Armen Agop

Armen Agop (born in 1969 in Cairo) is an Egyptian–Armenian contemporary artist and sculptor based in Pietrasanta, Italy.[1] Known for his abstract, minimalist sculptures, he uses black granite and basalt as his main mediums of expression. His primary themes explore the tension between movement and stillness as well as the timeless potential of art.[2]

Early life and education

Agop was born Armen Guerboyan to Armenian parents living in Cairo, Egypt.[3][4] Raised between these two cultures with ancient roots, Agop was drawn to the endurance of historical art and artifacts, and he was also affected by the dry landscape of Egypt, saying, "It was in the desert, where there seems to be nothing, that's where I learned to see".[5][6]

By the age of 13 Agop was a student of Simon Shahrigian. He finished the Faculty of the Fine Arts at Helwan University in Cairo. After graduating, he received an assistant researcher scholarship.

Career

In 2000, Agop was awarded the Prix de Rome, the State Prize of Artistic Creativity in Egypt. After staying in Rome the first year on sponsorship, he moved to Pietrasanta, Italy where he continues to live and work today. In 2013, he was awarded the Premio Sulmona, Rassegna Internazionale D’Arte Contemporanea, Presidential Medal of the Italian Republic.[7]

His works are represented in the Egyptian Modern Art Museum, Egypt, Villa Empain/Boghossian Foundation in Belgium, Giardino di Piazza Stazione in Barge, Italy, and Coral Springs Museum of Art in Florida, USA.

Agop is known for an ascetic approach to abstract sculpture, mainly using black granite and basalt.[8] In his own words on minimalism, "Simplicity is very complicated". Agop's work has also often been described as "Contrasting Art" where the contemporary and the ancient meet; his artistic presence springs from his cross-cultural philosophy.[9] "The ancient and the contemporary may seem very different, but I think the essentials are the same", he said in Art Plural: Voices of Contemporary Art (2014).[10]

Touch

The Touch series consists of sculptures that are activated by the viewer's touch, causing them to rock or sway. Agop invites the viewer to move beyond visual observation into physical interaction, rejecting the sacredness of art.[1]

Sufic

The title of this series refers to Sufism, a simple life of prayer, reflecting Agop's own meditative process.[11] In pursuit of one central form that balances stillness and movement, Agop also sculpted these works to sway at a slight touch, yet appear solid and unmoving.[12]

Transcontemporary

In 2015, Agop used the term "Transcontemporary" to describe the tension between past and future in art that is referred to today as contemporary.[] "Contemporary" is an ever-changing term, as what is now considered ancient was once contemporary. So, Agop mixes the 'ancient' with the 'contemporary' by sculpting durable stone without obvious references to modern times, creating an ultimate work that rejects categorization.[13]

Awards
  • 2000/2001 – Prix de Rome
  • 2010 – International Umberto Mastroianni award
  • 2013 – Presidential Medal of the Italian Republic[14]

Collections
  • Aswan Open Air Museum, Egypt[15]
  • Bozzetti Museum Pietrasanta, Italy[16]
  • Coral Springs Museum of Art, Florida, USA[17]
  • Egyptian Modern Art Museum, Egypt[18]
  • Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar[19]
  • Villa Empain/Boghossian Foundation, Belgium[20]

References
  1. "contemporary artist | Armen Agop: biography". www.armenagop.com.
  2. "Armen Agop". Art Plural Gallery.
  3. "Art World Forum: Armen Agop".
  4. "Armen Agop Guerboyan".
  5. "Egyptian Artists You Need to Know".
  6. "Fine Art Asia 2011".
  7. El Adawi, Reham (November 2013). "Romancing the stone". Al-Ahram Weekly.
  8. "Armen Agop".
  9. "Armen Agop - 10 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net.
  10. Peppiatt, Michael (2014). Art Plural: Voices of Contemporary Art. Fairport, NY: Gatehouse Publishing. ISBN 978-9810784089.
  11. "Armen Agop". Sculpture Magazine. September 2018.
  12. "Undercurrent: Contemporary Egyptian Art" (PDF).
  13. "Exhibition of new works by Egyptian artist Armen Agop".
  14. "Armen Agop". www.artprize.org.
  15. Nawar, Ahmad. "Aswan International Sculpture Symposium" (PDF). Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  16. "AGOP Armen, Artisti in Collezione | Museo dei Bozzetti". www.museodeibozzetti.it. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  17. "Coral Springs Museum of Art | Coral Springs, FL". www.coralsprings.org. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  18. "Recognizing Local Art". EgyptToday. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  19. "Exhibition of new works by Egyptian artist Armen Agop". ArtDaily. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  20. "Jardins en fête". Villa Empain – Fondation Boghossian. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.