Unfolding Layers of Sensuality in Mary Badalian’s Embroidered Canvases

July 26, 2021Leave a comment

by Varduhi Kirakosian

I pass by Mary’s artworks in the gallery, the second one in line, the third… and I can’t help letting my hand slowly and carefully graze the surface of one of the canvases. I feel every wrinkle on its skin. The sensation of the touch synced with vivid colors whisper about the different types of Mary: the one who impulsively scribbled the surface in the work “Night near Barbès,” or that Mary who very precisely stitched the equal, parallel, lines of “Spiral”. We can almost read the artist in her choice of colors and yet we are perplexed by the monochrome veils that cast a slight shadow upon her, serving as a private space she keeps for herself, a refuge from the public.

*Varduhi Kirakosian in front of “Night near Barbés”. Photo by Milena Gevorgyan.*

*Night near Barbes, detail. Photo courtesy of the artist.*

*Spiral, detail. Photo by Harut Saroyan.*

Mary’s mixed media heightens the senses. Her canvases unfold as a dialogue between the disorder of colors and the consensus of materials. Texture is an essential element of her work, created principally through her choice of thread and occasional beadwork. Curator Anna Gargarian describes Mary’s surfaces as “..fibrous and organic constructions that seduce through their obsessive and sensual tactility.”

Mary Badalian is an Armenian visual artist who lives and works in Yerevan. Mary’s interests, which she cultivated through internships at the Armenian Constitutional Court, Chamber of Advocates, and the United Nations in Armenia, encompass international relations, human rights, and ethical and integrity issues. Mary rediscovered her interest in art and creativity as self-expression while studying law at the Slavonic University of Armenia in 2018. She started her artistic practice as an experiment.

“My grandma used to have a bunch of old threads left from Soviet textile factories,” Mary pointed out during a private interview. When her grandmother’s collection was handed down to her, this was both a discovery and an inspiration. Mary explained that she was seduced by the idea of reaching a more “intimate interaction” with the canvas by way of the needle: the resulting embroidery is scar-like, like wounds to the “skin”. Her process ends by concealing this interaction with multiple layers of monochrome paint. The artist’s decision to cover her physical encounter—and significant struggle—with materiality creates a calmer, uniform and almost emotionless picture.

*From left to right: “Nonexistent character”, “Brain Tricks”, “Imposter Syndrome”. Photo by Harut Saroyan.*

*Brain Tricks, detail. Photo courtesy of the artist.*

“First I see the initial picture of my work in mind,” says Mary. I see the colors, the lines, and shapes, and then I feel the urge to make it real.” Sometimes she makes a preliminary sketch of the forms and shapes with a marker on the canvas. The choice of threads is woven in her mind subconsciously, and it builds into a similar palette of very different materials and colors. But mostly, it’s unplanned, and it’s the process that interests her. Embroidery is close to Mary’s heart as a therapy.

“I love doing repetitive and monotonous tasks sometimes,” Mary notes. It takes her several hours of silence and time alone to let her mind disconnect, and her hands begin to work calmly and almost automatically.

*Mary during #StudioSaturdays, an art-in-progress happening at the gallery in the framework of the exhibit “Chromological Disorder”.*

“Most pieces are free-hand. I don’t often premeditate how I’m going to stitch. That whole planning process might sometimes ruin the realness of the emotional flow that creates a powerful dynamic,” she tells me.

What attracts her most in abstract art is how subjective and personal the interpretation is for every person. For Mary, the strongest works of art are those that influenced her emotionally. Now, as she makes her own artworks, she wants her audience to connect with her works emotionally on a personal level and be influenced by them each in their own way.

Mary also seeks to break down barriers between traditional and popular cultures by investigating and highlighting their connections and their differences. The time-consuming traditional stitch craft contradicts with our world of instant gratification and mass production. But Mary puts embroidery in a whole new context and grants it a chance to earn a wider space and meaning in contemporary fine art with all of its intricacy and sensuality.

Mary’s art is conflicting. It evokes questions like, “What’s the initial work of art?”, “Which is more intriguing?”, and “Why does she feel the need to hide her expressive composition?” As Gargarian puts it, “The care and attention with which she selects and juxtaposes her colors is as surprising as her consequent act of ‘erasing’ the color via multiple coats of paint.” Mary’s process is unique, and her phases of production are distinct and gradual, making it difficult to define when a work is complete. For Mary, the paint coats are a “logical ending”.

“It makes it more cohesive and less messy,” she says.

*“Identity Crisis”, photo courtesy of the artist.*

This conflict between contemporary minimalism versus the colorful mess of “folk” or “craft” art is best portrayed in her piece, “Identity Crisis”. This work uniquely shows the colorful embroidery on one side of the canvas and the monochrome paint on the other. This work touches on all the questions related to Mary’s practice and expressive voice. It begs the question: does expression need to be clean or is it all about letting the mess of your inner expression come forth as it is? Either way, I would argue that the real artwork is her process, and all of the emotions and questions it instigates in the viewer.

“Chromological Disorder” is on view at Dalan Art Gallery at 12 Abovyan street until July 30.

In Conversation: Vazken Kalayjian

May 11, 2021May 11, 2021Leave a comment

by Anna K. Gargarian

With “Heart Flow: Spiritual Abstractions” opening in just a few days, I took a moment to sit down with artist Vazken Kalayjian to discuss his practice – both artistic and spiritual, as for him they are one and the same. The below interview is an informal dialogue between artist and curator, as we think about materials, rites of passage, heightened states of consciousness, and how that translates into artistic practice.

*Artist, Vazken Kalayjian at work in his Bridgeport studio at the Read’s Art Space. Photo by Jacqueline Karaaslanian.*

Anna K. Gargarian: Tell me a little bit about your process

Vazken Kalayjian: Well, it’s always a long preparation to start a work – mentally, physically, spiritually. And it’s always after some intense experience. Like I’ve gone on a Vision Quest, or had an interesting meditation, or I’ve visited a special place, whether it’s in nature or a temple, or whatever. And that experience calls me to start.

Usually I’ll work on several canvases at once within the same theme, or series. Because I like to use thickly applied oil paint. I like the intensity of real pigment and that makes it dry slower. So because of that, I’ve learned that it’s always good to have a few pieces going at once (as many as I can fit in my studio). So I’ll do an underlayer on one canvas, and then move onto the other, then I’ll come back to it a few days later. I kind of go back and forth until eventually one piece gets to a particular place where I feel like it’s almost complete. Then I turn the other works around, and focus on that piece until it’s finished. I may go back to it, but usually I don’t. Then I continue with the other works in a similar fashion. So that’s the process….

