2006 shows
"Vacillate: A Conversation on Contemporary Femininity. A Group Exhibition Curated by Cat Ganim.”
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 19th, 5-9pm
Show Dates: January 10 through February 11, 2006
Providence, RI (December 6, 2005) Please join us at Gallery Z on Thursday, January 19, 2006, from 5-9 PM, for the opening reception of the exhibition "Vacillate: A Conversation on Contemporary Femininity. A Group Exhibition Curated by Cat Ganim.” The show will be displayed from January 10, 2006 through February 11, 2006. The artists in Vacillate explore their own perceptions of femininity within our culture; whether personal, coincidental, objective, or subjective, each artist in this show speaks to their own influences and experiences and suggests another perspective for explaining what is feminine.
Marty McCorkle from San Francisco, CA, is engaged in digitally sketching his female subject and executes her form using digital abstraction in oils. His work harbors the very contemporary conflict between traditional arts and new media, but is executed in a way that calls to mind traditional abstraction masters. His work is very human, intimate, and visceral. The lines blur around McCorkle’s figures, inviting us to examine a fractalized, gestural pose of seduction.
Veronica Ochoa from Minneapolis, MN is executing highly personal, confrontational, totally intuitive work. She presents emotionally charged personal landscapes confronting the audience with boldness and energy. In her own words: " My paintings reveal the frailties in the Cinderella myth and the belief in oneself and manifesting your own destiny. I tend to be the subject of most of my paintings because it is from my eyes which absorbs, detracts and reflects the light and darkness which is everyday life. Hang on to your ego like Brian Wilson once sang….and Frank Black covered…"
Jason Roberts from Palm Springs, CA, professionally painting since 1986 and a former student of L’Ecole des Arts Paris-Italie, Paris, chose to produce a finely executed body of work reflecting the colorful lifestyle of drag queen scene in Palm Springs. His drag queen paintings explore the drag subculture with an element of fun and color. He brings the viewer an element of accessibility to the drag culture and a uses a visual language of acceptance and encouragement.
Sydney Hardin from Boston executes her paintings using commercial influences; a flat, graphic-arts style of painting, eroticising what seems to be innocent and girl-like. She is heavily responding to media influences within her work and points to the girls’ sexuality by virtue of giving us a closer view of the girls without the adverting language to sway your perceptions to a non-sexual venue.
Other artists in Vacillate include: Thomas Terceira a practicing designer, artist and craftsman for thirty years and Cranston resident, exhibiting collage-style mail-art with pin-up undertones; Stephanie Porcaro from Waterbury, CT, sharing a personal intuitive side with her self-portrait work; Umberto Crenca, Providence art-scene mogul, showing his extremely visceral, body oriented expressions of cross-gendered forces; and Melanie Ducharme from Coventry, RI, exploring female sexuality in the punk-rock subculture
Marty McCorkle from San Francisco, CA, is engaged in digitally sketching his female subject and executes her form using digital abstraction in oils. His work harbors the very contemporary conflict between traditional arts and new media, but is executed in a way that calls to mind traditional abstraction masters. His work is very human, intimate, and visceral. The lines blur around McCorkle’s figures, inviting us to examine a fractalized, gestural pose of seduction.
Veronica Ochoa from Minneapolis, MN is executing highly personal, confrontational, totally intuitive work. She presents emotionally charged personal landscapes confronting the audience with boldness and energy. In her own words: " My paintings reveal the frailties in the Cinderella myth and the belief in oneself and manifesting your own destiny. I tend to be the subject of most of my paintings because it is from my eyes which absorbs, detracts and reflects the light and darkness which is everyday life. Hang on to your ego like Brian Wilson once sang….and Frank Black covered…"
Jason Roberts from Palm Springs, CA, professionally painting since 1986 and a former student of L’Ecole des Arts Paris-Italie, Paris, chose to produce a finely executed body of work reflecting the colorful lifestyle of drag queen scene in Palm Springs. His drag queen paintings explore the drag subculture with an element of fun and color. He brings the viewer an element of accessibility to the drag culture and a uses a visual language of acceptance and encouragement.
Sydney Hardin from Boston executes her paintings using commercial influences; a flat, graphic-arts style of painting, eroticising what seems to be innocent and girl-like. She is heavily responding to media influences within her work and points to the girls’ sexuality by virtue of giving us a closer view of the girls without the adverting language to sway your perceptions to a non-sexual venue.
