Armenian Arts

Mome La La La Land! André Smits ARTISTINTHEWORLD | Watch a Mural Come to Life
2026-03-06 19:00 - 2026-03-07 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Center for Armenian Arts, Glendale, California, 250 N. Orange St., Glendale, CA, 91203, United States
Armenian Arts is proud to present ARTISTINTHEWORLD by Dutch photographer and painter André Smits, a global, ongoing artistic journey that connects artists and art professionals across continents through photography, murals, and living networks of collaboration.
Since 2008, Smits has built an ever-expanding archive of more than 7,000 photographs portraying artists in their studios around the world. A defining element of the series is the romantic Rückenfigur concept: each subject is photographed from behind, offering viewers an intimate yet contemplative glimpse into creative spaces.
This pop-up exhibition marks his fourth visit to Los Angeles and features more than 100 photographs.
A Living Mural – Watch It Happen
From March 1–5, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, André Smits will be creating a large-scale mural inside Armenian Arts. The mural functions as a living map of artistic connections — a network of names and arrows tracing relationships and introductions between artists.
The public is warmly invited to step in throughout the week to witness the mural’s progress in real time. Visitors may observe the process, engage with the evolving network, or follow daily updates on our Instagram.
For this exhibition, Smits collaborates with Monika Dahlberg, who will respond within the mural through colorful collages inspired by the city.
Smits’ exhibitions function as social sculptures — spaces where connection itself becomes the artwork.
Exhibition Schedule
Friday, March 6, 2026
7:00–10:00 PM — Opening Reception
Saturday, March 7, 2026
3:00–6:00 PM — Exhibition Open
4:00 PM — Artist Talk
After the artist talk, photographed artists are invited to take their portrait from the wall as a gift — a gesture reflecting the spirit of openness and shared artistic practice.
Join us for a week of process, connection, and celebration of the global artistic community.

BOUND BY FIRE: Featuring Tro Khayalian & Paola Kassabian
2026-02-27 19:00 - 2026-02-28 18:00
BOUND BY FIRE brings together two artists whose practices are united by heat, transformation, and elemental intensity — Tro Khayalian, an Armenian American abstract painter and metal sculptor, and Paola Kassabian, a ceramic artist whose work is shaped through flame, material, and process.
Tro Khayalian’s abstract expressionist paintings and metal sculptures channel raw emotion through liquid acrylics, layered textures, unconventional tools, and instinctive color. His work creates immersive visual experiences — energetic, transportive, and deeply atmospheric — where movement, depth, and subconscious rhythm guide the viewer’s perception. In recent years, his exploration of metal as a medium has expanded his visual language, merging industrial strength with expressive abstraction.
Paola Kassabian’s ceramic practice explores form, surface, and transformation through fire. Working with clay as both a sculptural and conceptual medium, her pieces carry the imprint of heat, time, and material evolution — embodying fragility, resilience, and tactile beauty. Fire becomes both a tool and a collaborator in shaping her final works.
Together, their works create a compelling dialogue between metal and clay, fluidity and structure, intensity and stillness. BOUND BY FIRE explores how heat can destroy, refine, and rebirth — revealing the shared alchemy behind two distinct yet interconnected artistic voices.
Opening Night: Friday, February 27, 2026 | 7 PM – 10 PM
Exhibition Continues: Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 3 PM – 6 PM

“Lullabies” Lecture Performance & Conversation with Hasmik Harutyunyan
2026-02-24 19:00 - 22:00
Parents with children are especially welcome.

Lullabies, a bilingual collection of traditional Armenian lullabies, is a gathering of valuable songs from different regions of historical Armenia, drawn from the repertoire of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Hasmik Harutyunyan.

The author has collected, classified, and annotated about 57 lullaby songs from printed and unprinted sources. The collection includes a list of sources, a dictionary of dialect and foreign words, and an accompanying CD featuring the first performances of numerous lullabies.

This project preserves a delicate and deeply emotional part of Armenian musical heritage — songs once sung by mothers and grandmothers, carrying comfort, love, and memory across generations.

The event is intended for those interested in the traditional Armenian lullaby genre and for the music-loving public. Families are warmly invited, and parents with kids are especially welcome to experience these gentle melodies together in a cozy, nurturing atmosphere.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM

NOSTALGIA: A Journey Into Memory by Davit Mirzoyan
2026-02-20 19:00 - 2026-02-21 18:00
NOSTALGIA is a reflective and emotionally resonant solo exhibition by acclaimed Armenian artist Davit Mirzoyan, exploring memory, time, identity, and the quiet poetry of the past through refined painterly expression.
Born in 1961 in Yerevan, Mirzoyan received his BFA in Armenia in 1983 from the Department of Art and Design at the Armenian State Pedagogical University, where he was trained in the rich traditions of Western European and Russian academic painting. In 1989, he became one of the youngest members of the prestigious Union of Artists of Armenia and the USSR, marking him as a significant voice in the contemporary art scene.
His international career includes exhibitions across Armenia, Belgium, Europe, and the United States, and membership in the Royal Art Society St.-Lucas Guild of Belgium (1998). In 2004, Mirzoyan earned his MFA from Brigham Young University, further expanding his artistic vision and global presence.
Mirzoyan’s works are distinguished by their emotional depth, technical mastery, and contemplative atmosphere. Through nuanced color, light, and composition, he evokes nostalgia not merely as longing for the past, but as a space of reflection, meaning, and quiet beauty. His paintings invite viewers to revisit personal and collective memories—moments suspended between history and feeling.
His original works are held in state institutions and private collections in Armenia, Belgium, and the United States, affirming his lasting artistic significance.
NOSTALGIA is an invitation to slow down, remember, and reconnect with the emotional landscapes that shape who we are.
Opening Night: Friday, February 20, 2026 | 7 PM – 10 PM
Exhibition Continues: Saturday, February 21, 2026 | 3 PM – 6 PM

