Narek Barseghyan
My elder brother and I spent our childhood watching anime where the concept of the inner monster, the struggle against it and the eventual acceptance of it, was a central theme. This motif has followed me throughout my artistic practice, and I have evolved this notion with personal research in philosophy, art history and psychology.
In particular, I am inspired by Freud’s semantic study on “unheimlich”, a term which refers to the paradox of the unfamiliarity within the familiar. Relating to the fear that this paradox creates, he defined “the uncanny” as “that class of the frightening, which leads back to what is known of old and long familiar." This relates directly to my work with “Hresh” - our inner monsters: that which we fear the most we often hold inside.
My practice explores monsters in many forms - from the blue “kali” masks of Eastern culture, to Japanese inspired pop drawings, to my interpretation of Yerevan street culture. My most recent series is an introspection on youth in Armenia’s border villages - those who are on the frontlines of attacks by neighboring Azerbaijan. It seems to me that in war, the voices and stories that we hear are those crafted by politicians, but we never ask the children who are most affected by these circumstances. What do they feel? What do they see? What does the future look like to them?
Mediums and Tools:
Paitings, Digital Works, Watercolor, Graphics.
Achievements:
In 2016, he was awarded the distinguished Presidential Youth Prize for painting regarding his series “Identity”.
Selected Exhibitions:
• 2024 September, “Lost&Found Bureau” Group exhibition, library for architecture, Yerevan
• 2024 August, “Fragments from the Soviet Past” Solo exhibition, Vajrapar, Yerevan
• 2024 March, “My soul in Exile” Annual Festival of Alternative Art, group exhibition, ACCEA, Yerevan
• 2023 – March, “To The One I Loved [Նրան ում ես սիրեցի],” Solo Exhibition, Firdusi 48, Yerevan
• 2022 – September, “Sensor” festival at the Byurakan, Radio Optical Observatory, Byurakan
• 2021 – December, “Tomorrow” group exhibition at the Cafesjian Center of the Arts, Yerevan
Artist Statement:
My work explores cultural and political monsters, focusing on youth in Armenia’s border villages and their untold stories amidst conflict.
Selected Portfolio
The Leather Show
The Leather Show" is a multi-disciplinary project that blends 90s pop culture with contemporary Yerevan street style, using hyper-realistic leather motifs and nostalgic symbolism to explore themes of rebellion, masculinity, and millennial irony.