and encompassing exhibition of works of late Minas Avetissian, one of the major exponents of Armenian modern art, took place with a special view and approach. Curators, Stepan Veranian and Narek Avetissian (late painter’s son, an artist on his own), with pain-staking effort recorded “remnants” of Minas’ decaying murals from northern parts of Armenia. A tipple-screen video presentation was continuously showing details and general images of the murals and views of the artist’s native village. In the gallery more than 30 major works on canvas, seldom, if ever, shown before, were put on display. In the large auditorium the stage backdrop and side panels, as well as costumes designed by Minas Avetissian for “Gayane” ballet by Aram Khachatrian, were displayed as an installation. The exhibition was in a way a tribute to the late master, by the following generation of artists, themselves avant-garde, as the master, before them.
November 25, "Letters from Hospital". Antoine Chekhov. An adaptation. "NPAK" Theatrical Group, Gagik Ghazareh, Director.
2002
The year 2002 became historical landmark in the life of NPAK. In February the space of the Center was granted to NPAK by the Government of Armenia, for permanent use. At the same time National Benefactors Jean and Albert Boghossians gave NPAK a major grant for renovation and refurbishing of the space. All exhibitions, except for Festival of Alternative Art, were put on hold pending completion of the renovations. The festival was made an exception to avoid interruption in the tradition of annual exhibitions of Alternative Art.
In May of 2002 another major success was registered by NPAK. Efforts were successful in securing a benefactor for creating a Sculpture Garden at the entrance green of the Center. A 4.25-meter high, quadruple scale bronze cast of Yervand Kochar’s “Melancholy” (1956) would be erected at the entrance. It is indeed fitting and appropriate to install a major creation by Yervand Kochar at a public space, in front of NPAK, a faithful follower of the great master and the forefather of Armenian modern art. The benefactor had chosen to remain anonymous. However, he had made the donation in the name of “Nor Ej” Literary Group, one of the exponents of the Armenian modern literature. The casting of the sculpture was completed and the sculpture was erected 2003. On 23 September 2003 the sculpture was inauguirated by the Mayor of Yerevan Mr. Yervand Zakharian. By the wishes of the benfactor his name was revealed after his passing in 2004. He was Iranian-Armenian writer, poet and architect Rouben Avanessian (pen-name "R-Ben").
May 24-June 10, "Festival of Alternative Arts: Affirmative Art" Group exhibition of fine and performing arts by 49 artists and performers, curated by David Kareyan and Vartan Azadian. Series of events took place: Exhibition of installations and paintings, evening of Rock music, evening of avant-garde music, sessions of video viewing, and a discussion-seminar of artists and art critics.
In the month of July, 14 artists of NPAK were guests of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art for a 2-week exhibition of Armenian avant-garde art. The multi-media exhibition was held at Artists House of Tehran. It was very successful. Unexpected number of Iranian art enthusiasts visited the exhibition. Stepan Veranian curated the exhibition.
Beginning summer of 2001 NPAK started a “Residency Program” whereby artists from abroad would be provided with workspace and facilities at NPAK for a 2-3 month period. While in Armenia, besides producing individual works, visiting artists would interact with their local counterparts, through studio visits, exhibitions and presentations accompanied with discussion sessions, etc. About 25% of the visiting artists have been of non-Armenian origin. This year 4 artists visited from the United States, and one from Europe.
At the end of August NPAK participated at the 3rd Giumri Biennale of Art by a multi-media project curated by David Kareyan and Eva Khachatrian. The title of the work was “No Return”.
Upon completion of renovations in September, another new program was initiated at the Center. The program is weekly discussion and review sessions on various aspects of the arts and literature. Initially it started with screening of foreign feature films with commentary by cinema-expert Zaven Boyajian. This program was followed by weekly sessions on “Alternative Literature” led by the editors of “Bnagir” electronic periodical, Violet Grigorian, and Vahram Mardirossian. Sessions on theater, music, architecture, fine arts, etc. wereplanned to follow.
September 26-29, 2002. Series of major events in celebration of NPAK's 10th anniversary was organized and curated by NPAK's Founder and Senior Artistic Director Sonia Balassanian. The program included multi-media performance-installations, cyber-arts, photography, video art, avant-garde music, traditional paintings, installations, etc.
November 19-December 10, 2002. Group exhibition of “3 Artists”: Vahram Aghassian, Diana Hagopian and Narek Avetissian. This exhibition was the pilot project of small-group and solo exhibitions to be organized for interim periods of large-scale group exhibitions and major projects. Participating artists would be selected from the list of artists associated with NPAK.
In December, NPAK Experimental Theater Group produced a multi-media play called “In the Room”, based on Yeghishe Charents epic poem “Danteesque Myth”, written, directed and produced by Gagik Ghazareh. The play was contemporary interpretation of great poet’s reaction and reflections on the turn-of-the-century tragedy of the Armenian Genocide.
For the fifth consecutive time, the Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports of the Republic has appointed NPAK, to organize the Pavilion of the Republic of Armenia at the 50th International Art Biennale of Venice, to be held June through November 2003. Edward Balassanian, Co-Founder of NPAK was appointed the Commissioner of the Pavilion. An open competition was announced for selection of the art to be sent to Venice. 46 artists registered to take part. By the deadline 37 artists presented their works. The exhibition opened on December 16. Joint video/performance project of David Kareyan and Eva Khachatrian, entitled “No Return” was selected to represent Armenia at the 2003 Venice Biennale.
...and the journey continues...
FOR EVENTS BEYOND 2002 PLEASE REFER TO THE APPROPRIATE PAGES OF THIS WEBSITE