VIVA ARAKELYAN: GORIS SCULPTOR SHARES TALENT BETWEEN ARMENIA-FRANCE
- If someone wants to find sculptor Lyova Arakelyan in his native town of Goris it will not take much time. Many residents of the town know Arakelyan the fourth-generation sculptor and khachkar maker, the author of “Fidains” (the Armenian word for liberation fighters) monuments, that decorated the center of Goris for many years.
Even though the “Fidains” were displaced several years ago Arakelyan’s fame among his community remains, largely because he is also the creator of memorials devoted to the Armenian Genocide in two French towns -- a fact his southern Armenia compatriots treat with pride.
Arakelyan’s compositions in the towns of Roman and in Bourg-les-Valance are in fact the second and third largest genocide memorial complexes in the world after Yerevan’s in Tsitsernakaberd park.
The first of two memorials appeared in Roman in 2003, soon after the Armenian community announced an architectural contest for designing the memorial devoted to Armenian history and the Genocide. French Armenian architect Raffi Petrosian won the contest and had to find a sculptor to realize the ideas in stones.
“They (Armenians) called me and asked whether I would do the work. The main precondition was that the complex of sculptures has to be made in Armenia and of Armenian stones,” says 49 year old Arakelyan.
After the 45 ton complex made of basalt and tufa was taken to France Arakelyan went to Roman to show how the memorial should be installed.
Arakelyan says that the French-Armenians wanted the memorial to represent Armenian history. Now the memorial, the complex of different sculptures with Armenian ornaments and crosses is placed in the park with one of them devoted to the Genocide.
The complex brought recognition to the Armenian artist who received another offer from France, from the Armenian community of Bourg-les-Valance, for another genocide memorial.
He has more orders from France’s Armenian community for khachkars (cross-stones) and sculptures and recently he and his friends opened an office in Yerevan to establish better business ties.
“When Armenian customers order a khachkar they want it necessarily to be made of Armenian stones,” says Arakelyan. “They have a lot of stones there as well and I can work with them, but still they want it to be Armenian. They say when the stone is Armenian there is a proper impression from it.”
Before gaining popularity in France Arakelyan was teaching painting in the secondary school in Shinuhair village as well as sculpting in Goris’ specialized art school. He says he does not remember all his works but thinks the most valuable are the khachkars at the entrance to Goris and the statues and the façade of the Narekatsi Art Union in Yerevan.
Arakelyan says he inherited the talent from his forefathers. His father, Aramayis Arakelyan, is also well known in Goris, even though he does not work any more. The family tradition is not ended by Luova- two of his three children are also artists.
Arakelyan welcomes the fact that his countrymen have ascribed iconic value and see the historical significance of khachkars.
“The stone gets worn out in course of time and one day the old khachkars will disappear. Let those installed today stay for another several centuries, let Armenia be filled with khachkars.”
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- 1830 Following Sultan Mahmood's decree and the advice of the French, British, and Russian ambassadors, the Armenian Catholics in Turkey were given a Patriarchate and their own administrative organization.
- 1888 Birth, in Constantinople, of the actor Vahram Papazyan. He is considered to have no equal in the Armenian theater.
- 1906 Birth of composer Ashot Satian. He died in 1958.
- 1911 Birth of theater personality Gevorg Ashughyan.
- 1990 Start of hostilities between Armenian and Azeri Turkish forces near Raskh.
- 2001 The French Senate recognizes the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
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