COLORS OF YEREVAN: See Yerevan Through an Karishok’s Heart
2026-02-13 19:00 - 2026-02-14 18:00
COLORS OF YEREVAN is a vibrant and poetic solo exhibition by contemporary Armenian artist Karishok (Karine) Dulyan, celebrating the emotional rhythm, architectural spirit, and everyday poetry of Armenia’s capital.
Born and raised in Yerevan, Dulyan began painting at the age of four and held her first solo exhibition at just five years old. She later pursued a career in architecture and urban design, earning Master’s degrees in Arts & New Technologiesand Urbanism in Spain, before returning fully to painting—bringing with her a deep understanding of space, structure, light, and city life.
Her work is widely recognized for its expressive cityscapes, abstract urban impressions, and luminous color palette. Moving fluidly between watercolor, acrylic, ink, mixed media, and collage, Dulyan captures the beauty of everyday moments, the energy of streets, and the quiet emotional character of cities. Her paintings often reinterpret Yerevan’s architectural “chaos” as unexpected harmony, revealing charm, warmth, and hidden beauty where others may overlook it.
COLORS OF YEREVAN presents a visual love letter to the city—its light, movement, memory, and soul. Each artwork invites viewers to pause, reflect, and rediscover Yerevan through a lens of color, optimism, nostalgia, and urban poetry.
Opening Night: Friday, February 13, 2026 | 7 PM – 10 PM
Exhibition Continues: Saturday, February 14, 2026 | 3 PM – 6 PM

LOVE CONFESSION: A Visual Love Letter by Ella Sarkisyan
2026-02-06 19:00 - 2026-02-07 18:00
LOVE CONFESSION is a poetic and emotionally charged solo exhibition by contemporary artist Ella Sarkisyan, exploring love as memory, mystery, confession, and transformation. Through layered textures, symbolic imagery, and luminous color harmonies, Sarkisyan invites viewers into an intimate visual dialogue where personal emotion meets universal longing.
Born into a family of artists and shaped by formal training at the Studio Art School of Yerevan and Yerevan State University (MFA), Ella Sarkisyan has developed a distinctive artistic language rooted in both classical cultural references and experimental contemporary expression. Since relocating to the United States in 1995, she has exhibited widely across the U.S. and Europe, earning recognition from collectors, curators, and critics for her refined, mystical, and emotionally resonant work.
Her art is known for its elegance, delicacy, and symbolic depth—blending fantasy, literary sensuality, neoclassical inspiration, and intuitive abstraction. Each piece carries hidden narratives, poetic metaphors, and subtle confessions that unfold through color, texture, and form. As Art Director and curator Nicola Eremita describes, Sarkisyan’s work evokes “an extraordinary harmony of color, texture, symbolism, and mysticism,” confronting themes of renewal, creativity, and the miracle of inner life.
In LOVE CONFESSION, Sarkisyan reflects on identity, memory, desire, and emotional truth, creating a visual space where Armenian cultural roots converse with contemporary global aesthetics. Her works—featured on international platforms such as Saatchi Art—bridge tradition and innovation, offering a voice that is both deeply personal and universally moving.
This exhibition is an invitation to witness love not only as romance, but as revelation, vulnerability, longing, and artistic rebirth.
Opening Night: Friday, February 6, 2026 | 7 PM – 10 PM
Exhibition Continues: Saturday, February 7, 2026 | 3 PM – 6 PM

“Arev, Arev, Yek, Yek”: Hasmik Harutyunyan. Voice of Armenian Folk Tradition
2026-01-27 19:00 - 22:00
Hasmik Harutyunyan is one of Armenia’s most celebrated folk singers and a leading figure in the preservation and revival of traditional Armenian music. Born on December 26, 1960, in Yerevan, she has devoted her life to safeguarding Armenia’s rich musical heritage and sharing its depth, spirituality, and emotional power with audiences around the world.

As a core member of the renowned Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, Harutyunyan has performed extensively across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, bringing ancient Armenian songs and sacred rhythms to international stages. Alongside her performance career, she serves as the director of the Hayrik Mouradian Traditional Song and Dance Children’s Ensemble, where she mentors young musicians and ensures the continuity of Armenian folk traditions for future generations.

Her recordings have received international acclaim. In 2004, her album Armenian Lullabies was recognized by The New York Times as an outstanding world music release. Her work with the Shoghaken Ensemble has also been featured in major film soundtracks, including Atom Egoyan’s Ararat. Prior to joining Shoghaken, Harutyunyan toured widely as a soloist with the Agunk Ensemble on Armenian National Radio, performing throughout Armenia, Europe, and the former Soviet Union.

A natural extension of her artistic and educational mission is the bilingual collection “Arev, Arev, Yek, Yek”, a carefully curated anthology of Armenian children’s folk songs from various regions of historical Armenia. The collection brings together 42 songs spanning multiple genres, offering a rare and meaningful introduction to Armenian folk music for young listeners and families alike. Published in both Armenian and English, it includes an accompanying CD, a pronunciation guide, a glossary of dialectal and foreign words, and brief English translations of the song lyrics.

