EXHIBITION
ARTIST
- Sweet & Sour, 2021-2022, three-channel video installation, 21min 57sec.
Hrair Sarkissian is a third-generation Armenian-Syrian photographer whose work delves into the fragmented memories and historical rupture caused by the Armenian Genocide of 1915. His latest work, Sweet and Sour, traces the remnants of the past, exploring how identity and heritage are reshaped through personal and historical narratives.
Growing up, Sarkissian heard stories of the genocide passed down through generations. His grandfather was from the village of Khantsorig – meaning “little apple” – in the Sasun region, which is now part of Türkiye. Historically, Armenians regarded Sasun as the birthplace of their mythological origin, epic verses, and legendary figures. A photograph of this region, taken in 1923, had always been hanging in the Sarkissian family home, serving to pass down stories to the next generations.
Through photography and video, Sarkissian visualizes the disconnection in memory and identity. In <Sweet and Sour>, he travels to Khantsorig, the land of his ancestors, capturing it on film. Upon returning to Damascus, he shares the footage with his father, who has never visited this place. The second video documents his father’s emotional response to seeing the land for the first time, while another screen shows the artist from the rear angle gazing at his ancestral homeland from a distance. These silent yet profound emotional exchanges between father, landscape, and artist form the heart of the work. Through this piece, Sarkissian reflects on memory, heritage, and identity, inviting audiences to engage with the weight of historical loss and physical displacement.
Hrair Sarkissian (b.1973) is being introduced to Korea for the first time through GIAF25. He Honed his foundational skills in photography at his father’s studio in Damascus, an experience that has deeply influenced his perspective and artistic practice. Sarkissian’s photographic works are characterized by the themes of “exploration” and the dichotomy of visibility/invisibility, which connect to his process of seeking answers to personal memories and backgrounds. Through this exploration, Sarkissian delves into stories that are either overlooked or cannot be addressed within history, often capturing desolate landscapes and locations where human presence is felt but not seen. The contrast between visibility and invisibility lies at the core of his work, guiding the audience to uncover deeper meanings hidden beneath the surface and encouraging a reevaluation of broader historical or social narratives.
His major solo exhibitions include Wolverhampton Art Gallery (2025), Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen (2024), Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht (2022), Sharjah Art Foundation (2021), The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (2020), Fondazione CariSpezia (2015). Selected recent exhibitions include British Art Show 9, the 14th Sharjah Biennial, Sursock Museum, Imperial War Museum, the Baltic Contemporary Art Centre, the 10th Bamako Encounters African Biennial of Photography, the Armenian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennial (awarded the Golden Lion), Tate Modern, the New Museum, and Mori Art Museum. Sarkissian sits on the Advisory Board of the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut.
Website: https://www.hrairsarkissian.com