*Zen Koan series (oil on paper), hanging in the artist’s Connecticut studio.*

The thing about paper, and what I love about Arches paper in particular, is that it’s very thick. It’s 100% cotton, so it absorbs the paint quickly and I can finish a piece in a day or so. With canvas it takes more time. I usually work on a linen canvas, and because I like to work really roughly on the surface (you can see all the writing and scratching and claw marks), I double stretch the canvas and back it with Sintra board to keep a hard surface, all of which slows the drying process even further.

I’ve experimented with a lot of different materials. My canvas maker back in New York was Simon Liu, he was a famous canvas maker who worked for artists like Rauschenberg and Jasper Jones, and with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And he made Aluminum panels for me, that was Rauschenberg’s favorite. From an archival perspective that’s really indestructible. I like thinking of the afterlife of a work, and part of that is being responsible with the materials I pick. I’m not into the gimmicky stuff with deteriorating art pieces, like a rotting banana, or whatever.

*Works from Kalayjian’s “Vibration” series. From left to right: Moving Attention 2 (2000), Moving Attention 3 (2001), A Study of Vibration (2000).*

AKG: Tell me a bit about the Bridgeport Rhapsody series. It’s very different from the other series in this show. Why the name “Rhapsody”?

VK: Well…it has a musical connotation. When I first moved to Bridgeport from Westport – Westport is a very upper middle class and gentrified town. In Bridgeport I was at the Read’s Art Space, where all of the residents are artists. So my neighbors were musicians, painters, writers, culinary and theatre experts, and we’d get together over wine, we’d play music, look at art – so there was all of this exchange. And then from my window…instead of looking at these very manicured suburban lawns, I was looking at graffiti and could hear musicians, or rap music. You know… it was inner city. It reminded me of my Brooklyn days as a student. Not the Brooklyn of today, I’m talking about the Brooklyn of the 70s. Even though physically Bridgeport is only 20 minutes away from Westport and Greenwich – I mean, literally they share the same air and beach and highway – but you have this huge contrast. Most noticeably in terms of ethnicity, but also in terms of soul. It was really great. It’s like I went from soullessness to someplace soulful, with rhythm and colors and tastes. And so you have this mix. I mean you have the rap, the seagulls, the wind, jazz…all of that together, all of these sounds – it was really a beautiful experience to go through. Almost like an awakening. I was living in a kind of bubble before – of affluence….of….well these towns, intentionally they keep others out. So when you extricate yourself from that, you have this whole new experience….it’s beautiful.

*Rhapsody 15 (oil on canvas) in the artist’s studio at the Read’s Art Space in Bridgeport, Connecticut.*

*Bridgeport Rhapsody, 2017. Oil on canvas. 183 x 142 cm.*

AKG: So your periods of creativity, they don’t just follow some kind of spiritual experience. It’s also these big life changes?

VK: Well you know, a lot of people think that spiritual experiences are peaceful. Or somehow it’s relaxing…not necessarily. Sometimes when I go out on a Vision Quest, it’s really difficult, it’s painful, it’s scary…you have all sorts of experiences. It’s not always blissful. It’s not that image we think of, sitting crossed-legged by the ocean.…

AKG: Could you explain what you mean by a Vision Quest?

VK: The Vision Quest as we know it in the states comes from the Native American tradition. It’s basically an experience you have when you’re going through any major change in your life, some rite of passage, or maybe you want to honor certain cycles… so you chose to take time away from everyday life and you isolate yourself in nature where you can’t be disturbed by anyone. Away from civilization into the wild. It could be anywhere from 4 days, 11 days, 28 days or 40 days. You stay in one place. You don’t bring anything with you – no reading, no sketch books, no iPhone or music. Nothing distracting. Part of the time you fast, depending on your health. And then you spend your time alternating between meditation and doing Tai Chi, Chi Gong, chanting and prayers, all sorts of practices to replenish your energy. And you do it all in one place, within your circle. Traditionally, you also go through 4 days without sleep – which is really difficult. And during this time you’re basically shedding. You’re cleansing and shedding – dealing with everything that comes up. Whether it’s the cold of the night time, or the heat of the day time. Whether it’s insects or animals that show up and confront you… you deal with boredom, you deal with sadness, and all sorts of things that you have that you’re shedding. I’ve been doing this yearly since 1992.

AKG: In previous conversations you told me that when you work you’re really in a flow-state, which you achieve usually through your spiritual practice. But how do you reconcile being in a fully immersed flow-state, with working on an art piece for an extended period of time? How do you work in flow state, then interrupt it with your daily life, and then come back to it….how does that fit into your process?

VK: That’s a good question. It’s not really interrupting. You see, in my early years when I was doing zen meditation, it was very much like that. I would work during the day, then in the evening I’d go to the Zen temple for meditation, and maybe on Saturday I might go to a full day sitting. It was very compartmentalized. But I was lucky to have great teachers. And over the years as my practice matured, and I wasn’t stuck into one thing, besides Zen Buddhism I added other layers – my Shamanic work in nature, Pathwork, Core energetics, Sufi Teachings and then the Fourth Way with Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, which really influenced me. The Fourth Way is all about daily practice. In other words: it’s about bringing presence to every moment in the day. Of course you have certain times in your day dedicated to awareness – whether it’s meditation or yoga – but the ultimate goal is how you are in the Bazaar. How are you in every day life? Because if you meditate in the morning, but then forget yourself during the day…. It becomes very mechanical. That’s what kids do so well because they’re still so open to energy. You know that with your newborn baby, he knows when you’re on your phone or not present in the moment, he’ll complain. They’re still in tune in a way that we’ve lost.

So, for me, when I’m painting over a period of time, even if it’s over several months, the breaks in between aren’t really interruptions. Each moment of work is a kind of complete cycle that adds onto the next. Like daily practice. It’s a whole impression. Layers of these experiences.

AKG: And what’s next in store for you? This has been a really big change for you moving to Armenia from Bridgeport, particularly during these challenging times. Is something new cooking?

VK: Yeah, I feel like something really important is cooking. It’s an important time and an important place for me. For both of us, actually. Jacqueline as well. When it comes out, I’m curious to see what shape it’s going to take…

AKG: What are you waiting for? Space, the right time?