Intended for both Armenian and international audiences, “Arev, Arev, Yek, Yek” reflects Harutyunyan’s deep belief that folk music is not only an artistic expression but a living cultural language—one that must be taught, sung, and loved from an early age. Through her performances, recordings, and educational initiatives, Hasmik Harutyunyan continues to inspire generations, keeping Armenian culture vibrant, rooted, and alive for the future.

Հասմիկ Հարութիւնեան հայ ժողովրդական երաժշտութեան ամենահռչակաւոր եւ ազդեցիկ ներկայացուցիչներէն մէկն է, որ իր ամբողջ կեանքը նուիրած է հայկական աւանդական երգի պահպանման, վերակենդանացման եւ աշխարհին ներկայացման սուրբ առաքելութեան։ Ծնած է 1960 թուականի դեկտեմբերի 26-ին Երեւանում։ Իր ձայնով եւ մեկնաբանութեամբ ան կենդանութիւն կը հաղորդէ դարաւոր մեղեդիներուն՝ բացայայտելով հայկական երաժշտութեան հոգեւոր խորքը եւ ներքին լռութիւնը։

Որպէս Շողակէն ժողովրդական անսամբլի հիմնադիր անդամներէն մէկը, Հարութիւնեան ելոյթներով ներկայ եղած է Եւրոպայի, Հիւսիսային Ամերիկայի եւ Միջին Արեւելքի բեմերուն վրայ՝ ներկայացնելով Հայաստանի հնագոյն երգերը, ծիսական հնչիւններն ու արմատական ռիթմերը միջազգային լսարաններուն։ Զուգահեռաբար, ան կը ղեկավարէ Հայրիկ Մուրադեան Ժողովրդական Երգի եւ Պարի Մանկական Անսամբլը, ուր իր գիտելիքն ու փորձառութիւնը կը փոխանցէ նոր սերունդին՝ ապահովելով, որ հայկական ժողովրդական երաժշտութիւնը շարունակէ ապրել եւ զարգանալ։

Հարութիւնեանի ձայնասկավառակները արժանացած են միջազգային բարձր գնահատանքի։ Անոր ալբոմը՝ «Հայկական քնաբեր երգեր», 2004 թուականին The New York Times-ի կողմէ նշուած է որպէս բացառիկ համաշխարհային երաժշտական հրատարակութիւն։ Շողակէն անսամբլի հետ իր կատարումները ընդգրկուած են նաեւ միջազգային ճանաչում ունեցող կինոնկարներու ձայնագրութիւններուն մէջ, ներառեալ Աթոմ Եղոյեանի «Արարատ» ֆիլմը։ Մինչեւ Շողակէն միանալը, Հարութիւնեան լայն շրջագայութիւններ ունեցած է Ագունք անսամբլի հետ՝ ելոյթներով Հայաստանի Ազգային Ռատիոյի եթերով եւ տարբեր բեմերու վրայ՝ ամբողջ Հայաստանով, Եւրոպայով եւ նախկին Խորհրդային Միութեան տարածքով։

Այս բազմամեայ արուեստագիտական եւ մանկավարժական ուղու բնական շարունակութիւնն է «Արև, արև, եկ, եկ» երկլեզու (հայերէն–անգլերէն) ժողովածուն, որ կը ներկայացնէ պատմական Հայաստանի տարբեր շրջաններու հայ ժողովրդական մանկական երգերու համահաւաք ընտրանի։ Ժողովածուն կը ներառէ 42 երգ տարբեր ժանրերէ, ուղեկցուած ձայնասկավառակով, արտասանութեան ուղեցոյցով, բարբառային եւ օտարալեզու բառերու բառարանով, ինչպէս նաեւ երգերու տեքստերու անգլերէն համառոտ թարգմանութիւններով։

Նախատեսուած թէ՛ հայ, թէ՛ միջազգային երաժշտասէր հանրութեան համար՝ «Արև, արև, եկ, եկ» ժողովածուն կը մարմնաւորէ Հասմիկ Հարութիւնեանի համոզումը, թէ ժողովրդական երգը ոչ միայն մշակութային ժառանգութիւն է, այլ կենդանի լեզու, որ պէտք է սորվեցնել, երգել եւ սիրել մանկութեան օրերէն սկսեալ։ Իր ելոյթներով, ձայնագրութիւններով եւ կրթական նախաձեռնութիւններով, Հասմիկ Հարութիւնեան կը շարունակէ պահել հայկական մշակոյթը կենդանի, արմատաւորուած եւ փոխանցելի գալիք սերունդներուն։

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 7PM

"20×20" A Curated Dialogue of 41 Artists
2026-01-23 19:00 - 2026-01-24 18:00
20×20 is a landmark group exhibition (41 artists) conceived by renowned Armenian artist and curator Gago Gagik Vardanyan, bringing together a powerful cross‑section of contemporary Armenian and Armenian‑diasporan artists under a single, rigorously defined format. Each participating artist was invited to create one original work not exceeding 20 × 20 inches, a constraint that becomes the conceptual backbone of the exhibition rather than a limitation. Within this shared scale, the artists explore vastly different visual languages, materials, emotional registers, and artistic philosophies, transforming uniformity into a catalyst for depth, tension, and dialogue.