Other artists in Vacillate include: Thomas Terceira a practicing designer, artist and craftsman for thirty years and Cranston resident, exhibiting collage-style mail-art with pin-up undertones; Stephanie Porcaro from Waterbury, CT, sharing a personal intuitive side with her self-portrait work; Umberto Crenca, Providence art-scene mogul, showing his extremely visceral, body oriented expressions of cross-gendered forces; and Melanie Ducharme from Coventry, RI, exploring female sexuality in the punk-rock subculture
Ready to Emerge: RISD Senior Sculptors
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 23, 2006
Exhibition Dates: February 14, 2006 through February 25, 2006
Contact: Lindsay Dealy Garcia, 203-434-8598
Providence, RI (January 12, 2006) - On Thursday, February 23, from 5-9 PM, Gallery Z will be hosting an opening reception of the exhibition Ready to Emerge: RISD Senior Sculptors. The exhibit will be displayed through Saturday February 25, 2006.
On display will be selected pieces from the thesis portfolios of the sixteen students in their last months of the rigorous academic experience of Rhode Island School of Design..
Three emerging artists in this exhibition include: Noel Anderson of Binghamton, New York, Nathan Sowiski of Buffalo, New York, and Samantha Gerlach of Cresskill, New Jersey.
Noel Anderson uses a variety of techniques to make her three-dimensional works: knitting, felting, and machine knitting, in addition to her drawings. She weaves together animal creatures and the sexuality to create a shocking experience. Her most recent work contains colorful felted beings with exaggerated sex organs.
Nathan Sowiski is a steel sculptor who uses the tools of the RISD Sculpture Foundry to the extreme. The series he is working on now is entitled, “Icons”:wall-mounted pieces that are shiny characters of a larger language. The language uses architectural elements to mimic Sci-Fi futuristic worlds through simple imagery.
Samantha Gerlach is obsessed with our society’s wastefullness. She uses only materials that she finds in dumpsters and garbage cans on Sunday nights in Providence. She states, “Most people equate garbage with ‘bad.’ I don’t! I equate using garbage with giving it a second chance where someone else gave up on it, with playing Dr. Frankenstein.” Lately, she has been focused on creating pop culture figures out of such fabric. With one inch squares of fabric, she can “paint” large two-dimensional works in an Impressionistic cartoonish, brightly colored style.
Other Students included in this exhibition include: Katherine Brooks, Eleanor Sabin, Jess Ryan, Tara Kopp, Kirstie Dabbs, Sean Springer, Bethany Schwarz, Sara Berg, Alex Dunbar, Kate Ferencz, Jeff Wu, Anna Loveday-Brown, and Lindsay Garcia
On display will be selected pieces from the thesis portfolios of the sixteen students in their last months of the rigorous academic experience of Rhode Island School of Design..
Three emerging artists in this exhibition include: Noel Anderson of Binghamton, New York, Nathan Sowiski of Buffalo, New York, and Samantha Gerlach of Cresskill, New Jersey.
Noel Anderson uses a variety of techniques to make her three-dimensional works: knitting, felting, and machine knitting, in addition to her drawings. She weaves together animal creatures and the sexuality to create a shocking experience. Her most recent work contains colorful felted beings with exaggerated sex organs.
Nathan Sowiski is a steel sculptor who uses the tools of the RISD Sculpture Foundry to the extreme. The series he is working on now is entitled, “Icons”:wall-mounted pieces that are shiny characters of a larger language. The language uses architectural elements to mimic Sci-Fi futuristic worlds through simple imagery.
Samantha Gerlach is obsessed with our society’s wastefullness. She uses only materials that she finds in dumpsters and garbage cans on Sunday nights in Providence. She states, “Most people equate garbage with ‘bad.’ I don’t! I equate using garbage with giving it a second chance where someone else gave up on it, with playing Dr. Frankenstein.” Lately, she has been focused on creating pop culture figures out of such fabric. With one inch squares of fabric, she can “paint” large two-dimensional works in an Impressionistic cartoonish, brightly colored style.