VK: Actually, something happened yesterday. I have some ideas now relating to performance and digital tools. Maybe we’ll talk about it after this show. I want to get through this opening and then we’ll see. I’m looking forward to getting to work in my new studio. It’s still being renovated. But I mean…where it is with the view point of the mountains outside of the city…I’m sure interesting things are going to happen…. I’m looking forward to it.

About Vazken Kalayjian:

Kalayjian was born in 1956 in Aleppo, Syria. His passion for painting began as a young boy in Syria at the Saryan Academy, and continued throughout his youth as a student of Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute in New York. Kalayjian was an active member of the New York art scene from the early 80s until the late 90s, showing at various galleries including the Cast Iron Gallery, Montserrat Gallery, Pratt Institute Gallery, and at Open Center New York. Up until late 2020, Kalayjian was a member of the Read’s Art Space in Bridgeport, Connecticut where he has shown consistently over the past decade. He recently moved to Armenia with his wife Jacqueline. His next exhibition, “Heart Flow: Spiritual Abstractions” will premiere at Latitude Art Space in Vahakni from May 15 to June 2, 2021.

Event information: https://fb.me/e/25WIV9kGK

Interview: Gayane Barkhudaryan

July 4, 2020July 4, 2020Leave a comment

Gayane Barkhudaryan is a visual artist, lecturer at the Terlemezyan College, and art conservator based in Yerevan, Armenia. She is our featured artists this week on the HAYP/IN SITU “Virtual Viewing Room” platform, a space for online artworks from June 1 – August 2, 2020. In this interview, we learn a little more about her photographic contemplation “An Observer’s Look at the Creases”, and what inspires her as an artist. Scroll down to the very bottom for a complete bio.

HAYP/IN SITU: Tell us about your VVR project, “An Observer’s Look at the Creases”:

Gayane Barkhudaryan: This project has a direct connection to my studio/bedroom, where I live with my subjects and two easels. I start in front of my easel, then I find myself on the floor, and then at my pillow as I search… That’s how the idea for “An Observer’s Look at the Creases” came about. The objects and photos are rearranged in the room and in my head, leading me to the creases of the Tolors reservoir.

Artist statement about the project:

“The creases are a place – a water reservoir- where every aspect is reconfigured during the basin’s flooding and drainage. Vast surfaces are layered underground, born of multiple fluctuations․ The golden folds continue to coagulate, decompose, and reimagine new surfaces. The observer (me?) takes comprehensive and scattered memories from the place, revived in the form of a photographic review. From the patterns of nature to images that take on new meaning, how is it that we first artificially disrupt a landscape, and then struggle to resuscitate it, again through artificial means…?“

*Images featured in her Virtual Viewing Room project from the Tolors water reservoir in Sisian, Armenia.*

HI: How does this relate to your artistic practice?

GB: My practice is about looking at imaginary images and reality from different angles. This project helped me to once again reconsider the relationship between man and nature. Sometimes we value artificial nature more than nature itself, I am in favor of the idea that we should leave nature alone.

*Above: Series of untitled works in mixed technique on paper (watercolor, pastel and graphite), 2020.*

*Above & Below: “Is this a hamam?” silk screening on paper and fabric, and performative action for HAYP Pop Up Gallery, “12-12-12 Retrospective” in 2018.*

HI: Who/what inspires you?

GB: People, nature, architecture, sculpture, almost anything can inspire me. For example, when I’m working on several different creative processes in parallel, it already occurs to me how I can combine their differences to create another work. I love that sequential and complementary creative process, which allows me to continuously review and revisit my work. Specifically in relation to this project, nature was the inspiration. In the [Tolors] reservoir basin, we see repetitive waves, contours and the arrangement of successive and complementary soil layers.

*Above: Gayane at work on a conservation site in Meghri. Photo by Ed Tadevossian, courtesy of the artist.*

HI: What does confinement mean to you? Have you (re)discovered something during this time?

GB: Restriction is an attempt to reconcile oneself, to adapt, and to rediscover old wounds.

HI: When you’re not making art, what do you enjoy the most?

GB: In my free time, I like to visit other cities in Armenia [outside of Yerevan] in search of tasty new visual images: Soviet-era curtains, fabric patterns, dishes, posters ․․․․etc.

*Above: Her inspiration…Images courtesy of Gayane Barkhudaryan.*

HI: If you had a magic wand, and could change one thing about the art scene in Armenia, what would it be?

GB: Maybe to restore our senses – to more sincerely feel, listen, and see ․․․

HI: What is your dream project that you haven’t had a chance to work on yet?

GB: It’s more a wish than a dream. I would love to travel with other artists – go on walks through small towns, and infect them with art.

*Gayane with a friend in her birth city of Sisian, Armenia.*

About Gayane Barkhudaryan

Visit Gayane’s Virtual Viewing Room project, “An Observer’s Look at the Creases” here.
Follow her on instagram at @barkhudaryan_gayane

Gayane Barkhudaryan is a visual artist who lives and works in Yerevan. She studied fine arts first at the Terlemezyan Art College, followed by the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia (Yerevan) where she has a Masters in Painting. She mostly works with painting, illustration, and print media and is inspired by ancient forms and motifs as seen in architecture, textiles, and the natural landscape. Gayane has exhibited at numerous institutions in Armenia, including exhibitions at the Artists Union, the Armenian Center for Contemporary and Experimental Art (ACCEA/NPAK), the Terlemezyan Gallery, the Albert & Tove Boyajian Exhibition hall, HAYP Pop Up Gallery, and Gyumri’s Still Gallery. She was also featured at the Lucy Tutunjian Art Gallery in Beirut. In addition to her work as an artist, Gayane is a lecturer at the Terlemezyan College, and works as a conservator at the Research Center of Mural Conservation.

Interview: Tigran Amiryan

June 27, 2020June 27, 2020Leave a comment

Tigran Amiryan is an independent curator and contemporary culture researcher with a Ph.D in Literary Studies. He is our featured artists this week on the HAYP/IN SITU “Virtual Viewing Room” platform, a space for online artworks from June 1 – August 2, 2020. In this interview, we learn a little more about his auto-narrative sketch “Skin Crisis”, and his philosophy on the marriage of science, literature and creative practice. Scroll down to the very bottom for a complete bio.

