A visit to the Paradjanov museum in Yerevan is a real pleasure, not only because of the works this museum has on display, but even more because Paradjanov is a key figure in the Armenian cultural heritage and one of most interesting filmmakers of the Eastern Europe during the sixties and seventies. His life includes the history of the Soviet Union after World War II: born in 1924 in Georgian Tiblisi, as a son of Armenian parents, studied at the Film Academy of Moscou, making his first ‘essential’ movie in the Ukraine in 1965 (Shadow of Forgotten Ancestors), made another film in 1968 The Colour of the Pomegrenades – based on the folklores, legends, fables of Armenia – for which he got an enormous international response – the film is still considered as one of the best films of this period worldwide – been put in jail in 1973 for five years because of his controversial lifestyle and his totally different style of filmmaking far away from the official Soviet cinema, and being released a year earlier after a special request of French Surrealist poet and communist Louis Aragon in 1977 after four years of hard labour in Siberia. In 1985 Paradjanov was finally able to make his ‘third’ film: The Legend of the Suram Fortress based on Georgian history and legends, and just before he died another film, Ashik Kerib, in 1988.
Paradjanov films are poetic ‘narratives’ in which he tells, like Ali Akbar Sadeghi’s animation films in Teheran, fables, legends and folkloristic tales deeply based on ancient storytelling, but transferred to weird poetic films that sometimes come close to the work of his friend and supporter Andrei Tarkovski, but definitely have their own style.
The history of former Soviet Union comes in again after 1989, when both the Ukraine, as Georgia as Armenia claim Paradjanov as their most important filmmaker. All these former Soviet Republics are urgently searching for their own identity, often based on the same ancient storytelling, fables and legends. Half year ago I happened to be present at the opening of a huge exhibition on Paradjanov’s Shadow of Forgotten Ancestors – the film that he shot in the Ukraine based on the Ukrainian legends – in Kiev where major politicians and the Ukrainian elite were present to celebrate not only the opening, but mainly the national identity and uniqueness of their country.
But in Yerevan there is this really nice Paradjanov museum full of artworks that Paradjanov also made in between the spare films that he was able to make. Fantastic assemblages, collages, objects, drawings, and all different kind of stuff, which was stored in Tiblisi in Georgia, but that the Armenians managed to ‘move’ to Yerevan after Paradjanov’s dead in 1990 with the help of some Georgian – Armenian ‘criminal’ connections! Times change: being put in jail several times, but now being fighted, contested as a national hero.
Revitalized by the endless energy that sparks from Paradjanov’s playful and wondrous works, we individually roamed the streets of Armenia’s capital city. Some impressions:
Later that day we re-group at Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), the secular counterpart of the Church Social Union. AGBU is devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian program and is one of the few private organizations that support Armenian arts and culture within the Diaspora and since 2015 in the country itself. As such the philanthropic organizations is an exception to Armenia’s local art scene that is fueled by grassroots movements, which survive on the energy and input of passionate and determined individuals.
A presentation of paintings by Leo Leo-Vardanyan in the lobby of AGBU’s office forms a prelude to the opening-event of his show next door at Karoyan Gallery.
We join the crowd outside the gallery (many familiar faces from ICA’s party last night) and wait in anticipation of what is to come: life action painting, accompanied by Alexis Paul Saudaa, who plays his small organ. The audience is spellbound. We are vaguely reminded of the underground scene in NYC’s lower eastside in the 70’ies: the act of coming together anticipating ‘the event’ gives a special feel to the evening.
After the performance Karen Mirzoyan welcomes us to Mirzoyan Library that is all at once a photo-book library, photo-gallery, workshop-space, classroom, a charming café and the living room of the city’s art community. An absolute must visit in Yerevan! After enjoying a delicious meal, Mirzoyan further introduces us to his foundation that aims to engage the local audience with the arts and support art-professionals teaching them about the production and printing processes within photography: an much needed mission to boost Yerevan’s art scene. Besides running the library Mirzoyan also works as an artists (we start to wander when he sleeps, what a dynamo! ) and has invite two of his artists friends to introduce their work to us. Samvel Saghatelian (aka Sam Saga), Anush Babajanyan and of above all Karen Mirzoyan, thank you for this wonderful evening!
Jaap Guldemond & Nathanja van Dijk
Orientationtrip 2016 