Gayane Arushanian is a multidisciplinary artist from Kyiv. She is the founder of the School of Experimental Art in Kyiv and the G-ART STUDIO in Zaporizhzhia.
Gayané is not only an outstanding artist, but she also has a Master's in Urban Construction and Design and Economic Cybernetics from the Zaporizhzhia State Engineering Academy.
Her mathematical knowledge and her artistic eye and love for colour enable her to create shapes, forms and colour patterns oscillating between harmony and chaos.
She says:
I have always believed that art was and is the source, the way, and the opportunity to be honest with myself and the world around me. Equilibrium is about finding the balance of the image of the world, the world within. Colour, shapes and composition are the only criteria of harmony for me. There is an ideal state of the world around - Chaos! And all of this is in the indefinite darkness that you and I reveal every day.
Gayané was born in Armenia and had to flee her home when the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022 made a lot of those memories resurface.
Today, we want to take a look at Gayané's very personal story of becoming an artist, the Ukrainian art world in a more general way and the challenges it faces because of the war.
And a lot more, of course.
It is a great pleasure and privilege to have her in the Yellow Van today!
SHOW NOTES
Cybernetics [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetics]
ARC Gallery, Chicago [https://www.arcgallery.org/]
City of Kherson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kherson]
City of Uman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uman]
First Nagorno-Karabakh War [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nagorno-Karabakh_War]
Khmelnytsky Uprising [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmelnytsky_Uprising]
Fibonacci Sequence [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_sequence]
Berlin Ensemble [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Ensemble]
Gaia, Greek goddess [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia]
Gayane's Inspiration
Yuryi Khymych [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuriy_Khimich] (painter)
Arkhyp Kuindzhi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkhip_Kuindzhi] (painter)
Vasyl Symonenko [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasyl_Symonenko] (poet)
Myroslav Skoryk [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myroslav_Skoryk] (composer)
Sergei Parajanov [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Parajanov] (film director)
Gayane Online
Gayane's Online Art Classes:
www.airbnb.ru/experiences/1008843 [http://www.airbnb.ru/experiences/1008843?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=43765a1b-e94f-432e-a0ec-0cf00551a311]
Gayane on Instagram:
www.instagram.com/gaya_arushanian [http://www.instagram.com/gaya_arushanian/]
Gayane's Website:
www.gayanearushanian.com [http://www.gayanearushanian.com/]
Gayane on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gayane-arushanian-702409ab
New York Group Exhibition "Design On A Dime" [https://www.classy.org/event/design-on-a-dime-2023/e462193?c_src=social&c_src2=social]
MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear [https://jimkroft.bigcartel.com/product/love-in-the-face-of-fear] Jim Kroft [http://www.jimkroft.com/]
Support the show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/yellowvan]
Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump [https://www.mindthebump.de/] Production.
00:00:00 How did the war impact the ability to create art for the speaker?
00:01:02 Introduction to Ukrainian Stories
00:01:49 Meet Gayane Arushanyan
00:02:54 Who is Gayane Arushanyan and what is her background?
00:04:10 Where is Gayane currently located?
00:05:06 New York Exhibition and Inspirations
00:07:08 How are you doing otherwise, and also family, friends? How are you in your immediate environment?
00:09:22 Does being in New York give you relief from the worries about Ukraine, or do concerns about your loved ones there overshadow the relief?
00:12:11 Cultural Adaptation from Armenia to Ukraine
00:15:28 Ukraine's Multi-Ethnic Dynamics
00:19:51 How is it possible for people to die and why is it happening in the 21st century?
00:21:12 Do you remember your moment of arrival in Ukraine, how it felt for you to be there at three years old or is that too long ago?
00:24:49 What were your first impressions of Ukraine when you arrived as a child, and how did you feel about the transition?
00:29:00 Mathematics and Urban Design in Art
00:33:06 Why did the speaker feel different from other kids in school?
00:35:07 Resilience of Ukrainian Art
00:39:28 Global Spotlight on Ukrainian Culture
00:43:55 Art as Historical Record
00:46:17 Was it first that you studied urban construction and economic cybernetics, and then brought art in, or did you paint first and thought mathematics could enrich your art?
00:50:24 Influences on Gayane's Art
00:52:18 How do you apply abstract mathematical concepts like factorial or isomorphism in your art?
00:55:53 How do math, nature, and art connect and influence each other?
00:57:38 Ukrainian Art Scene's Evolution
01:00:06 What is the impact of the war on Ukrainian artists and ho