Tigran Amiryan, photo retrieved from Chai Khana

HAYP/ IN SITU: Tell us about your VVR project “Skin Crisis”, where did the idea come from?

Tigran Amiryan: For many years I have been dealing with memory and recollection. It is of great interest to me how memory is formed and destroyed – whether individual or collective memory- how it transforms, how individual and group memory is formed, how amnesia occurs, and so on. Skin memory and human-reality relationships / boundaries continue to remain my focus.

FIRDUS: THE MEMORY OF A PLACE by Tigran Amiryan. This memory-book is about the Firdusi street, the last vernacular district in the center of Yerevan. In addition to research articles, the book includes stories of local residents and family photo archives.

Tigran at his book signing of “Firdus: Memory of a place”

HI: Could you expand in particular on the idea of a text as an artwork?

TA: The topic of memory does not belong to one discipline or one language. Often this phenomenon, being multifaceted and multi-layered, requires researchers to use different languages and methods. There are two scripts that are familiar to me, the mix of which allows for a more complete expression: literature and scientific language. With “Skin Crisis” I decided to push the boundaries between these two languages, as a means to remove the boundaries between our bodies during the last difficult months [of quarantine].

HI: How does this relate to your research and artistic practice?

TA: I develop my academic and creative practice in parallel. For example, I teach French literature, semiotics, etc., and at the same time, I’ve developed a number of projects in which I combine anthropological and literary approaches, concepts and artistic expression.

“Memory Square”, an essay on the memory of place by Tigran Amiryan.

HI: Who/what inspires you?

TA: I incorporated different concepts into “Skin Crisis” that refer to various ideas by Didier Anzieu, Julia Kristeva, and Gilles Deleuze. It’s well known that Anzieu was engaged not only in psychoanalysis, but also in literature, through which he tried to understand the basics of self-analysis. Kristeva also works constantly between the two disciplines, creating both fictional and philosophical and psychoanalytical texts. As for Deleuze, he always claims that all philosophies and scientific works carry an important creative engine, without which it is impossible to create a philosophical or meta-language.

HI: What does confinement mean to you? Have you (re)discovered something during this time?

TA: Isolation is a new attempt to perceive space.

HI: When you’re not writing or researching, what do you enjoy the most?

TA: The sea.

“Atlantic” series. Photo credit Tigran Amiryan, courtesy of the artist.

HI: If you had a magic wand, and could change one thing about the art scene in Armenia, what would it be?

TA: In Armenia and everywhere, we need to get rid of cultural tribalism. More democratic and transparent art!

HI: What is your dream project that you haven’t had a chance to work on yet?

TA: All my projects start with dreams and seem to come true. I don’t dream much, I have already started working on my next project which involves photography and memory.

“**Сimetière des fontaines**” (Fountain Cemetary) by Tigran Amiryan.

About Tigran Amiryan:
Visit Tigran’s Virtual Viewing Room project, “Skin Crisis” here.
Follow him on instagram at @l_oriental
Find him on behance

Tigran Amiryan is a Professor of Contemporary World Literature, co-founder and president of CSN lab. He is a semiologist, literary critic, curator, contemporary culture researcher and multidisciplinary artist. Author of numerous articles on postmodern genres of literature, interdisciplinary analysis, contemporary comparative analytics, sociology of literature, etc. Tigran’s main interest revolves around the issue of narrativization of both individual and collective memory in contemporary culture, artistic (fictional) representation and history of the Self, biographies, urban space and environment that keep the memory of people’s lives despite being constantly subjected to oblivion and destruction. Tigran realized a number of art and research projects across several countries, Armenia, Georgia, France, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Morocco etc. Amongst his projects are “Memory square” (Kazakhstan), “Kukia Alphabet” (Georgia), “Firdus: The Memory of a Place” (Armenia), «Cyprus archive. Postcard from the land of care» (Cyprus).

Interview: Kima & Nareh

June 20, 2020June 20, 2020Leave a comment

Kima Gyarakyan and Nareh Petrossian are visual artists currently living and working in Armenia. They are our featured artists this week on the HAYP/IN SITU “Virtual Viewing Room” platform, a space for online artworks from June 1 – August 2, 2020. In this interview, we learn a little more about their project “Loveless” and their philosophy as an artistic duo. Scroll down to the very bottom for a complete bio.

HAYP/ IN SITU: Tell us about your VVR project, “Loveless”.

KIMA GYARAKYAN + NAREH PETROSSIAN: “Loveless” is about the repetition of images as a metaphor for a similarity of days. What does repetition give us, or why do we repeat the same actions and deeds? Through our composition, we have tried to represent the human feelings, words, actions and repetition of thoughts in everyday life.

“Armenian Pattern” by Kima Gyarakyan, marker on canvas, 100 x 85 cm, 2019.

View this post on Instagram

lovelovelovelovelove սերսերսերսերսեր Artwork by @nareh.petrossian

A post shared by HAYP Pop Up Gallery (@hayp_pop_up) on Jun 18, 2020 at 2:39am PDT

Nareh Petrossian, “սերսերսերսերսեր” (“SerSerSerSer”, or lovelovelovelove) posted to @Hayp_pop_up during her instagram takeover of our platform.

HI: How does this relate to your artistic practice? Can you tell us more about your collaboration as an artistic duo?

KG/NP: Nare + Kima = a work of art.

We have been thinking and talking about art and works of art together for a long time. We complement each other. By collaborating, we put aside our sense of self, authorship or concerns for copyright, we ignore our own ego. We create art that belongs to everyone.

Kima’s reflection held up by Nareh. Photo courtesy of Kima Gyarakyan.

Love series by Nareh Petrossian. Acrylic and graphite on paper.

HI: Who/what inspires you?

KG/NP: Everything and nothing.

HI: What does confinement mean to you? Have you (re)discovered something during this time?

KG/NP: During confinement, we were able to understand and appreciate things we hadn’t noticed before, or took for granted. We became aware of how fear can be a limitation for us. And in order not to limit ourselves, we try to transform those fears into art.

HI: When you’re not making art, what do you enjoy the most?

KG/NP: Everything we do is somehow linked to our art. Even if we’re not making art, the feelings we experience – the pleasures, the good, the bad..these things we live – always lead us back to art and the creative process.

HI: If you had a magic wand, and could change one thing about the art scene in Armenia, what would it be?

KG/NP: Everything is right even when it’s wrong. Art will change as long as we change.

