Data / Ora
Date(s) - 03/07/2021 - 17/08/2021
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Flora Bigai Arte Contemporanea
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Contemporary Spiritual Artist Armen Agop exhibits Taking Time, curated by Luca Beatrice
This new body of work by spiritual artist, Armen Agop re-addresses the constant subjects present in his art, the spiritual and the matter, but puts an emphasis on the phenomenon of time, the duration of time and also – time eternal. “I think that a work of art is a container of a human experience,” says the artist. In a conversation with the exhibition curator, Luca Beatrice, the artist recounts his ideas about time, transience, energy and matter of his chosen material, referring to nature as the starting point. “Coming from Egypt, when I say nature, in my mind I see the vast emptiness of the desert,” he said, and stated “The desert is a visual point of view for me.” In further explanation he says, “it was in the desert, where there seems to be nothing, that’s where I learned to see.”
The exhibition, “Taking Time”, is a space for the viewer to experience the time eternal through the artist’s spiritually charged black granite sculptures and light evoking paintings. The paintings on view are a selection from the MANTRA series, in which the artist chose to work with the soberness of the smallest element, .01 pen tip, and by repeating the same gesture over and over, a gestural mantra in essence, created universes on canvas. Through this ritual of gestures, and Taking Time with the material, the artist manages to chase the light out from the darkness.
The concept of time eternal is rooted in his Armenian heritage and Egyptian upbringing, two ancient cultures which the artist observed closely. It was through his reevaluation of cultural norms and values, which led him to a deep conviction of the importance of the spiritual and physical in his work resulting in a meditative way of working. Whether it be black granite or canvas and ink, the concept is always the same, sharing time with the matter. Similar to praying, his creative process remains purely meditative, never-ending, based on the artist’s instinctive desire to create. “Taking Time” is formed with a gestural mantra, a meditation of gestures through time.
“My work consists of the time shared with the material because granite requires a very long process, and I have tried this same thing with painting, I have even exaggerated, the time taken is even more important than the final result. It is an obsessive process, chasing the light in absolute darkness ”.
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