Other Students included in this exhibition include: Katherine Brooks, Eleanor Sabin, Jess Ryan, Tara Kopp, Kirstie Dabbs, Sean Springer, Bethany Schwarz, Sara Berg, Alex Dunbar, Kate Ferencz, Jeff Wu, Anna Loveday-Brown, and Lindsay Garcia
"Sykes: After Academe, 95-05. A Petite Retrospective of 7 Suites”
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 16, 5-9pm
Show Dates: March 7 through April 8, 2006
Providence, RI (February 10) Please join us at Gallery Z on Thursday, March 16, 2006, from 5-9 PM, for the opening reception of the exhibition " Sykes: After Academe, 1995-2005. A Petite Retrospective of 7 Suites.” The show will be displayed from March 7, 2006 through April 8, 2006. Lawrence Sykes resides in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. He was formerly a RIC Art Professor. This exhibition will display his work since his retirement from RIC began in 1995 after an impressive commitment of 27 years. Sykes was a teacher to the owner of Gallery Z, Bérge Ara Zobian. This show will address the student-teacher bond unconventionally, as the student will be curating the artwork of his mentor.
Sykes states, “Ultimately this thing called art is about making marks and consciously leaving evidence. It, art, embodies elements of athleticism – intimidation, compulsiveness and competition in the most demanding, exhilarating and liberating ways. Art making is a birthing process – primal in its fusion of mind, spirit and reflex.”
The exhibition shows the philosophy applied to Sykes’ past ten years (after Academe). Sykes works and plays in a manner of construction and collage. He uses a full range of painterly, photographic, and designer techniques to formulate his poetic imagery.
Sykes states, “Ultimately this thing called art is about making marks and consciously leaving evidence. It, art, embodies elements of athleticism – intimidation, compulsiveness and competition in the most demanding, exhilarating and liberating ways. Art making is a birthing process – primal in its fusion of mind, spirit and reflex.”
The exhibition shows the philosophy applied to Sykes’ past ten years (after Academe). Sykes works and plays in a manner of construction and collage. He uses a full range of painterly, photographic, and designer techniques to formulate his poetic imagery.
"Recent Paintings” by: Kevork Mourad
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 20, 5-9pm
Show Dates: April 18 – May 27, 2006
Providence, RI (March 16, 2006) Please join us at Gallery Z. on Thursday, April 20, from 5-9pm for an exhibition of “Recent Paintings” by Kevork Mourad. The show will be displayed from April 18 through May 27, 2006. The artist will be present at the opening reception.
Kevork Mourad, an artist of Armenian origin, was born in 1970 in Aleppo, Syria. After his education in Syria, he was accepted to the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia, where he received his MFA in 1996. He has exhibited widely in Armenia and the United States. Mourad currently resides in Manhattan, New York.
Mourad developed a technique of spontaneous painting, in which he shares the stage with musicians, his art created in counterpoint to their music. In the spring of 2005, he joined Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, with which he has performed at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and most recently, the Nara Museum, in Nara, Japan. In March 2006, he performed with the percussion group Tambuco in Morelia, Mexico, where he was the featured artist at the Morelia Chess Festival, and is currently collaborating with composer Ken Ueno and violist Kim Kashkashian.
Also featured in our Public Art Kiosk is Project SAVE, from April 4 –May 6, 2006.
Kevork Mourad, an artist of Armenian origin, was born in 1970 in Aleppo, Syria. After his education in Syria, he was accepted to the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia, where he received his MFA in 1996. He has exhibited widely in Armenia and the United States. Mourad currently resides in Manhattan, New York.
Mourad developed a technique of spontaneous painting, in which he shares the stage with musicians, his art created in counterpoint to their music. In the spring of 2005, he joined Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, with which he has performed at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and most recently, the Nara Museum, in Nara, Japan. In March 2006, he performed with the percussion group Tambuco in Morelia, Mexico, where he was the featured artist at the Morelia Chess Festival, and is currently collaborating with composer Ken Ueno and violist Kim Kashkashian.
Also featured in our Public Art Kiosk is Project SAVE, from April 4 –May 6, 2006.
"Myths” by Samuel Gareginyan
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 15, 5 - 9 p.m.
Show Dates: June 13 – July 8, 2006
Providence, RI (May 3, 2006) Please join us at Gallery Z on Thursday, June 15, from 5 - 9 p.m. for an exhibition of paintings entitled “Myths” by Samuel Gareginyan. The show will be displayed from June 13 through July 8, 2006. The artist will be present at the opening reception. Samuel Gareginyan an artist originally from Armenia, was born in 1961. He received a Master of Arts, from Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts, Armenia in 1991. He has exhibited widely in Armenia and the United States. Gareginyan currently resides in Belmont, Massachusetts. “White canvas is a veiled painting. I remove the veil, so you can face the realm of ideas, where the reality is changing into the lyric theatre, where all objects and personages are involved in a silent dialog of mythical existence…” (Gareginyan)
“The Click: Visual Resonance” Photography Curated by Robert Peabody III Opening Reception: Thursday, July 20, 5 - 9 p.m.
