Don’t miss the solo exhibition of Alexandra Manukyan at Bash Gallery, Saturday, May 27th! Her realistic oil paintings are reminiscent of classic artworks with traditional symbolism. In these works, Alexandra shares an intimate mood and emotion with the viewer. The surreal elements she includes in her pieces throw you slightly off centre, to make you aware you are viewing a modern masterpiece rather than a classic work.
Her pieces are exquisitely moving. The way her women fall onto the page or drape themselves over animals, the intensity in their faces evokes deep human emotions, real people captured in otherwise unusual moments. It’s hard to describe exactly what you see in their faces, it’s almost as if the emotions are so intense there are no words to express the visual experience reflected back at you. When looking at Alexandra’s work you capture something truly nostalgic, a desire without words. These cohesive works are a must-see in person at Bash Gallery this month!
“I have been greatly concerned about the global environmental changes, such as loss of biodiversity, species extinctions, and destruction of natural habitats.Through the middle of the coming century, it is likely the quality of life on earth will be compromised with dire consequences. What is to come from the future of humanity? Does it go extinct, or do some of the survivor genes in our DNA prevail, resulting in a genetic transformation-becoming extremophiles. Unfortunately we treat Earth not as our own, but like a rented home. Human greed, denial and indifference are driving us to an unavoidable disasters.”
Alexandra Manukyan
Opening Reception:
Saturday, May 27, 2017 | 6–9pm
Exhibition Dates:
May 27–June 24, 2017
Bash Fine Art Gallery
About the Artist:
The central theme that unites all of my paintings is human connection. My paintings examine what seem to be separate and isolated life experiences and look for the connections to, and impacts on, other people hidden in them. Whether the painting depicts sworn enemies braced for deadly engagement or lovers who have never met before, the solitary people in my paintings are actually already bound up in intimate, silent relationships with the strangers they face, whether they realize it or not. The “masks” and the accompanying identities we all assume depend on the life roles we must play. They obstruct the conscious mind from acknowledging what unites us: our shared experiences of pain, loss, desire, the need for acceptance, and the quest for personal serenity. I focus on combining traditional oil painting techniques with surrealist symbolism to explore a dystopian emotional and physical landscape. Many of the characters in my paintings are women because women seem to bear the majority of humanity’s emotional and physical scars. However, the subjects of my paintings refuse to fall into victimhood. The women wear their wounds with pride while refusing to be defined by them.
