Artist’s Statement
I’ve started the photographic series “Blue Sun” in June 2020, with the support of the “Multimedia Lab Grant” in Tbilisi. The idea of the project was born earlier, in November 2019. At that time I was a participant of the performance, which was dedicated to the theme “female body in public spaces” and was realized near the Republic Square Metro Station. This caused a scandal among some conservative circles, who supposedly “protect” the traditional values of society. As a result the performance was considered just as experience of aggressive feminism, although it wasn’t its idea at all. So I’ve started working on this project.
The main idea of my photographic series “Blue Sun” is to help to change the perception of contemporary dance as well as of a female body as an instrument of art in Armenian society. In this context I show through my photos the work of Hasmik Tangyan, the founder of “CoChoLab Armenia” (Contemporary Choreography Lab). She is a contemporary dancer and performer in Armenia, who tries to develop the scene of contemporary choreography through teaching, research, production of performances and through giving an opportunity for her students to test their skills in different scenes. Particularly important is her work with children with disabilities, where the movement of the body is considered as a way to spiritual health.
The title “Blue Sun” is a sort of alternative method of narrative. The photo story contains some allusions about the atmosphere of the film “Solaris” by Andrei Tarkovsky, as well as general about soviet epoch.
Moreover the bluish photos reflect the mood of the novel “Solaris” by Stanislaw Lem, from which it has got the title “Blue Sun”.
The photographs illustrate the inner sense of transparency, the merging of the body with the space, the body as an art object and the body as an element of the universe. In this way, I combine two narrative lines, which are paralleled on a philosophical level. The photo series “Blue Sun” is recipient of Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia Museum grant for South Caucasus Female Photographers (2020 year) mentored by Grégoire Eloy.