HI: What is your dream project that you haven’t had a chance to work on yet?

KG/NP: Of course we have projects that we haven’t implemented yet. But it’s too soon to share…any thought or project can be realized only when the desire and the moment mature. But one thing we’re interested in doing more of for sure is bringing art out into the public space, in the streets.

«ստեղ չի» (not here). Public Happening by Kima & Nareh on Saryan St., Yerevan.

Kima Gyarakyan, site-specific installation curated by HAYP Pop Up Gallery for URVAKAN Festival 2019. Note, the installation was painted over by public officials for its “inappropriate content”. Photocredit: Anna Mkrtchyan.

Detail of Kima Gyarakyan, site-specific installation. Photocredit: Anna Mkrtchyan.

About Nareh Petrossian and Kima Gyarakyan:
Visit Nareh & Kima’s Virtual Viewing Room project, “loveless” until June 21, 2020.
Follow them on instagram @nareh.petrossian, and @kimagyarakyan

Kima and Nareh are emerging contemporary artists who are “inspired by everything and nothing,” as they put it. They have a shared interest in exploring themes from everyday life, and are particularly inspired by how its repetitive nature serves as a catalyst for introspection. Though they’ve studied together since high school at the Terlemezyan Art College, and again later at the Fine Arts Academy of Yerevan, their partnership as an artistic duo began recently over the past few months. They believe that in order to make art that belongs to everyone, it’s important to be able to put aside the ego. For them, collaboration is an essential part of this process.

Kima’s works are a reflection of her inner world: her emotional state and feelings. Above all she values the process of making art: finding harmony and a sense of unity while “in the flow”, a state that she also describes as a “blankness” in which she loses herself. Kima has had several solo exhibitions at Dalan Art Gallery, Visual Gap Gallery, and Terlemezyan Gallery. She had a joint exhibition with @Yerevantropics curated by IN SITU in the framework of the 2019 Armenia Art Fair.

Nareh’s work revolves around abstract and universal themes. She is interested in color, volume, and how to incorporate playfulness in her compositions. Most recently, her work has focused on love. Her practice synthesizes the universal and the specific, in hopes of making her work relatable and engaging to audiences. Nareh has participated in several exhibitions at the Terlemezyan Gallery, the Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum, as well as the 2019 Urban Art Festival by Visual Gap Gallery and the Goethe-Centre Yerevan.

Interview: Samvel Saghatelian

June 5, 2020June 6, 2020Leave a comment

Samvel Saghatelian is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living and working in Armenia. He is our featured artist this week on the HAYP/IN SITU “Virtual Viewing Room” platform, a space for online artworks from June 1 – August 2, 2020. In this interview, we learn a little more about Samvel’s project and what makes him “tick” as an artist. Scroll down to the very bottom for a complete bio.

Samvel Saghatelian, Photo credits: Anush Kocharyan.

HAYP/IN SITU: Tell us about your Virtual Viewing Room (VVR) project.

SAMVEL SAGHATELIAN: “My VVR project addresses the drastic socio-political changes in human confrontation. The project is based on the “Metamorphosis” series, which dates back to the great changes and upheavals of the 90s: the collapse of the Soviet Union, [Armenian] Independence, war, and post-war reality. At the center of it all is woman, and in particular, the female body. She is more flexible and adaptable to different situations. A woman’s body is able to undergo change, no matter what context. I see the female form as a symbol that transcends and goes beyond gender to become a universal symbol for bodily transformation or metamorphosis. For me, beauty is genderless. But this specific bodily power, of flexibility, is definitely feminine.”

HI: How does this project relate to your artistic practice?

SAM SAGA: The series is as connected to my practice as it is to the revolutionary events of 2018. We experienced a liberation of ourselves and our bodies; an expansion in our identity that was more complete, united and self-sufficient. We became a fully flourishing body.
Before the revolution we were divided, not only as a nation but within ourselves. Blossoming happens when you find that unity within yourself. You don’t need to look for answers elsewhere- it’s in you. Once you have that, nothing can stop you. Not even a viral epidemic, just as the cholera epidemic did not prevent the “body” of the Italian Renaissance from flourishing.

“Blossoming in the time of Corona”, 2020. Acrylic on canvas, 165x105cm

HI: Who/what inspires you?

SAM SAGA: Everything related to man-nature, man-universe, man-man, man-society, man-politics, and of course, love and sex…

HI: What does confinement mean to you? Have you (re)discovered something during this time?

SAM SAGA: Restrictions, pressures, traumas, illnesses, viruses, and everything that creates limits ultimately encourages new creative horizons. For me, regarding the Corona situation in particular, two important issues came up. A need for a connection with nature, and an awareness of a crisis of humanism. I’ve found in this a chance to be redefined, reborn and recreated.

“Metamorphosis: Floating bodies of lovers ”, 2019. Acrylic on canvas, 157x190cm

HI: When you’re not making art, what do you enjoy the most?

SAM SAGA: It depends if you’re in art or not. If you’re in it, then the creative process is continuous, even if you’re not actually making something in that moment. I enjoy watching movies, sex, exercising in the woods among the trees, conversations with different people, being with my family and kids…

HI: If you had a magic wand, and could change one thing about the art scene in Armenia, what would it be?

SAM SAGA: I would make it so that law and enterprise would promote art as a priority in state policy. Art is politics and politics is art.

HI: What is your dream project that you haven’t had a chance to work on yet?

SAM SAGA: There are many! “Karahunj” is a public art concept and multimedia sculptural project that I would love to implement in Yerevan or, for example, in Los Angeles. Also related to public art is a concept series called “Architectural Monsters” that I would like to implement as real architectural buildings in Armenia, the USA and Dubai, but also on the planet Mars. I also could imagine making great mural art projects with these latest flowering figures [Metamorphosis series], or turn them into land art. Also on my dream list: I would love a private exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery.

