ARTISTS:
Ani Qananyan
Alisa Danielyan
Bela Pogosyan
Houry Marakarian
Lilia Li-Mi-Yan
Mary Moon
Stella Grigoryan
Ani Qananyan
Alisa Danielyan
Bela Pogosyan
Houry Marakarian
Lilia Li-Mi-Yan
Mary Moon
Stella Grigoryan
CURATORS:
Ekaterina Drakunova
Sona Minasian
Ekaterina Drakunova
Sona Minasian
ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
Women group exhibition
March 8 — March 28, 2023
ArtKvartal, Pushkin 4, Yerevan
An exhibition of contemporary Armenian artists, ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, offers reflections on the origins of each artist’s personal practice. Does the idea of "femininity" exist in art? And what does it mean to be a woman artist? These were the questions posed to the participants during the preparation process. Based on their responses, an exhibition that avoids any unambiguous formula of creativity was created. For participants, the definitions of "contemporary art", "women's art", "feminism" may be part of the identity, but don’t necessarily reflect their self-definition. Whether these labels are self-designated or externally assigned, they form an essential framework that this project seeks to explore.
The exhibition’s title, ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, is a reference to Virginia Woolf’s famous essay, where she discusses the essential need for women to have their own space — both literal and metaphorical — for creative activity and a financial income to ensure stability. Historically, women have been denied such a position, which significantly limited their creative opportunities. The architecture of the exhibition visualizes Woolf’s concept, with each artist displaying her work in a separate room. The only exceptions are two shared spaces, where installations from different participants come together, suggesting interaction and fostering dialogue, support, and sisterhood.
The project highlights three secondary effects of creative work and unconventional sources of inspiration. In Armenian, the title of Woolf’s essay Room of One’s Own is translated as ‘Սեփական սենյակը‘, with the word ‘Սեփական’ meaning ‘belonging to one‘, often associated with ownership or property. For this exhibition, however, we chose the title ‘Իմ սենյակ‘, where the word ‘Իմ’ translates to ‘mine‘ or ‘personal‘. The exhibition invites viewers to experience a sense of participation rather than possession — a call to enter a private, intimate space without the weight of ownership.
March 8 — March 28, 2023
ArtKvartal, Pushkin 4, Yerevan
An exhibition of contemporary Armenian artists, ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, offers reflections on the origins of each artist’s personal practice. Does the idea of "femininity" exist in art? And what does it mean to be a woman artist? These were the questions posed to the participants during the preparation process. Based on their responses, an exhibition that avoids any unambiguous formula of creativity was created. For participants, the definitions of "contemporary art", "women's art", "feminism" may be part of the identity, but don’t necessarily reflect their self-definition. Whether these labels are self-designated or externally assigned, they form an essential framework that this project seeks to explore.
The exhibition’s title, ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, is a reference to Virginia Woolf’s famous essay, where she discusses the essential need for women to have their own space — both literal and metaphorical — for creative activity and a financial income to ensure stability. Historically, women have been denied such a position, which significantly limited their creative opportunities. The architecture of the exhibition visualizes Woolf’s concept, with each artist displaying her work in a separate room. The only exceptions are two shared spaces, where installations from different participants come together, suggesting interaction and fostering dialogue, support, and sisterhood.
The project highlights three secondary effects of creative work and unconventional sources of inspiration. In Armenian, the title of Woolf’s essay Room of One’s Own is translated as ‘Սեփական սենյակը‘, with the word ‘Սեփական’ meaning ‘belonging to one‘, often associated with ownership or property. For this exhibition, however, we chose the title ‘Իմ սենյակ‘, where the word ‘Իմ’ translates to ‘mine‘ or ‘personal‘. The exhibition invites viewers to experience a sense of participation rather than possession — a call to enter a private, intimate space without the weight of ownership.
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