R esidency
FIRST AHCP ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE CREATES WORK FOR THE LYON BIENNALE
​Meri Karapetyan, the first AHCP Artist-in-Residence was invited to create work for the 17th Lyon Biennale. Entitled "Les voix des fleuves, Crossing the water", the 17th edition of the Lyon Biennale asked artists to explore the subject of the relationships that are formed between beings and their environment. Karapetyan, representing her landlocked, war-torn homeland of Armenia, created an installation from aluminum wire. She shaped a large barbed wire by twisting 40 kilometers of wire. Suspended and elevated, arched in the middle of the room like a wave, or flat on the floor, Karapetyan’s piece deconstructs the notion of division. The viewers may walk through the arched elevation as a passage from conflict to peace, both, internal and external.
ABOUT THE FIRST AHCP RESIDENCY
The AHCP residency was established in 2023 by Tamar Hovsepian, the co-founder of the practice. AHCP and the Johannissyan Institute (JI) selected Meri Karapetyan as the first artist-in-residence for the inngural program that took place in New York City and Yerevan, May 1-July 12, 2023. ​
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​AHCP provided Karapetyan with airfare, accommodations, and art supplies for the duration of the residency.​​
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The residency consisted of an extensive artistic program, providing Karapetyan the opportunity to experience the local art scene and build professional networks in the field. Karapetyan also had her first solo exhibition in New York City with works created during the residency. Upon returning to Armenia, she spent six weeks at the Johannissyan Institute, conducting research and creating the final artwork which was exhibited at the Institute.​
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Meri Karapetyan is a graduate of Armenia State Academy of Fine Arts and holds an MFA from the University of Sorbonne in Paris and currently pursuing her second MFA at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. She is currently represented by Atamian Hovsepian Curatorial Practice worldwide. Currently her work is on view at the 17th Lyon Biennale. Later in the Fall she will be participatin in an exhibition at Beaux-Arts de Paris where she currently studies.