About Samvel:
Visit Samvel’s Virtual Viewing Room project, “Metamorphosis” until June 7, 2020.
See more of his art at Samsaga.com

Samvel is an architect by training, and his three-dimensional approach shines through in his paintings, collages, and site-specific installations. His work often revolves around the body politic, and in particular, the female body as an allegory for society’s conflicts, struggles, as well as beauty and generative potential. Samvel’s career as an artist started in 1988 at the brink of the collapse of the USSR and Armenia’s Independence. A part of the 90s avant-garde in Yerevan, Samvel’s early work touched upon national survival, patriotism and ideologies dealing with the individual’s place in society. After moving to the US in 2002, Samvel was an active member of the LA artist community, exhibiting at the Garboushian Gallery, Mouradian Gallery, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Avenue 50 Studio, Black Maria Gallery, and the Bruce Lurie Gallery among others. As of 2014, he has been living and working in Yerevan, inspired anew by the country’s political and societal shifts, and blossoming, outspoken youth. His recent works include “Transromance”, a bawdy and sarcastic collage series exploring the body, desire, and power relations; “Borderline Reality”, a collaborative project with inmates at various penitentiaries in Armenia; “Personal & Political Protest Signs”, an explicit typographic series; and “Homo-communication: The Hole” sketches, drawings, and sculptures exploring man in the universe and the universe in man. Samvel’s VVR project is part of “Metamorphosis”, a primitivist series that muses on man’s return to nature.

Virtual Viewing Room is made possible thanks to the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

HAYP Pop Up’s Guide to the Armenia Art Fair: Practical tips & Info

May 8, 2018May 9, 2018Leave a comment

After several weeks of (peaceful) protests, blocked roads, and halted infrastructure that left us all wondering whether indeed the Armenia Art Fair was going to happen, we are excited to be a part of its much anticipated launch this weekend at the Yerevan Expo center from May 11-13.

While Armenia has a legacy of international contemporary art exhibitions – from the reputed Gyumri Art Biennale (from 1998 to 2012), to on-going projects at Armenia’s Center for Experimental Art (locally referred to as “NPAK” under its Armenian acronym), to last year’s 2017 STANDART Triennial of Contemporary Art- this marks Armenia’s first international commercial art fair. Although HAYP Pop Up Gallery is not your standard gallery (we operate as an N.G.O. with community projects versus an LLC), part of our mission is to stimulate and uplift the local contemporary art scene, and we believe that this is a significant step towards laying the groundwork for a much-needed Art Market in Armenia.

As a pop up gallery that lives on the margins of cultural institutions, comercial galleries, and the public and private space, together with the Armenia Art Fair organizing team, we decided to participate through a collateral project within the grounds of the Expo in an unused space at the Mergelian Institute (across from the Expo Center). But more about our project later, first, let’s take a look at what to expect at this year’s Armenia Art Fair, and some useful tips on how to get there, how to avoid “museum fatigue”, and where to eat.

Who and what is at the Art Fair?

The main motor behind the Art Fair is a team of four, including Founding Director Nina Festekjian, Co-founding Director Zara Ouzounian-Halpin, Curator Eva Khachatrian, and Communications Lead Sarah Watterson. An extended team of graphic designers, and program and exhibitions coordinators are also part of the magic.

Exhibitors include galleries, curatorial projects, and independent contemporary artists, mostly from Armenia but also from the UK, Belarus, the UAE, and Russia. As the first edition of an Art Fair in a country that, let’s face it, doesn’t have an art market (1), perhaps the most interesting component to the project is the Open Space section, the concept child of Eva Khatchatrian.

“This section is what pulled me to the Art Fair, my background is in experimental curatorial projects more than commercial galleries,” Eva told us. “The idea is to show a diverse face of Armenian contemporary art by including artists who were active in the 90s as well as emerging artists. The Open Space will create a dialogue between the two”.

Though the Art Fair’s program of events is not extensive, we are expecting some interesting content.

The Program:

Friday, May 11:
7pm Private Viewing (by invitation only)
8:30pm Performance: by Swiss artist Christian Zehnder in the framework of the Aré Performance Festival

Saturday, May 12:
2pm Public opening
6-7pm “Transliterative Tease”: a Performance Lecture by “Slavs and Tatars”
8pm HAYP Pop Up Gallery: Opening of “Narek Barseghyan: The Leather Show”, an exhibition and fashion performance

Sunday, May 13:
6-8pm Night Owl Round Table Discussion and Q&A
Topic: “Shifting Perspectives on Art from Local to Global: The Contemporary Image Maker”
Speakers: A discussion with curators and critics Susanna Gyulamiryan (ACSL), Nazareth Karoyan (ICA), and visiting curator and writer George Schoellhammer. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Randall Rhodes (AUA).

What we’re excited about (besides our own opening, of course)

“Transliterative Tease” by “Slavs and Tatars”. Slavs and Tatars is an artist collective whose main activities include exhibitions, performance-lectures, and books. They define themselves as Eurasian, somewhere between “East of the Berlin wall and West of the Great Wall of China”. Common themes in their work concern semantics, cultural transliteration (in their words, “the younger, trashier sibling to translation”), and issues of identity politics and appropriation (of sounds, language, meaning). We won’t go too much into the details of their performance work in order to save you the treat on Saturday evening, but their use of subtle humour to slowly reel the viewer into an absurd world is seductive and hilarious.

Our Recommendation: How to spend your Saturday

Take into consideration your capacity to look at art when planning your visit, i.e. how long can you be in an exhibition space before you get museum fatigue (you know what we’re talking about, right?). If you want to make a day of it and skip the crowds, then we recommend coming right at the Art Fair opening around 2pm. This will give you plenty of time to visit the Art Fair at the Expo Center, including the galleries and Open Space, and break for a late lunch (early dinner) before attending the evening events from 6-9pm. Alternatively, if you want a half-day of events, consider coming around 4pm, which gives you about 2 hours to visit the Art Fair and maybe grab a coffee in the courtyard.

Don’t miss the 6pm Performance Lecture by “Slavs and Tatars”, before heading over at 7:30-8-ish to the other side of the courtyard to HAYP Pop Up Gallery. On the 7th floor of Mergelian Institute’s central building, HAYP has temporarily transformed an unfinished space into a gallery for a more alternative, “street”, fashion-meets-art project: “Narek Barseghyan: The Leather Show”. The Leather Show is a solo exhibit of some truly amazing works on canvas by emerging artist Narek Barseghyan, and a fashion-performance starting at 8pm of the Leather Show Collection produced during our 10 day fashion workshop where designers Narek Jhangiryan, Tatev Khachatryan, and Sarko Meené collaborated with our visual artist to create a unique 90s inspired high-low collection. Performance, live set, and light beverages will be served. Not to be missed! NOTE: Because our event starts after working hours for the Mergelian Institute, security requires you to sign-up on our Event-brite for a FREE ticket and registration (sign-up here)! Please don’t forget, bring your printed ticket, or just show the image on your phone at the entrance. If you have a printed invitation then you’re all set.