Show Dates: July 18 – August 12, 2006
Providence, RI (June 1, 2006) In addition to the “the Click: Visual Resonance” opening on Thursday, July 20th, Gallery Z also features a Public Art Window (24/7) dedicated to promoting awareness for various important causes. Past organizations have included the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island, American Heart Association, Sexual Assault & Trauma, breast cancer awareness, project save (Armenian Genocide) “Transparent Memory” on the Jewish Holocaust.
In affiliation with the 10th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), Professor and photographer Roger LeBrun and collage artist Julien Penrose will be exhibiting their work at the public art window of gallery Z . from 7 august till 18 september. Julien, born in Brazil, has worked in the medium of collage and sculpture for several decades now and draws on his own personal experiences for his work’s inspiration. His exhibition entitled “Life Moments” presents several of his pieces, most of which are shadow boxes or hanging sculptural arrangements, created through juxtaposing unrelated materials, salvaged objects, newsprint and magazine images, and ongoing personal journalism. His goal has been to show how ‘trash’ can be presented elegantly; to be attractive and meaningful. Roger LeBrun, currently a vector-borne disease specialist at the University of Rhode Island, was a combat medic during the Vietnam War, and captured his experiences working in small Vietnamese villages on film. His exhibition entitled “Fringes of War: Vietnam, 1969” presents his images of abandoned Amerasian children living in a Buddhist orphanage, as well as other poignant photographs of atypical non-combat war scenes. All proceeds from the sale of Roger’s prints will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
In affiliation with the 10th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), Professor and photographer Roger LeBrun and collage artist Julien Penrose will be exhibiting their work at the public art window of gallery Z . from 7 august till 18 september. Julien, born in Brazil, has worked in the medium of collage and sculpture for several decades now and draws on his own personal experiences for his work’s inspiration. His exhibition entitled “Life Moments” presents several of his pieces, most of which are shadow boxes or hanging sculptural arrangements, created through juxtaposing unrelated materials, salvaged objects, newsprint and magazine images, and ongoing personal journalism. His goal has been to show how ‘trash’ can be presented elegantly; to be attractive and meaningful. Roger LeBrun, currently a vector-borne disease specialist at the University of Rhode Island, was a combat medic during the Vietnam War, and captured his experiences working in small Vietnamese villages on film. His exhibition entitled “Fringes of War: Vietnam, 1969” presents his images of abandoned Amerasian children living in a Buddhist orphanage, as well as other poignant photographs of atypical non-combat war scenes. All proceeds from the sale of Roger’s prints will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
“Oil, Silver, Clay”
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 17, 5 – 9 p.m.
Show Dates: August 15 – September 16, 2006
Providence, RI (July 14, 2006) Please join us at Gallery Z on Thursday, August 17th, from 5 – 9 p.m. for an exhibition of photography and sculpture entitled “Oil, Silver, Clay” by Angelo Marinosci Jr and Valorie Sheehan. The show will be on display from August 15 through September 16, 2006. Both artists will be present during the opening reception.
Angelo Marinosci, Jr, of Warren, RI attended Rhode Island College where he received his B.S. (’74), B.A. (’77) and M.A.T. (’77). Since that time he has been both an educator and active lecturer, teaching at several institutions including Brown University and Rhode Island College. He travels frequently, venturing around the globe. He has a special affinity for Venice, saying: "I love Venice, Italy; it’s a favorite spot for me and the students.”
Valorie Sheehan, of Newport, RI received her B.S. suma cum laude from Boston University (’76). In addition, she has furthered her education by attending classes at Salve Regina University, Providence College and Rhode Island College. Her recent works focuses on those fairy tales intended to educate and inform the young girls hearing them. Like the Jungian (Carl Jung) archetypes (reliquary vessels) and goddesses mythology. ovidence, RI (June 1, 2006) In addition to the “the Click: Visual Resonance” opening on Gallery Z also features a Public Art Window (24/7) dedicated to promoting awareness for various important causes. Past organizations have included the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island, American Heart Association, Sexual Assault & Trauma, breast cancer awareness, project save (Armenian Genocide) and“Transparent Memory” on the Jewish Holocaust.
