Yerevan Urged to Update View of Arts

The government in Armenia is under fire from some in the artistic community who accuse it of largely ignoring developments since the Soviet period. 

The state-run Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1972, is distinctly lacking in recent works, despite its name. The modern arts scene dates from the 1980s, and differs greatly from the museum’s collection, which consists mainly of works by earlier generations of artists like Minas, Hakob Hakobyan, Deghdz Ashot and others.

The museum does allow its galleries to be used to show contemporary works, but critics say it has made no new acquisitions.

“After independence [in 1991], the state stopped buying art. The institution must be revived since it gives purpose to artists’ work,” Sona Harutyunyan, head of contemporary arts at the culture ministry, said.

This year, the ministry is expecting a 15 per cent increase on its 2010 budget of 20 million US dollars, and Harutyunyan said any new purchases would be placed in the Museum of Modern Art.

Artist Sahak Poghosyan and critic Lilit Sargsyan wrote to the government last year suggesting it set up a modern arts fund to collect and preserve works produced in Armenia since the mid-1980s, and also to acquire art generated by the substantial Armenian diaspora worldwide.

The government approved the scheme and instructed the culture ministry to set up a fund.

But some say it needs to do more to create a more coherent policy for supporting the arts

In their letter, Poghosyan and Sargsyan argued for changes in the law to introduce tax breaks to encourage private investment in the arts.

Harutyunyan of the culture ministry said the government was prevented from offering tax incentives by international agreements banning protectionism.

Ara Nranyan, an economist and member of parliament from the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party, said this was not the case.

“The international community makes no such demands,” he said. “Driven by neoliberal policies, Armenia is simply not pursuing policies directed at supporting this area. Many developed countries like South Korea, the United States and France are not shy of targeting economic policies to support a particular sector.”

Armenian artists struggle to earn a living because the commercial market for their work is limited.

“Yerevan’s commercial galleries are in poor shape and they are short of customers, as they’re mainly geared towards foreigners,” 26-year-old artist Gor Yengoyan said. “Furthermore, private galleries in the capital, whose number you can practically count on your fingers, are almost entirely closed to young artists.”

Some young artists have made a name for themselves by publicising their work on Facebook and other social networking sites.

Svetlana Antonyan, for example, starting posting images of her work on Facebook after moving to Yerevan from the southern town of Meghri last year. The publicity she generated has already got her invited to show at two exhibitions in the capital.

“It isn’t important to me where my works are shown,” she said. “I just want people to see them and express a view.”

Karin Grigoryan is a freelance reporter in Armenia.