The strength of 20×20 lies in its paradox: a strict physical boundary that opens limitless creative possibility. Painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, abstraction, figuration, symbolism, and experimental techniques coexist side by side, allowing viewers to experience how scale influences intention, intimacy, and impact. The exhibition invites close looking—rewarding attention to texture, gesture, and nuance—while simultaneously presenting a collective portrait of Armenian contemporary art in motion.

Participating Artists: Ruben Abovyan, Martiros Adalyan, Raffi Adalyan, Ruben Adalyan, Grant Avakyan, Ayvaz Avoyan, Hakob Baghdasaryan, Ashot Bayandur, Assadour Bezdikian, Norik Dilanchyan, Henry Elibekyan, Roman Galstyan, Vruyr Galstyan, Kaloust Guedel, Minas Halajian, Samuel Halajian, Sasha Harutyunyan, Ashot Hovhannisyan, Hakob Hovhannisyan, Narine Isajanyan, Sev Henrik Khachatryan, Varoush Khosravian(s), Farzad Kohan, Avetis Krikashyan, Maria Cristina Lattes, Viken Makhyan, Anna Manukyan, Alexandr Maroutian, Eduard Matevosyan, Hrant Mirzoyan, Arshak Nazarian, Sergey Parajanov, Martin Petrosyan, Carlos Ritter, Alexander Sadoyan, Vigen Tadevossyan, Vardan Tovmasyan, Gago Gagik Vardanyan, Seeroon Yeretzian, Ilir Zeneli, Aramik, Kiki.

Date/Time: Friday, January 23, 2026 from 7PM to 10PM

Date/Time: Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 3PM to 6PM

“Restoring The Past” A Short Documentary Screening
2025-12-12 18:00 - 2025-12-13 20:00
Aleksei, an art restorer with a rich background across Europe and Russia, takes us behind the scenes of art restoration. This documentary looks at the detailed craftsmanship, the strict code of ethics, and the challenges of bringing damaged masterpieces back to life while staying true to the artist’s original vision. Aleksei’s work for top auction houses around the world, like Sotheby’s and bonhams showcases the delicate balance between preserving history and restoring it for the future.
Opening Reception
Day/Time: Friday, December 12, 2025 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (Movie screening 7:00 PM)
Day/Time: Saturday, December 13, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Movie screening 6:00 PM)

Voices of Minority: Communities in Armenia
2025-12-05 19:00 - 2025-12-06 18:00
Lucy Petrosyan is a photographer and visual artist with over 8 years of experience. She travels the world documenting people’s lives in a reportage style, focusing on everyday moments, traditions, and cultural stories.
This time, she documented in Armenia the lives and traditions of minority communities, including Indians, Greeks, Yazidis, Assyrians, and Molokans. Her exhibition, “Voices of Minority Communities”, presents their daily life and unique stories in an authentic and emotional documentary style that invites visitors to experience and understand their lives and culture.
Day/Time: Friday, December 5, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 10:00PM
Day/Time: Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Ginifest 2025
2025-10-12 15:00 - 21:00
Don’t Miss GiniFest® 2025 – A Celebration of Armenian and International Wine & Spirits!
8th Annual Armenian Wine & Spirits Festival
Sunday, October 12, 2025
3 pm – 9 pm
250 N. Orange Street
Glendale, CA 91203
Tickets $100
Get ready for an extraordinary experience at GiniFest® 2025, a vibrant Armenian and International Wine & Spirits Street Festival happening on Sunday, October 12, 2025, from 3 PM to 9 PM. This annual celebration transforms the 200 North Orange Street block into a lively destination for wine and spirits enthusiasts, food lovers, and culture seekers.
What Makes GiniFest® Unmissable?
The 8th Annual Armenian Wine & Spirits GiniFest® is set to deliver its best celebration yet! Explore an exceptional showcase of high-quality Armenian and international wines and spirits, featuring a curated selection of esteemed winemakers and distillers. This is your chance to savor, sample, and discover a remarkable variety of beverages from around the globe, all in one unforgettable event.
Since its founding in 2018, GiniFest® has grown exponentially, from hosting 300 attendees in its first year to tripling that number by 2023. Now, GiniFest® is one of Los Angeles’ most highly anticipated consumer events, drawing enthusiasts from near and far.
Event Highlights:

World-Class Wines & Spirits:
Experience an unmatched exhibition of top-tier wines and spirits from renowned Armenian and international producers.
Live Music and Performances:
Enjoy dynamic performances by talented local and regional musicians, creating an energetic and engaging atmosphere for all attendees.
Delicious Food Vendors:
Savor global cuisines from diverse food trucks and pop-ups, offering everything from comfort food to adventurous flavors.
Arts and Crafts Market:
Support local artisans showcasing unique handcrafted goods, including jewelry, artwork, clothing, and more.

Location:
The festival takes place on 200 North Orange Street, spanning from 222 N. Orange to 250 N. Orange. The area will be transformed into a pedestrian-friendly zone for a safe and vibrant experience.
Why Attend?
GiniFest® 2025 is not just an event—it’s an experience that blends culture, flavor, and entertainment into one memorable evening. Whether you’re a wine aficionado, a curious explorer, or someone seeking a fun and unique outing, this is the place to be.
Mark your calendar, invite your friends, and join us at GiniFest® for an unforgettable celebration of wine, spirits, and community. Don’t wait—secure your spot today!
Admission Details:

General Admission: $100 (includes drink tastings) (Purchase Here!)
Additional charges apply for food and merchandise.

