Under_construction: visual dialogue
Talking about identities in the Armenian Transnation
Exhibition taking place
in the Monastic Headquarters of the Armenian Mekhitarian Order
Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice
A project from under_construction e. V
Curators: Silvina Der-Meguerditchian/Barabara Höffer
with the support from the Mekhitarist Congregation, European Cultural Foundation
and Fundación Armenia
Opening: June 9, from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
On June 7-8-9 a boat service will be available from Giardini to the Island of
San Lazzaro.
Dates: June 09 - October 14, 2007
Public opening hours:
every day from 3:00 pm to 5:20 pm
How to reach the Island of San Lazzaro: Vaporetto n. 20
Vaporetto timetable:
from San Zaccaria to San Lazzaro h. 3:10 pm
from San Lazzaro to San Zaccaria h. 4:45 pm or 5:25 pm
Artists: Achot Achot, Emily Artinian, Andrew Demirjian, Silvina
Der-Meguerditchian, Dahlia Elsayed,
Archi Galentz, Sophia Gasparian
The exhibition "UNDER_CONSTRUCTION" presents a forum for frank dialogue on
questions relating to identity, the potential for an Armenian identity beyond
defined borders, and notions passed on for generations, such as nationality,
tradition and language. On display are works by seven artists of Armenian
descent whose biographies
resemble a cultural patchwork. All of them are multi-lingual and grew up in
diverse cultural contexts. The nomadic, hybrid nature of their existence not
only enables them to move effortlessly in different languages and cultures as
international artists, but also shapes a kind of culture in which identity is a
paradoxical, fleeting and constantly changing process. Remembering their
Armenian roots - the search for the lost garden - has become the driving
force behind the visual dialogues and creative work of the artists. In this
process Armenia itself has become associated with the idea of a transnation
which is constantly emerging and evolving - under_construction. The exhibition
"Under_Construction" is based on the Internet project of the same title
that Silvina Der-Meguerditchian started in 2005 offering artists a virtual
space for active, visual exchange. This platform enables the artists to
experiment, experience and share their hybrid identities in an open process. A
video recording of this specific working process and the visual artistic
dialogues is available to visitors for viewing at the exhibition.
The island of San Lazzaro is the headquarters of the Armenian Mekhitarian
Monastic Order, founded in Constantinople in the first years of the 18th
Century by the Abbot Mekhitar of Sebaste, who settled together with his monks
on the island in 1717 after escaping persecution. Mekhitar understood the
implicit potential of the written word for the preservation of Armenian culture
threatened by the vicissitudes of history. The monastery therefore not only has
a rich library, consisting of over 140,000 volumes, but until 1993 it also
contained an active printing office capable of publishing texts in thirty-six
languages, making San Lazzaro a global reference point for Eastern and in
particular Armenian culture. These books are archived in the library along with
4,500 precious manuscripts, including many illuminated works by Armenian
miniaturists and by the Greek and Syrian holy fathers.
For more information and high resolution images go to:
http://www.underconstructionhome.net/underconstr_venice/fotos_prensa.htm
or contact: Silvina Der-Meguerditchian
silvina_der@t-online.de
Thanks for the message! I will be there!
VOJ
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