Ruler of Sharjah inaugurates the art exhibition "The Other Side of Silence" by Harir Sarkissian
His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated this morning the art exhibition “The Other Side of Silence” by Harir Sarkissian at the Sharjah Art Foundation’s artistic buildings in Al Mareijah area in Sharjah.
Organized by the Sharjah Art Foundation in cooperation with the Bonnier Constellation Gallery in Stockholm and the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht - the Netherlands, the exhibition is the first investigative exhibition by Hrair Sarkissian and will run until January 30, 2022.
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah toured the corridors of the exhibition and listened to an explanation from the artist Hrayer Sarkissian about his works that he produced during the past fifteen years, which takes the visitor on a photographic journey to the squares of Aleppo, Latakia and Damascus, and across the sky over Palmyra and the landscapes of snow-covered areas in contemporary Armenia.
Featuring works on ephemeral dates, the architecture of violence, and the possibilities of the photographic medium, the exhibition is based on two major commissions: a photographic installation entitled Last Seen (2018-2021) commissioned by Sharjah Art Foundation and A Small Apple (2021-2022) commissioned by Bonnefantin.
The exhibition also includes a wide range of the artist's major works since 2006, including "Unfinished", "Between Between", "Execution Yards", and "The Last Flight".
Sarkissian stepped into the world of photography through the gate of his father's photography studio, "The Color of the Dream" in Damascus, then traveled to Holland to study visual arts, where he continued analog photography as a major mediator, and a test of his capabilities through his tireless pursuit of elucidating the invisible narratives of outstanding conflicts.
The photographs that Sarkissian produced using a large-frame camera developed, and he continued to produce throughout his life, embodying his preoccupation with the role of “chance” in capturing hidden narratives. On historical trauma, as his works rely on individual and collective memory, and delve into stories that official records and sources fail to tell, allowing the spectator through designed and formulated scenes to think about the formal aspects of the image, and evaluate the possibilities of what lies beneath its surface.
The Sharjah Art Foundation attracts a wide range of contemporary arts and cultural programs to activate the artistic movement, and seeks to stimulate creative energies, produce visual arts of contrasts and are drawn with an obsession with research, experimentation and uniqueness, and open the doors of dialogue with all cultural and civilizational identities, in a way that reflects the richness of the local environment and its cultural pluralism.
Sharjah Art Foundation organizes a number of initiatives and basic programs such as the Sharjah Biennial, March Meeting, the Artist in Residence program, the Educational Program, the Production Program, exhibitions, research and publications, in addition to a group of growing collections.
The Foundation's public and educational programs also focus on consolidating the essential role the arts play in the life of society, through the promotion of public education and an interactive approach to art.
The opening of the exhibition, along with His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, was attended by Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of the Sharjah Art Foundation, Sheikha Nawar bint Ahmed Al Qasimi, Director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, His Excellency Abdul Rahman bin Muhammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Community Protection, and Muhammad Obaid Al Zaabi, Head of the Protocol and Hospitality Department. and Manal Ataya, Director General of the Sharjah Museums Authority, and a number of artists.
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