How GiniFest® Makes a Difference
$20 of each GiniFest® ticket sold will go directly toward funding scholarships and tuition for deserving students in Armenia.
By attending and participating in the festival, you are contributing to this impactful cause, helping to create opportunities for education and personal growth for young Armenians.
Celebrate, support, and inspire at GiniFest® 2025!
Join us in blending culture, celebration, and compassion into one extraordinary event. Let’s raise a glass to the future of education in Armenia and Deliver knowledge.

Roger Kupelian: 30+ Cinematic Art Retrospective
2025-06-06 19:00 - 2025-06-08 20:00
Roger Kupelian Presents “30+: A Cinematic Retrospective” at Glendale’s Armenian Arts Center
Glendale, CA – May 12, 2025 – Acclaimed artist and filmmaker Roger Kupelian welcomes art lovers and film enthusiasts to “30+: A Cinematic Retrospective,” a vibrant solo exhibition celebrating over three decades of his creative work in fine art and cinema. Hosted at the Armenian Arts Center, 250 N. Orange Street, Glendale, CA 91203, this immersive showcase runs June 6–8, 2025, with an intimate artist talk on June 8 at 5:00 PM.
Roger Kupelian, an immigrant from Sierra Leone now based in Los Angeles, found his passion for storytelling through his father’s work as an author and a rich tapestry of influences, including his Armenian heritage. Before becoming a celebrated visual effects artist and matte painter, Kupelian worked as an embedded war zone documentary filmmaker, capturing raw human stories that shaped his artistic vision. His career in film includes pivotal contributions to beloved projects like the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the iconic Space Jam, and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. As an independent filmmaker and graphic novelist, Kupelian continues to craft compelling narratives through short films and innovative storytelling.
“30+: A Cinematic Retrospective” weaves together Kupelian’s remarkable journey, featuring:

Evocative fine art paintings and sketches inspired by his Armenian heritage and cinematic imagination.
Rare concept art and matte paintings from blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings, Space Jam, and Alice in Wonderland.
Recent independent projects, including short films and graphic novels exploring myth and history.
Exclusive movie memorabilia and signed copies of his graphic novels, available for purchase.

The exhibition closes with an artist talk on June 8, where Kupelian will share insights into his creative path, from war zones to Hollywood to personal projects, followed by a Q&A.
Event Details

Date/Time:

Friday, June 6, 2025 | 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 2:00 – 6:00 PM
Sunday , June 8, 2025 | 5:00 PM (Artist Talk | free with entry)

Location: Armenian Arts Center, 250 N. Orange Street, Glendale, CA 91203
Contact: http://armenianarts.com/ or info@armenianarts.com

“This exhibition is a chance to share my love for storytelling through art,” said Kupelian. “I’m grateful to connect with the Glendale community at the Armenian Arts Center, a space that celebrates creativity and culture.”
The Armenian Arts Center, a vital part of Glendale’s cultural landscape, provides an ideal setting for this inspiring showcase. Join us for a celebration of art, cinema, and storytelling.

Karine Vardanyan and You, On the Other Side
2025-05-30 19:00 - 2025-05-31 18:00
Join us at Armenian Arts for Karine Vardanyan and You, On the Other Side—a unique exhibition exploring the delicate interplay between nature and abstraction. Karine Vardanyan brings a fresh perspective to contemporary art through her striking abstract collages made with sea shells, each piece capturing emotion, texture, and memory from both land and sea.
Day/Time: Friday, May 30, 2025 | 7:00 – 10:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 2:00 – 6:00 PM

The Pillars of Creation
2025-05-09 19:00 - 2025-05-10 18:00
Step into the world of an extraordinary arts exhibition by Hasmik Muradyan. Join us to witness a stunning display of artistic vision and creativity. Discover the pillars that inspire and shape Hasmik’s captivating works—this is an experience you won’t want to miss!
Day/Time: Friday, May 9, 2025 7PM – 10PM
Day/Time: Saturday, May 10, 2025 2 PM – 6PM

Threads of Heritage
2025-05-02 19:00 - 2025-05-03 18:00
The Center of Armenian Arts is proud to present Threads of Heritage, a collaborative exhibition celebrating the richness of Armenian traditions, cultural memory, and artistic expression. Featuring the works of Ani Gevorgian, Zepure Jerahian, and Shakeh Markarians, this showcase weaves together history and contemporary creativity, exploring patterns, textures, and narratives that connect past and present.
Join us for an inspiring journey through woven stories and artistic heritage.
Day/Time: Friday, May 2, 2025 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, May 3, 2025 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Fragments of Being
2025-04-25 19:00 - 2025-04-26 18:00
My art is a dialogue with movement, fluidity, and the rawness of human vulnerability. Through photography and sculptural forms, I seek to evoke emotions that resonate beyond the tangible. My work defies the static and the finite, embracing the unspoken, the unfinished, and the imperfect.
Each piece carries a sense of continuation—a rhythm that echoes the ceaseless motion of life itself. For me, art is not about perfection but about stirring something profound within, reminding us that there is no true end, only the constant evolution of form, feeling, and connection.
Day/Time: Friday, April 25, 2025 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, April 26, 2025 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Հոգու Տարերք
2025-04-18 19:00 - 21:00
Anahit Koutsouzian
Armenian Folk & Romantic Songs
Friday, April 18, 2025 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Tickets: $50
For tickets www.Eventbrite.com & Info – Please call 747-208-2000

Form & Abstraction
2025-04-17 19:00 - 2025-04-19 18:00
The Center of Armenian Arts proudly presents Form & Abstraction, a solo exhibition by Shahen Zarookian, exploring the dynamic interplay of structure and spontaneity. Through bold compositions and expressive forms, Zarookian challenges conventional boundaries, inviting viewers into a world where shape, color, and movement take on new meaning.
Join us for this captivating showcase on:
Day/Time: Thursday, April 17, 2025 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Day/Time: Friday, April 18, 2025 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, April 19, 2025 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Experience the power of abstraction and discover the artistry behind form.

