Untitled, 2006 Oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm (19 1/2 x 23 1/2 in) Bob van Orsouw Collection, Zurich Armen Eloyan Two feet in one shoe Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is pleased to present "Two feet in one shoe: Armen Eloyan", the first solo exhibition of Eloyan's paintings in a UK institution. Armen Eloyan's paintings adeptly play out an apocalyptic fantasy world of anxiety, brutality, sexuality and the grotesque with the contradictory light-heartedness of a cartoon. His theatrical scenes explore the fragility of life as well as the boundaries separating security from chaos, comedy from violence and pleasure from cruelty. Crucially Eloyan's strikingly gestural paintings use both humour and horror in a manner that engages him emotionally, mentally and physically. The brash, attractive, dark colours Eloyan employs collide and coexist whilst unsettling any sense of harmony in the work. The instinctive approach Eloyan applies to his painting draws on his emotional bond to an array of collective and personal experiences. Significantly these are rooted in his early years in Yerevan, Armenia yet also claim reference to propaganda, art history, cinema, television and popular music. Clearly there is a narrative element in Eloyan's work however this is disturbingly disrupted by a sense of desolation and anxiety. "Two feet in one shoe" is an exhibition imbued with Eloyan's verve, vigor and desire to celebrate the act of painting. His intuitive relationship to painting is infused with a need to delve beneath the layers of pure aesthetic and get to the crux with what is messy, foul and discordant. "Two feet in one shoe: Armen Eloyan" is accompanied by a full-colour catalogue with essays by Ziba de Weck Ardalan and Philippe Pirotte. Born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1966 Armen Eloyan now lives and works in Amsterdam and Zurich. Earlier this year, Eloyan had a solo exhibition in the Project Room at Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris (FR). During 2006, he had a one person exhibition at Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich (CH) and took part in a group show at Kunsthalle Bern (CH). In 2005, Eloyan participated in various exhibitions at l'Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato (I) and at Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam (NL). Exhibition: 1 June - 20 July, 2007 Opening hours: Tues-Sat 10 am - 6 pm, Sun 12 - 5 pm Parasol unit 14 Wharf Road GB-London N1 7RW Telephone +44 (0) 207 490 7373 Fax 44 (0) 207 490 7775 Email info@parasol-unit.org www.parasol-unit.org Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is a non-profit space devoted to promoting contemporary art for the benefit of the public. Parasol unit is a privately funded charity with possible and future additional funding from the public and private sectors. The core activity of Parasol unit is to showcase the work of contemporary artists from around the world. Each year, the foundation mounts three or four exhibitions in various media, such as sculpture, painting, installation, video, or photography, for which some works might be specifically commissioned. Each exhibition is usually accompanied by a publication. Parasol unit does not charge admission fee. |
|
 |
