Exhibit featuring artwork by Armenian artists opens in Fresno

January 23, 2015 - 19:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - An exhibit featuring artwork by Armenian artists to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will be on display in four galleries at Fresno Art Museum, the Fresno Bee reports.

The show — “1915-2015: Tradition, Legacy, Culture” — opens Friday, Jan 23 and continues through April 26.

The exhibition features some of the most prominent Armenian artists of the last century — John Altoon, Varujan Boghosian, Charles Garabedian, Arshile Gorky, Khachik Khachatouryan and Rueben Nakian — as well as artists with a local connection — Ara Dolarian, Ed Marouk, Varaz Samuelian, Arminee Shishmanian and, of course, William Saroyan. Some pieces are on loan from various art galleries and personal collections throughout the country.

“The art is to celebrate the rich culture of the Armenian artists,” says Joyce Kierejczyk, guest curator and committee member. “Even though we have survived a genocide, they have been allowed to create art and keep cultures alive through art.”

Regina Peters, another committee member, says the show is important to the community: “It’s world-class art being brought into the community to see, experience and educate.”

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.