Bird of the Holy Spirit
2025-04-11 19:00 - 2025-04-12 18:00
“Bird of the Holy Spirit” is a groundbreaking art project by Kristina Oganezz, blending spirituality with visual artistry to create a unique preaching exhibition. Inspired by divine guidance, the exhibition features a series of paintings where Bible verses and spiritual concepts are depicted on black canvases with gold lettering. Utilizing the ancient Armenian bird-letters, inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the artworks convey hidden messages of faith, love, and salvation.

Through this exhibition, Oganezz invites viewers on a spiritual journey, where each piece serves as a reflection of life’s core values and biblical wisdom. The showcase includes art installations such as “The Hidden Sin” and “Forbidden Fruit,” addressing universal themes of temptation and redemption. A highlight of the exhibition is the unveiling of Bird Numbers, created by Kristina Oganezz, an innovative artistic contribution that complements the traditional Armenian alphabet, further enriching the nation’s cultural heritage.

Ultimately, “Bird of the Holy Spirit” aims to inspire audiences to explore their faith, embrace spiritual values. “Bird of the Holy Spirit” Preaching Exhibition – A Unique Spiritual Art Experience.
Day/Time: Friday, April 11, 2025 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, April 12, 2025 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Odyssey
2025-04-04 19:00 - 2025-04-05 18:00
The “Odyssey” collection invites the audience to experience an artistic exploration of life’s journey. A modern approach on how each life stage and experience reshapes us, pulling us beyond who we were into who we are becoming.
Friday, April 4, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Saturday, April 5, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Collections of a Cab Driver - Sarkis Alvandi
2025-03-28 19:00 - 2025-03-29 18:00
This show is about resilience, hidden talent, and the power of rediscovery.
Sarkis Alvandi, spent decades providing for his family, creating art in the quiet moments between long hours as a cab driver.
His work was hidden away—literally in the trunk of his taxi—until it was uncovered years later.
At 80 years old, it’s time for the world to see his masterpieces spanning more than 350 Original works.
Day/Time: Friday, March 28, 2025 from 7:00 PM till 10:00 PM
Day/Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 3:00 PM till 6:00 PM

Collections of a Cab Driver: The Art of Sarkis Alvandi
For over 45 years, Sarkis Alvandi has navigated the streets as a taxi driver, weaving through the pulse of the city while carrying thousands of passengers from one destination to another. But between the honking horns and fleeting conversations, Sarkis found something rare—stillness. In those quiet moments of waiting for the next fare, he turned to pen and paper, capturing the world through his own lens.
What began as doodles on the back of trip logs evolved into a vast collection of over 200 intricate and deeply personal artworks. Each piece is a snapshot of a moment, a reflection of a story told in passing, a vision shaped by decades of encounters, emotions, and the unseen beauty of everyday life.
A Journey Through Ink and Imagination
Collections of a Cab Driver is more than an art exhibition—it’s a visual diary of a working man’s journey, an odyssey of lines and patterns that capture the soul of a city in transit. Through Sarkis’ artwork, viewers are invited into the hidden world of a cab driver, where every ride is a new experience, every face a fleeting muse, and every street a canvas for reflection.
From the Driver’s Seat to the Art World
Sarkis’ pieces are raw yet refined, inspired by the perspectives only a taxi driver can witness—the solitude of empty roads at dawn, the electric buzz of city nightlife, the quiet moments of contemplation in rearview mirrors. His work is a testament to the beauty found in the in-between spaces of life, a reminder that inspiration often lives in the places we least expect.
Now, for the first time, Collections of a Cab Driver brings together this lifetime of artwork—a collection born on the streets, shaped by the rhythm of the city, and shared with the world.

in.te.gra.tion
2025-03-20 19:00 - 2025-03-22 22:00
in.te.gra.tion is an art exhibition by Haig Kargayan
Haig Kargayan is a Los Angeles based Surrealist artist. True to the Surrealist movement, Haig channels deep into the unconscious mind to bring to life, through vibrant imagery, the chaos of emotions tied to human experiences and the realities of current events.
His works heavily draw upon the everyday realities of the two worlds he has been part of, mid-east and west, war and peace.
Day/Time: Thursday, March 20, 2025 7PM – 10PM
Day/Time: Friday, March 21, 2025 7PM – 10PM
Day/Time: Saturday, March 22, 2025 7PM – 10PM

Dance with Color
2025-03-14 19:00 - 2025-03-15 18:00
Join us for the arts exhibition by the talented artist Mikaella. Explore her captivating creations and immerse yourself in a world of dynamic artistry. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience art that truly moves with color!
Day/Time: Friday, March 14, 2025 7PM – 10PM
Day/Time: Saturday, March 15, 2025 2PM – 6PM

Hyusnunts And Friends: Songs Without Words
2025-03-11 20:00 - 22:00
Hyusnunts and friends: Armen Hyusnunts (saxophones), Artashes Kartalyan (keyboards), Levon Simonyan (guitar), Vik Momjian (bass guitar), & Arman Jalalyan (drums)
Songs without words
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Tickets: $50
For tickets www.ArmenianArts.com & Info – Please call 747-208-2000