Where is the Expo and how do I get there?

The Yerevan Expo is a recently built exhibition center (2014) located within the courtyard of the Mergelian Institute Complex. The Institute was originally built in 1956 and operated as Yerevan’s Computer Research and Development Institute. The institute was famous for housing the first ever computer, and while it no longer functions on the cutting-edge of computer technology, it is still an active Tech Cluster housing multiple office spaces and start-up organizations.

Fun Art Fact: Check out Armenian modernist Yervand Kochar’s “Muse of Cybernetics” from 1972, a copper sculpture dedicated to the institute that has lived in the courtyard since 1973.

Yervand Kochar, Cybernetic Muse. Photo credits: pinterest

Getting there by Taxi:

Tell your taxi driver you’re going to the “Mergelian Institute”, most drivers know the institute, but are not aware of the Expo Center since it’s still pretty new. You can always give the exact address: 3 Hakob Hakobyan street.

Getting there by Metro:

The Mergelian Institute is a 5 minute walk from the Barekamutyun Metro Station (Friends Station). Barekamutyun is the last stop on the metro line after the Baghramyan stop. When you leave the metro platform, the escalators take you to an underground market where you can find just about anything (from cheap shoes, to funky eyewear and even popcorn, shawarma and horrible wigs). It’s a circular market located under a main intersection, which means there are several exits which can be confusing if you’re not familiar with this stop. Make sure to exit at the H. HAKOBYAN STREET (Հ. ՀԱԿՈԲՅԱՆ) exit. Word of caution, the exits are listed in Armenian language only. From there, walk up Hakobyan street about 3 blocks until you get to the Mergelian Institute on the left hand side of the street. You can’t miss it, it’s the tallest building on the block. HAYP Pop Up Gallery is located on the 7th floor of this building from May 12-22. It looks like this:

Mergelian Institute, 3 Hakob Hakobyan Street.

To get to the Expo Center, walk through the main doors of the Central Mergelian Institute Building, cross the courtyard (where you’ll see a pool, randomly) and enter the Expo Pavilion. The Expo Center looks like this:

Yerevan Expo Center in the courtyard of the Mergelian Institute

Here’s a map to clear things up!

Where to eat?

The Expo Center has a small cafe near the main entrance, as well as a little hidden coffee stand in the courtyard garden, and a buffet-style lunch spot called Art Lunch near the main entrance of the Mergelian Institute. The food is good, cheap, and they have wifi, but it gets crowded at lunchtime in particular during office hours. If you want some real eats nearby, about a 5-10 minute walking distance from the Mergelian Complex, we have two main recommendations. Neither of them are “luxurious” in terms of interiors, but the food is consistently good and you can eat it there or get it “to-go” (տանելու “tan-eh-loo”, in Armenian).

Tasty Syrian Food at Jaco’s:

38 Gulbenkyan Street
https://goo.gl/maps/fa195pPndGG2

Jaco’s has a strange design layout, but plenty of seating both inside and outside on their terrace. The menu is a typical middle eastern menu with an assortment of Mediterranean appetizers (hummus, mutabal, tabulé, etc.) as well as tasty main dishes from skewered barbecue meats (Shish Tawuk and Kebabs) to stewed vegetables and more. They also have an extensive Hookah (or Nargile) menu, which can be a bother if you’re not into that and would like to eat in a non-smokey environment. Having said that, most restaurants in Armenia are smoking… a good solution to this problem is a table outside at their terrace.

Homemade Local Food at “Arevelyan (Eastern) Cuisine”:

16 Komitas Avenue
https://goo.gl/maps/2iKUtqAGeam

Arevelyan has an extensive menu of local dishes, from typical Eastern Armenian salads and soups (with sorrel or yogurt), to various meat dishes. If you want something quick, their savory pastries are good. Their “Khatchapouri” (or Eastern cheese-stuffed “boreg”) is simple but tasty.

That’s all we have for you today!

Join us this weekend, May 11-13, at the Armenia Art Fair, and make sure you get your tickets to HAYP Pop Up Gallery presents, “Narek Barseghyan: The Leather Show” on eventbrite here.

FOOTNOTES:

(1) We are speaking from experience when it comes to the local art market, but don’t just take it from us, UNESCO’s recent research shows that among the various cultural sectors in Armenia, the visual arts contributes only .2% of the national GDP, placing sixth most lucrative after 1) Audio-visual and interactive media, 2) Art Performances & Celebrations, 3) Literature, 4) Design, and 5) Natural Heritage (in order of GDP contribution). We have a long-way ahead towards paving the wave to healthy art market, let’s get to work!

CALL FOR FASHION DESIGNERS!

March 31, 2018November 26, 2018Leave a comment

հայերենի տեքստը ստորև

CALL FOR FASHION DESIGNERS!

Do you get inspired by contemporary art? Do you love collaborating with other creatives? Have you mastered the skills of deconstruction and re-modeling? HAYP Pop Up gallery is looking for you! Our upcoming project will explore and reinterpret post soviet street style and iconic clothing items during a 2-week workshop in April and a fashion performance in May.

If you want to be a part of this exciting art & fashion collaboration send us your creative portfolio at info.hayp@gmail.com.

Application Must Include:

photos of your work
sketches
concepts

Workshop Requirements:

Interest in fashion a must
Experience with basic sewing/fashion/design skills necessary
Interest in re-modeling/reappropriation a plus
Familiarity with working with leather a plus
A good eye for color, texture, shape
Familiarity with Armenian 90s culture
Ability to fully commit to 3 hours/day for 10 day total workshop

Deadline for submission: April 13, 2018

Workshop dates: April 16-26

Workshop leader: Anais Paws

ԿՈՉ ԴԻԶԱՅՆԵՐՆԵՐԻՆ

Ոգեշնչում ՞եք ժամանակակից արվեստի գործերով: Սիրում ՞եք համագործակցել այլ ստեղծագործողների հետ: Տիրապետում ՞եք դեկոնստրուկցիա եւ վերարտադրման հմտություններին: ՀԱՅՓ Փոպ-Ապ պատկերասրահը փնտրում է ձ՝եզ: Մեր եկող ծրագրը կվերլուծենք եւ կվերանայենք հետխորհրդային ստրիտ ստայլը 2 շաբաթանոց սեմինարի ընթացքում ապրելին եւ ներկայացման ժամանակ մայիսին:

Եթե ցանկանում եք լինել այս արվեստի եւ մոդաի համագործակցության մի մասը, ուղարկեք ձեր ստեղծագործական պորտֆոկիոն. info.hayp@gmail.com։

Դիմումը պետք է ներառի.

