BLACK/WHITE
Exhibition of Photography
Contemporary photography has crossed a long way through perfection of production processes, and eventually is becoming an inseparable part of the “digital” world.
In spite of variety of contrasting opinions, photography may be defined as a powerful tool of documental reproduction of objective reality. During the development of this means of expression there were many debates on its artistic merit. Artists and painters of the past century have treated “photography” as merely mechanical reproduction of reality!
However, gradually the opinion that the art of photography, if it can be considered as such, must be developed not as an extension of painting, but on its own merits. Merits/techniques which are specific only to photography.
Historically being the origin of photography, contemporary black and white photograph imposes its unique aesthetics through artificial deformation of reality. It carries within it artist’s subjective attitude towards its subject and continues to remain as one of the most important expressions of the “art of photography”.
Approaches of participants of “Black/White” exhibition differ by their photographic solutions and themes as well as their vantage-points.
Arthur Sakhkalyan’s and Sevada Petrossian’s photographs demonstrate unique formal aesthetics, where form “means” content.
In the case of Sharis Garabedian D’Ambrosi, Ali Ansari and Lilit Altunyan we see dynamic tendencies of lines.
A group of photographers can be noted for their artistic documentation of reality. At one instance some reflect upon socio-political themes (Anahit Hayrapetyan, Edgar Danghyan, Armen Ter-Mkrtchyan) and in other instance they provide accurate representation of events surrounding us (Sargis Virabyan, Mkrtich Nazaryan, Karen Mirzoyan, Nvard Yerkanyan, Albert Babelyan).
In one case the photographer provides serenity of the general scene (Elina Shahnazaryan), and in other directs our attention to the tension generated by magnification of the material (Eduard Tadevossian). In one case the artist plays with the object in front of the lens and creates an unreal tale (Inga Ivanova, Anastasia Danielyan), and in the other totally exempts material as such (Tom, Suren Arakelyan).
Light, in one instance conveys the harmonized silence of the portrait and the situation (Artashes Stamboltsyan, Tatul Karakhanyan), and in the other instance it disturbs the viewer by depicting chaotic noise of the city (Armen Hagopian).
And lastly, some, by playing with arrangement of images get contradictions and repetitions, which totally change boundaries of reality the way we know them (Anoushavan Havakimyan, Hamazasp Pichikyan).
Thus, in spite of differences in their genres or techniques these artists’ pursuits once again prove that the photographer has been emancipated from casts and the light-sensitive surface is boundless.
Eduard Tadevossian
Vahram Akimyan