Cosmic Solitude: Meet The Author Yulia Grigoryants
2025-03-04 19:00 - 22:00
COSMIC SOLITUDE is an exploration of solitude and isolation in one of the Soviet Union’s largest cosmic ray research stations, located in the remote mountains of Armenia. Once a place of great scientific importance, the station continues to operate today, though only three people live and work there year-round, surrounded by silence and vast, open landscapes.
Through striking imagery, the book documents life at the station, offering a rare glimpse into a world where time seems to stand steel. But beyond its surface, Cosmic Solitude is a reflection on the deeper meanings of solitude both physical and existential. It encourages the viewer to pause and think about the connection between people and the places they inhabit, about time, and about the meaning of what it is to be human and alone.
Edited by renowned photo editor Sarah Leen and printed in Italy, Cosmic Solitude is a visual journey into one of the world’s most remote scientific outposts, where past and present quietly coexist.
YULIA GRIGORYANTS is a visionary documentary photographer from Armenia whose work explores the unseen aspects of human experience, capturingthe aftermath of conflict, the lives of marginalized communities, and the enduring impact of social and cultural challenges. Through her lens, she examines themes of memory, loss, and the quiet resilience of people.
Her photography is deeply influenced by her personal history: born in Azerbaijan to an Armenian family, Grigoryants fled the country in 1988 to escape the violence against Armenians. Growing up in Armenia during the transition from Soviet rule to independence, surviving a devastating earthquake, and enduring the socioeconomic hardship and scarcity following years of war. Her work has been published in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Al Jazeera. It has also been showcased at the Sharjah Art Biennial (UAE), Musée Albert-Kahn (France), the Council of Europe (France), Somerset House (UK), The House of United Nations (Armenia).
Grigoryants has received several notable awards, including the Albert-Kahn Award and Prix Maison Blanche. She currently lives and works between Paris and Yerevan.
Day/Time: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Voices Unheard: Stories of Identity and Language
2025-02-27 19:00 - 21:00
Join the Center for Armenian Arts for an evening of documentary and experimental short films that straddle the layered and overlapping spaces between image, identity and language. The five filmmaker/artists—Carla Kekejian, Mariam Meliksetyan, Ara Oshagan, Gazelle Samizay and Anahid Yahjian—tackle diverse themes from multiple perspectives as they meditate on what is a name, return to diasporic language, walk in spaces of incarceration, consider memory on indigenous land and reflect on a hidden language. All works are interconnected and retain a deep-lying coherence as the filmmakers/artists look to the future to imagine new ways of being and thinking.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers/artists.
Carla Kekejian – Harsneren, 16 mins, 2019
Mariam Meliksetyan – Say My Name, 21 mins, 2024
Ara Oshagan – but for the happenstance of history II, 4 mins, 2020
Gazelle Samizay — My Shadow is a Word Writing Itself Across Time, 6 mins, 2017
Anahid Yahjian – Hishé, 5 mins, 2021
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Dr. Carla Kekejian is a licensed speech-language pathologist and founder of SoCal Speech-Language Therapy, a private practice dedicated to supporting pediatric speech and language development. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Utah and her M.A. in Education with a focus on Human Development and Psychology from UCLA. Dr. Kekejian is a faculty member at both CSUN and CSULB, where she instructs a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses in speech-language pathology.
Mariam Meliksetyan is an Armenian-American actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She has been professionally trained at the prestigious UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, Drama Centre London at Central Saint Martins, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Having worked as an actress in many independent films, she longed to tell stories from behind the camera as well. Fueled by a lifelong love for cinema and a fascination with documenting the world around her from a young age, she set out to make her directorial debut with the short experimental documentary “Say My Name” which she also produced.
Ara Oshagan is a diasporic multi-disciplinary artist and curator exploring dispossession, identity, and decolonization. Working in photography, collage, installation, and film, he has published four books and exhibited globally, including in Los Angeles, New York, Armenia, and South Korea. His work has been featured in NPR, LA Times, and Hyperallergic. Oshagan is an Artist-in-Residence at 18th Street Art Center and curator at Glendale’s ReflectSpace Gallery.
Gazelle Samizay, born in Kabul and raised in rural Washington, explores culture, nationality, and gender through her bicultural identity. Her photography and mixed media work has been exhibited globally and is in major museum collections. A published writer and vice president of the Afghan American Artists and Writers Association, she has received numerous awards. She holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and is the gallery director at UC Berkeley’s Worth Ryder Art Gallery.
Anahid Yahjian is a Los Angeles-based independent writer, director and producer of experimental, documentary and narrative cinema. Her work is driven by questioning and pursuit: of history, of power, of memory, of liminality, of the surreal and the sublime. Her commitment to telling true stories was shaped by an early love for visual storytelling that was formalized in college and took flight during her coming of age in Armenia. When not creating her own work, she directs commercials, branded content and music videos.
Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Diana Markosian's FATHER
2025-02-25 19:00 - 22:00
Join Aperture and The Center for Armenian Arts for a conversation between photographer Diana Markosian and artist Ara Oshagan. They will discuss Markosian’s most recent publication, Father (Aperture, 2024), an intimate and engrossing diaristic portrayal of estrangement and reconnection, recounted through documentary photographs, family snapshots, text, and visual ephemera.
Diana Markosian: Father presents the Armenian photographer’s journey to another place and another time, where she attempts to piece together an image of a familiar stranger—her long-lost father. The book explores her father’s absence, her reconciliation with him, and the shared emptiness of their prolonged estrangement after a separation during Markosian’s childhood. The images, made over the course of a decade, take place in her father’s home in Armenia. Father follows her first monograph, Santa Barbara (Aperture, 2020), in which Markosian recreates the story of her family’s journey from post–Soviet Russia to the US in the 1990s.
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Diana Markosian (born in Moscow, 1989) is among the leaders of a new generation of photographers and lens-based artists advancing documentary storytelling through image-making. In 1996, she moved to the US from Russia with her brother and mother, leaving behind her father, who would eventually relocate back to the family’s home country of Armenia. Her photographs have been published in Vanity Fair, Vogue, and the New Yorker. Her work is represented by Galerie les filles du calvaire, Paris. The artist’s acclaimed first monograph, Santa Barbara (Aperture, 2020), was selected as one of the top books of the year by Time and the Museum of Modern Art Magazine. She holds an MS from Columbia University in New York.
Ara Oshagan (born in Beirut) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural worker who explores histories of marginalization, displacement, and identity. A descendant of communities uprooted from their indigenous land by the Armenian Genocide, he was born in Lebanon and displaced by war as a youth to the US. Oshagan has published four monographs and has exhibited his artwork internationally. His work has been featured in the LA Times, NPR’s Morning Edition, and Hyperallergic. His work is in the permanent collection of the Craft Contemporary Museum, Southeast Museum of Photography, Pasadena Armory Center for the Arts, and Modern Art Museum of Yerevan.
Tuesday, February 25 at 7:00 pm PST