In affiliation with the 10th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), Professor and photographer Roger LeBrun and collage artist Julien Penrose will be exhibiting their work at the public art window of gallery Z . from 7 august till 18 september. Julien, born in Brazil, has worked in the medium of collage and sculpture for several decades now and draws on his own personal experiences for his work’s inspiration. His exhibition entitled “Life Moments” presents several of his pieces, most of which are shadow boxes or hanging sculptural arrangements, created through juxtaposing unrelated materials, salvaged objects, newsprint and magazine images, and ongoing personal journalism. His goal has been to show how ‘trash’ can be presented elegantly; to be attractive and meaningful.
Angelo Marinosci, Jr, of Warren, RI attended Rhode Island College where he received his B.S. (’74), B.A. (’77) and M.A.T. (’77). Since that time he has been both an educator and active lecturer, teaching at several institutions including Brown University and Rhode Island College. He travels frequently, venturing around the globe. He has a special affinity for Venice, saying: "I love Venice, Italy; it’s a favorite spot for me and the students.”
Valorie Sheehan, of Newport, RI received her B.S. suma cum laude from Boston University (’76). In addition, she has furthered her education by attending classes at Salve Regina University, Providence College and Rhode Island College. Her recent works focuses on those fairy tales intended to educate and inform the young girls hearing them. Like the Jungian (Carl Jung) archetypes (reliquary vessels) and goddesses mythology. ovidence, RI (June 1, 2006) In addition to the “the Click: Visual Resonance” opening on Gallery Z also features a Public Art Window (24/7) dedicated to promoting awareness for various important causes. Past organizations have included the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island, American Heart Association, Sexual Assault & Trauma, breast cancer awareness, project save (Armenian Genocide) and“Transparent Memory” on the Jewish Holocaust.
In affiliation with the 10th annual Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), Professor and photographer Roger LeBrun and collage artist Julien Penrose will be exhibiting their work at the public art window of gallery Z . from 7 august till 18 september. Julien, born in Brazil, has worked in the medium of collage and sculpture for several decades now and draws on his own personal experiences for his work’s inspiration. His exhibition entitled “Life Moments” presents several of his pieces, most of which are shadow boxes or hanging sculptural arrangements, created through juxtaposing unrelated materials, salvaged objects, newsprint and magazine images, and ongoing personal journalism. His goal has been to show how ‘trash’ can be presented elegantly; to be attractive and meaningful.
“Provence Holga” by John Hames and
“New Works” by Michael Sherman
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 21, 2006, 5-9 p.m.
Show Dates: September 19 – October 12, 2006
Providence, RI (August 12, 2006) Please join us at Gallery Z on Thursday, September 21 from 5-9 p.m. for the opening of “Provence Holga” and “New Works,” an exhibition of photography and painting by artists John Hames and Michael Sherman. The show will be on display from September 19 through October 12, 2006. Both artists will be present at the opening reception.
John Hames studied photography and filmmaking at Savannah College of Art and Design and received his MFA in Photography in 2002. Hames says that the birth of his first son in 1979 and a life altering six month journey through Europe and North Africa brought about his dedication to serious photography. His art often has a strong focus on interpersonal relationships and expresses the connection between himself and the subject being photographed. Hames believes that “emotional and intellectual interpretations of experience are the true subjects of this photographic work, approached with child-like curiosity; where the inner world encounters the outer world…yet often given a simple, lyrical charm.” Hames currently teaches at Rhode Island School of Design’s Continuing Education program and at Rhode Island College. Hames’ latest work has been created by the use of a Holga camera and will be featured in the upcoming show.
Michael Sherman, of Columbus, Ohio attended Rhode Island School of Design where he graduated with a BFA in Illustration in 2003. He spent his senior year studying abroad in Italy, and upon graduating Sherman moved to Germany for a one-year residency. Since the completion of his degree, Sherman’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and has won numerous awards. He is a member of the local Providence Art Club and the Art Access Gallery in Bexley, Ohio. Sherman’s most recent work is focused on the urban setting of Italy as well as New York, where he currently resides.
There will also be a display in Gallery Z’s public art window from September 19 through October 12 created by the Meals on Wheels organization. Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that provides senior citizens and mentally disabled members of the community with healthy, affordable meals.
