Epress.am News from Armenia
As a result of a car accident, local Armenian artist David Kareyan, 37, died late evening on Jan. 3.
Kareyan was born in Vanadzor, then lived and worked in Yerevan. From 1990 to 1996, he studied at Yerevan’s Academy of Fine Arts.
David Kareyan was one of the key figures of newly independent Armenia’s avante-garde art. In 1996, he co-founded the group ACT, in which artists emphasized new media, viewing art as a process for political activism, experimentation of cultural amortization and expanding the boundaries of art.
At the end of the 90s, Kareyan began to work actively with the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA or NPAK in Armenian), and continued to do so till his untimely passing. The first notable day of this cooperation was his exhibit “Crisis” in 1999. He continued to create multimedia work which explored the tensions that arise between the body, cultural norms and political realities.
The first half of 2000 was a radical turning point in Kareyan’s life in that he returned to painting. During this period, creative dialogue with his life partner, artist Diana Hakobyan was essential. Perhaps the main concern in his creative life, which was full of radical turning points, was the possibility of pure art that is politically involved. This is an issue that epitomizes one of the main concerns of post-Soviet art, and the main value of Kareyan’s art is that he was able to express this concern.
The staff of Epress.am would like to express their deepest condolences to the friends and family of David Kareyan.
Photo from Marina Mkrtchyan’s personal collection.