A small oasis in the desert

An unprecedented exhibition was launched in Kuwait on March 21. It stirred this country's cultural life.

 

The exhibition was organized by the Armenian Gevorgian Gallery represented by Sergey Gevorgian, the Armenian Center of Young Artists and its head Khachik Abrahamian, vice-president of the Armenian Cultural Fund Jacques Hakobian and the Kashatagh Fund for Assistance to Families with Many Children chaired by Gurgen Melikian.

 

The exhibition was hosted by the Department for National Culture of Kuwait.

 

Works of 18 young Armenian painters were exhibited including Khachik Abrahamian, Gagik Barseghian, Albert Hakobian, Gagik Ghazanchian, Hrant Mirzoyan, Lilit Soghomonian and many others.

 

“It is difficult to organize an exhibition of such large scope, especially in a foreign country,” vice-president of the Armenian Cultural Fund Jacques Hakobian says. “However, Gevorgian Gallery and other organizations supporting this initiative did their best to organize the exhibition at the highest level so that it would properly present our country.”

 

Hundreds of people were visiting the Abdullah Al Salem Center of the Kuwait Department for National Culture for ten days. Four Arab-language and five English-language newspapers in Kuwait published articles on the exhibition highly praising the work of the young Armenian artists.

 

The Armenian spiritual leader in the Arab countries Gorun Archbishop Babian said that just like Kuwait is a small oasis in the Arab desert this exhibition is also a small oasis in Kuwait. The Armenian organizers of the exhibition extend their gratitude to the director of the Kuwait Department for National Culture Halem Al Refaye and the director of Abdullah Al Salem Center Mashaul Al Shalaffa.

 

“We made some arrangements with them,” chairman of the Armenian Young Artists' Center Khachik Abrahamian says. They wanted to organize a similar exhibition in Yerevan where the works of Arab artists will be presented. I think arts and culture are good bridges for friendly relations between our nations.

 

About 4000 Armenians live in Kuwait and there is only one Armenian school with 350 students. The Armenian artists visited the school and met the Armenian children. The artists painted two paintings on the spot and presented them to the school.

 

Source: Yerkir, April 21, 2006