Untitled 2004

Editor: Here we have an Untitled mixed-media assemblage by Vigen Vartanov, created in 2004. My first impression is one of curious tension—the natural elegance of the bird juxtaposed against this rough, almost industrial frame. What do you see in this piece, considering its construction and the imagery? Curator: This work resonates deeply with visual storytelling, weaving together different cultural threads. The peacock feather, a potent symbol of beauty, royalty, and even resurrection in various traditions, is strikingly placed alongside the harsher elements of metal and wood. I am interested in the opposition of decay and construction. Where does the wheel lead and from which tradition does the bird’s all-seeing eye come? What narrative of cultural memory does the artist build with these images? Editor: So, you're saying the peacock feather and the metallic elements create a kind of dialogue? How does the "frame" influence the reading of the central motif? Curator: Precisely. The weathered frame suggests both a container and a boundary. What is the work safeguarding and from whom? It presents an internal world with an exotic specimen held, protected by raw materiality, or conversely caged by it. It brings forth themes of fragility and endurance, questioning how we preserve beauty and memory amidst decay. The eye guides the narrative. What does it signify, this feathered jewel contrasted against rigid metal? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it in terms of preservation, more like a clash. I see that connection now. Curator: These objects all are charged with social and historical resonance—objects transformed into something that transcends their materiality to become something meaningful in art and in culture. Symbols are like that. What remains now is our memory. Editor: I guess there is still so much more to uncover in one single art work than meets the eye! Curator: Precisely! And each encounter reveals further stories within.