John Hames studied photography and filmmaking at Savannah College of Art and Design and received his MFA in Photography in 2002. Hames says that the birth of his first son in 1979 and a life altering six month journey through Europe and North Africa brought about his dedication to serious photography. His art often has a strong focus on interpersonal relationships and expresses the connection between himself and the subject being photographed. Hames believes that “emotional and intellectual interpretations of experience are the true subjects of this photographic work, approached with child-like curiosity; where the inner world encounters the outer world…yet often given a simple, lyrical charm.” Hames currently teaches at Rhode Island School of Design’s Continuing Education program and at Rhode Island College. Hames’ latest work has been created by the use of a Holga camera and will be featured in the upcoming show.
Michael Sherman, of Columbus, Ohio attended Rhode Island School of Design where he graduated with a BFA in Illustration in 2003. He spent his senior year studying abroad in Italy, and upon graduating Sherman moved to Germany for a one-year residency. Since the completion of his degree, Sherman’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and has won numerous awards. He is a member of the local Providence Art Club and the Art Access Gallery in Bexley, Ohio. Sherman’s most recent work is focused on the urban setting of Italy as well as New York, where he currently resides.
There will also be a display in Gallery Z’s public art window from September 19 through October 12 created by the Meals on Wheels organization. Meals on Wheels is a non-profit organization that provides senior citizens and mentally disabled members of the community with healthy, affordable meals.
“Three Generations of Armenian Art”
Opening Reception: Friday, October 13, 2006 5-9 pm
Show Dates: October 13 – October 15, 2006
Closing Reception: October 15, 2006 1-4 pm
Providence, RI (August 18, 2006) Gallery Z invites you to join us on Friday, October 13, 2006 from 5-9 pm for the opening of “Three Generations of Armenian Art,” an exhibition of paintings by artists Vagharashak, Robert, and Areg Elibekian. The show will be on display from October 13 through October 15, 2006. The individual works of three generations of world-renowned artists; grandfather, father, and son, will be brought together in Providence for three days only. Father and son Robert and Areg will be present at the opening and closing receptions.
Vagharashak Elibekian (1910-1994) of Tbilisi, Georgia lived his life as a stage director by day, painter by night, spending many years as the director of Tblisi’s Armenian Theatre. Vagharashak focused his paintings on Tbilisi’s past and present, capturing the memories of his daily life on canvas. His depictions of parties, parades, and elegant landscapes are filled with color and emotion, bringing the daily events and good spirited scenes of the streets to life.
Vagharashak’s son, Robert Elibekian (1941-), was also born in Tblisi, but moved to Yerevan, Armenia at age 15. In 1969, he graduated from Yerevan’s Institute of Drama and Fine Arts, and moved on to create costumes and set designs for plays, ballets, operas, and films. Don Quixote, Traviata, Gayané, Andouni, and Paiazio are a few among the many productions that Robert has contributed his talents to. Robert’s work is exhibited in permanent collections both nationally and internationally.
Areg Elibekian (1970-) was born in Yerevan, Armenia. Following in his father Robert’s footsteps, Areg graduated from Yerevan’s Institute of Drama and Fine Arts in 1992. His works are highly influenced by the impressionist style and are focused mainly on upper middle class urban landscapes. Areg repeatedly returns to Paris, France, where he paints on the streets and participates in a joint exhibition with his father every three years. His works have also been exhibited in Elibekian family shows in Boston, Belgium, Lebanon, and Brussels, among others.
Vagharashak Elibekian (1910-1994) of Tbilisi, Georgia lived his life as a stage director by day, painter by night, spending many years as the director of Tblisi’s Armenian Theatre. Vagharashak focused his paintings on Tbilisi’s past and present, capturing the memories of his daily life on canvas. His depictions of parties, parades, and elegant landscapes are filled with color and emotion, bringing the daily events and good spirited scenes of the streets to life.
Vagharashak’s son, Robert Elibekian (1941-), was also born in Tblisi, but moved to Yerevan, Armenia at age 15. In 1969, he graduated from Yerevan’s Institute of Drama and Fine Arts, and moved on to create costumes and set designs for plays, ballets, operas, and films. Don Quixote, Traviata, Gayané, Andouni, and Paiazio are a few among the many productions that Robert has contributed his talents to. Robert’s work is exhibited in permanent collections both nationally and internationally.