ձեր աշխատանքների լուսանկարները
էսքիզները
կոնսեպտները

Պահանջները մասնակցելու համար.

Հետաքրքրություն մոդաի մեջ պարտադիր է
Անհրաժեշտ է հիմնական կարի վերանորոգման / նորաձեւության հմտություններ
Հետաքրքրություն վերարտադրման / վերաբաշխման մեջ առավելք է
Կաշիի հետ աշխատելու փորձը առավելք է
Ունակություն գույ ների, տեկստուռաների, կերպարանքների օգտագործելու հանդեպ
Ծանոթություն 90-ականների մշակույթի հետ
Հնարավորություն 2 շաբաթվա ընթացքում ամբողջությամբ ներկա լինել 4 վորքշոփներին

Ներկայացման վերջնաժամկետը `ապրիլի 13-ը։

Վորքշոփը տվելու է`ապրիլի 16-ից 26-ը։

Վորքշոփը առաջնորդը`Անաիս Փոս։

2017: A YEAR OF HAYP

January 10, 2018January 11, 2018Leave a comment

By Dalita Khoury and the HAYP team

HAYP’s third year has come to an end, and we have to say, it’s been our most ambitious and exciting year yet. With our largest exhibition in history and our first international exhibit ever, people are really catching on to the HAYP. Before we close the chapter on 2017, we thought we would reminisce about our greatest moments.

Continue reading →

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About CETI Lab

September 11, 2017September 11, 2017Leave a comment

HAYP Pop Up Gallery is pleased to present “CETI Lab: HAYP at BAO”, a project combining an artist residency, a collective exhibition and an event week. This will be HAYP Pop Up Gallery’s 10th collective art exhibit in Armenia, and the first to take place at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory.

The Concept

“CETI Lab: HAYP at BAO” invites artists and scientists to imagine communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence. The project takes inspiration from the 1971 CETI conference at BAO, organized by Carl Sagan and Iosif Shklovskii, that brought together nobel-prize winning scientists to explore the possibilities of communicating with intelligent life beyond our planet.

From September 16 to 27, 2017 the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) in Armenia will be transformed with site-specific installation by a group of diverse artists including photographers, architects, sculptors, writers, sound and installation artists. The project also includes a site-specific installation by visiting Berlin-based sound artist Lvis Mejía, at the Herouni Radio-Optic Telescope in Orgov, just outside of Byurakan village.

Like the scientists before them, the artists consider the various unknown variables that frame the challenge of communication. Those include technical questions of language, transmission, reception and interaction as well philosophical concerns of free will, perception, and the consequences of successful communication. As we consider our own assumptions of “the other” and the parameters that allow for effective exchange, it becomes increasingly evident that the greatest challenge is in understanding the environment that frames these interactions.

The projects of CETI Lab are studies and explorations on the unique environment that is the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, its lifeforms, ideas and idiosyncrasies.

Participating Artists

Tina Chakarian, Visual Artist (Boston, USA)
Sona Manukyan, Photographer & Architect (Yerevan, Armenia)
Lvis Mejía, Audio Artist (Berlin, Germany)
Karen Mirzoyan, Photographer (Yerevan, Armenia)
Samvel Saghatelian, Painter & Architect (Yerevan, Armenia)
Manan Torosyan, Sculptor & Visual Artist (Yerevan, Armenia)
Gorod Ustinov, Artist Collective (Izhevsk, Russia)
Arto Vaun, poet (Boston, USA)
VHSound, Sound Artist (Yerevan, Armenia)

ARTIST PROJECTS & LOCATIONS

Location: Herouni Radio-Optical Telescope, Orgov, Armenia.

Hours of Operation: Open daily Monday-Friday from 16:00 to 19:00. Open weekends from 12:00 to 19:00.

“The unaccountable to the non-observer”, by Lvis Mejía
A site-specific installation and contemplative sonic experience on the principle of acoustic feedback.

“The Communication Machine”, by VHSound
An interactive instrument and public performance on the sound universe of the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory.

Location: The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, Byurakan, Armenia.

Hours of Operation: Open daily Monday-Friday from 16:00 to 20:00. Open weekends from 12:00 to 20:00.

“Polychromatic Signals” by Tina Chakarian
A kinetic acrylic polygon.

“Do they breathe?” by Sona Manukyan
A site-specific installation on reflexive communication.

“Intergalactic War Series” by Karen Mirzoyan
An exploration in the consequences of communication as seen through children image-culture and popular sci-fi narratives.

“Contact” by Gorod Oustinov
An interactive micro land art installation and collective alien-tracking device.

“Homo-Communication” by Samvel Saghatelian
A site-specific installation and study on the meeting point of communication: #TheHole.

“Start and end”, by Manan Torosyan
An outdoor sculpture on the cyclical nature of time and parallel forms of life in the universe.

“The Transgression of Light”, a poem by Arto Vaun
A meditation on the harmony and dissonance between humans and the universe.

PRACTICAL INFO

Locations & Hours of Operation:

The exhibition will last from September 16, 2017 to September 27, 2017

The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, Byurakan, Armenia. Map here.
Hours of Operation: Open daily Monday-Friday from 16:00 to 20:00. Open weekends from 12:00 to 20:00.
The Herouni Radio-Optic Telescope, Orgov, Armenia. Map here.
Hours of Operation: Open daily Monday-Friday from 16:00 to 19:00. Open weekends from 12:00 to 19:00.

Transportation:

BY CAR: You can easily drive there or get a taxi (around 4,000 one-way from Yerevan). Follow the Google Maps here to go to the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and the Herouni Radio-Optic Telescope.
BY HAYP BUS: Departure from Republic Square in Yerevan. Limited seats available, awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis. Cost: 1,000 AMD one-way.
*** Yerevan-Orgov-Byurakan: 13:00, 15:00
*** Byurakan-Yerevan: 20:00

Exhibition tickets:

Because the Byurakan Observatory and the Herouni Telescope are functioning scientific centers, you absolutely need a ticket to enter the grounds. The ticket is available for free on Eventbrite here.