Tashtakerank (Burnt Ends)
2025-02-13 19:00 - 22:00
TASHTAKERANK (Burnt Ends) is a collection of short stories that echo Khoren Aramanu’s memories from his early childhood to the present day (Iran, Armenia and the USA), imbued with subtle humor.
Khoren Aramouni Keshishyan is a writer, playwright, and translator. He was born in 1948 in Iran. Aramouni studied in the Armenian Studies department at the University of Isfahan for 2 years. In 1969, he repatriated to Armenia. He graduated from Yerevan State University in 1975. In 1980, Aramouni emigrated to the United States. He has been published regularly in Armenian language newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and collaborated on television programs. He is founder of I-Ben printing and publishing. He was also the U.S. representative of the Armenia based, Garoun monthly literary magazine. Aramouni’s first full-length book, Posthumous Wedding, was published in Armenia in 1992. Since 2004, Aramouni has been a member of the Writers’ Union of Armenia. In 2014, he received the William Saroyan medal from the Armenian Ministry of Diaspora. He was awarded a medal for his literary accomplishments from the Writers’ Union of Armenia in 2018. Aramouni has been recognized for his writing by several state and local institutions in California. Aramouni has published 18 books. Seven of his plays have been staged in Armenia and the U.S. He currently resides in Glendale, California.
Day/Time: Thursday, February 13, 2025 – 7:00PM

No Other Words: Haikus
2025-01-26 17:00 - 22:00
No Other Words by Karén Karslyan is an experimental collection of haikus composed exclusively of the words from Yeghishe Charents’ “My Sweet Armenia.” Through the haikus crafted with the technique of constrained writing, Karslyan engages in a dialogue with Charents, at times poking fun, and at times raising profound questions about contemporary matters, identity, recent wars, and love.
Karén Karslyan (b. 1979) is a poet, visual artist, translator, holds a PhD in English and is the chairman of the Writers for Peace Committee of PEN Armenia. He is the author of six books including, Lezvi Tsayrin (On the Tip of the Tongue), a collection of poetry (Granish, 2022); and Aterazma, a typographic film-novel (Inknagir, 2016). His Armenian translation of Lust by Kathy Acker was published by Inknagir in 2015. His writing has been featured in anthologies across multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French. His performative lectures of Aterazma have been hosted by Coimbra University (2018) and the University of Michigan (2022). His visual art includes flipbooks and video art pieces that have been exhibited at film and art festivals. He is the recipient of the Granish Best Short Story Award (2024) and Best Poetry Award (2021), as well as NPAK’s Young Artists Award (2004). In 2003, he was recognized as Armenia’s “Scandalous Writer of the Year” by Public TV. Born and raised in Armenia, he now lives in Wisconsin.
Day/Time: Sunday, January 26, 2025 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Absence
2024-12-20 19:00 - 2024-12-22 18:00
This World and Life are not one-sided, not even two-sided, as in black and white photography. They contain everything possible and impossible. Art and creativity, in general, are attempts to reproduce this rational and irrational reality as adequately as possible, but each time, it depends on what methods are used in the process of this action. When we think about the absence that is the common basis of our disappointment and unhappiness as human beings, this is no longer enough to cope with reality because what it is is already overwhelming.
Using different methods, visual artists and composers define and communicate the presence of absence. Through a dialogue with the viewer and listener, they complete the void of absence so that the expressing and expressed world ceases to be dual; it becomes one and complete. Art then becomes the presence of absence.
Names: Josh Arias, Sam Dvin, Charlie G. Hachadourian (1954 – 2022), Irena G. Minasyan, Panorjit Palatthuam, Sev, Tigran Tahmizean, Armineh Teimourian
Day/Time: Friday, December 20,2024 7PM – 10PM
Day/Time: Saturday, December 21, 2024 2PM – 6PM
Day/Time: Sunday, December 22, 2024 2PM – 6PM