Areg Elibekian (1970-) was born in Yerevan, Armenia. Following in his father Robert’s footsteps, Areg graduated from Yerevan’s Institute of Drama and Fine Arts in 1992. His works are highly influenced by the impressionist style and are focused mainly on upper middle class urban landscapes. Areg repeatedly returns to Paris, France, where he paints on the streets and participates in a joint exhibition with his father every three years. His works have also been exhibited in Elibekian family shows in Boston, Belgium, Lebanon, and Brussels, among others.
“Recent Paintings” by Lara B. and
“Later Works” by Simon Samsonian
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 19, 2006 5-9 pm
Show Dates: October 17 - November 11, 2006
Providence, RI (September 27, 2006) Gallery Z invites you to join us on Thursday, October 19, 2006 from 5-9 pm for the opening of “Recent Paintings” and “Later Works,” a collection of paintings by Armenian artists Lara B. and the late Simon Samsonian. The show will be on display from October 17 through November 11, 2006. Artist Lara B. will be present at the opening reception.
Lara B. of Beirut, Lebanon, attended the Toros Roslin Art Academy of Beirut and continued her studies at the Lebanese University of Fine Arts, where she graduated with honors in 2001. With an ever growing love for art and a desire to broaden her horizons, Lara enhanced her educational experience by involving herself in private tutorials and groups with professional Armenian artists. Since graduating, she has taught at numerous art institutes in Lebanon, as well as set up her own classroom within her private studio. She moved to the United States in 2002, and has since had her artwork shown in New York, Providence, San Fransisco, and San Jose, among others. Lara’s paintings are contemplative and ethereal, the powerful energy behind them coming from “capturing the moment’s complexity of the human psyche.” Her pieces often seem dark in hue, yet windows and arches are frequently included in her works, “providing hope in the form of light and strength as stable edifices.”
When he was six years old, Armenian painter Simon Samsonian became a victim of the massacre and deportation of the Aremnian population in Turkey, losing both his parents and being sent to be raised in orphanages in Egypt and Greece. He discovered his love of art at a young age, and after starting a family, he began observing them as models for his paintings. Samsonian had a special reverence towards motherhood and loved all aspects of human life, and many of his most brilliant and well known works of art reflect his interest in the bond between a mother and a child.. In 1950, after many years of painting, Samsonian took a pilgrimage to the major cities of art, and after visiting places such as Paris and London, he found his niche in cubism, which he found “more suited to his temperament.” Samsonian’s past is embedded into his paintings, each reflecting the inner emotions of humanity. He put his heart into every piece he created, and found himself “bound with an indescribable affection for all his works, and felt desolate whenever obliged to part with the “luckier” ones among them.” Simon Samsonian passed away in 2003 at age 88.
Lara B. of Beirut, Lebanon, attended the Toros Roslin Art Academy of Beirut and continued her studies at the Lebanese University of Fine Arts, where she graduated with honors in 2001. With an ever growing love for art and a desire to broaden her horizons, Lara enhanced her educational experience by involving herself in private tutorials and groups with professional Armenian artists. Since graduating, she has taught at numerous art institutes in Lebanon, as well as set up her own classroom within her private studio. She moved to the United States in 2002, and has since had her artwork shown in New York, Providence, San Fransisco, and San Jose, among others. Lara’s paintings are contemplative and ethereal, the powerful energy behind them coming from “capturing the moment’s complexity of the human psyche.” Her pieces often seem dark in hue, yet windows and arches are frequently included in her works, “providing hope in the form of light and strength as stable edifices.”
When he was six years old, Armenian painter Simon Samsonian became a victim of the massacre and deportation of the Aremnian population in Turkey, losing both his parents and being sent to be raised in orphanages in Egypt and Greece. He discovered his love of art at a young age, and after starting a family, he began observing them as models for his paintings. Samsonian had a special reverence towards motherhood and loved all aspects of human life, and many of his most brilliant and well known works of art reflect his interest in the bond between a mother and a child.. In 1950, after many years of painting, Samsonian took a pilgrimage to the major cities of art, and after visiting places such as Paris and London, he found his niche in cubism, which he found “more suited to his temperament.” Samsonian’s past is embedded into his paintings, each reflecting the inner emotions of humanity. He put his heart into every piece he created, and found himself “bound with an indescribable affection for all his works, and felt desolate whenever obliged to part with the “luckier” ones among them.” Simon Samsonian passed away in 2003 at age 88.
