Chant Avedissian the Contemporary Artist of Egypt

Chant Avedissian is an Egyptian artist with Armenian roots-his grandparents fled from Izmir, Turkey during World War I-was born on 24 November 1951 in Boulaq Cairo. He was known for his stenciled Pop Art portraits of famous Egyptians of the 1950s and 1960s, notably singer Om Kulthum, former president Gamal Abdel Nasser at the Suez Canal, and movie star Faten Hamama. Besides, The touba reflected the inspiration of his friend Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, a champion of traditional building techniques for whom Avedissian worked as an archivist and photographer.

In 1967 he graduated from the Kalousdian Armenian school. In October 1967 he takes art classes in Ashod Zorian’s atelier.

He started designing posters, stage sets, costumes, and catalogs. In December 1968 Avedissian exhibited hand-painted Christmas cards in Chake Alban’s studio in Cairo. In May 1969 he made his first solo exhibition under the direction of art teacher Nora Ipekia-Azadian and in June 1970 he had his second solo exhibition at Carzou Hall. In October he moves to Montreal and studied fine art at the School of Art and Design.

After returning to Egypt in December 1972, he mixed the techniques, concepts and cosmopolitan experiences acquired abroad with the Armenian-Egyptian heritage to produce striking commentaries on the world around him.

His creativity ranges from photography to costume and textile design to painted stencils.

Avedissian passed away on October 24th, 2018 at the age of 67, in Cairo, the same city in which he was born.

Education

1976 Major in sculpture. École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD), Paris. France

1973 Graduate Montreal Museum of Fine Arts at School of Art and Design, Montreal, Canada.

1967 Kalousdian Armenian School, Boulaq, Cairo. Egypt.

Solo shows

2018 Al Musiqa, voix et musiques du monde arabe. Paris Philharmonie. Paris, France.

2018 Un levantino camino del Este. Casa Árabe. Cordoba, Spain.

2017 Un levantino camino del Este. Casa Árabe. Madrid, Spain.

2017 Transfer, transport, Transit. Sabrina Amrani. Madrid, Spain.
2006 Gallery Janine Rubeiz. Beirut, Lebanon.

2000 Solo show curated by Elizabeth Harney. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. Washington, USA.

1998 New Stencils on Arab Women. British Council. Cairo, Egypt

1996 Panels and Stencils. Tropenmuseum. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

1995 Stencil show. Icons of the Nile. Leighton House Museum. London, UK.

1994 Stencil show. Icons of the Nile. Galerie 50 x70. Beirut, Lebanon.

1992 Stencilled panels. Curated by Basma El-Husseiny at the British Council. Cairo, Egypt.

1991 Stencils. Mireille and Kenton Keith’s house in Cairo. Egypt.

1990 Costume show. The Institut du monde arabe. Closing of the exhibition Egypt-Egypt. Paris, France.

1988 Costume show. Organized by Shahira Mehrez, at Manial Palace, Golden Hall. Cairo, Egypt.

1985 Textile hangings. Organized by historian and art collector Shahira Mehrez. Cairo, Egypt.

1979 Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) Centre art gallery. Los Angeles, CA, USA.

1979 Carzou Hall. Cairo, Egypt.

1978 Atelier of Alexandria. Alexandria, Egypt.

1976 Carzou Hall. Cairo, Egypt.

1974 Carzou Hall. Cairo, Egypt.

1973 Carzou Hall, Kalousdian School. Cairo, Egypt.

1971 Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association. Montreal, Canada.

1971 Tekeyan Armenian Cultural Association. Boston, USA.

1970 Carzou Hall, Kalousdian Armenian School. Cairo, Egypt.

1969 Kalousdian Armenian School parents’ council. Cairo, Egypt.

Group shows

2019 Arabicity|Ourouba. The inaugural exhibition for the Middle East Institute (MEI) Art Gallery. Curated by Rose Issa. Washington DC, EEUU.

2018 Soundlines of Contemporary Art. International Contemporary Art Exhibition: Armenia 2018. Cafesjian Center for the Arts. Yerevan, Armenia.
2017 From Sound to Silence. Galerie Tanit. Beirut, Lebanon.

2015 Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915–2015, Whitechapel Gallery. London. The UK.

2014 What Remains Part I. Rose Issa Projects. London, UK.

2012 Re-Orientations II. Rose Issa Projects. London, UK.

2012 Green: A Spring Hanging. Rose Issa Projects. London, UK.

2010 Arabicity. Beirut Exhibition Centre. Beirut, Lebanon.

2009 Taswir -Pictorial Mappings of Islam & Modernity, Martin Gropius Bau Museum. Berlin, Germany.

2008 Re-Orientations: Contemporary Arab Representations, curated by Rose Issa. European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium.

2003 Love Affairs. Curated by Rose Issa. IFA Galleries, Stuttgart, Bonn and Berlin, Germany.

1998 The Shape of Memories. Curated by Rose Issa. Berchem Cultural Centre. Antwerp, Belgium.

1984 Fotografia Mediterrania. Centre Cultural de la Caixa de Pensions. Barcelona, Spain.

1995 The Art of African Textiles. Curated by Carole Brown. Barbican. London, UK.

Biennales

1995 Kwangju Biennale, Korea.

Art fairs

2018 Art Basel in Miami. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Miami, USA (solo).

2018 Artissima. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Turin, Italy.

2018 Art Basel in Hong Kong. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Hong Kong, China. (solo)

2018 ARCOmadrid. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Madrid, Spain.

2017 Abu Dhabi Art. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Abu Dhabi, UAE. (solo)

2017 Artissima. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Turin, Italy.

2017 Art Brussels. Sabrina Amrani Gallery. Brussels, Belgium.

Public Collections

Victoria and Albert Museum. London, UK.
National Museum of African Art – Smithsonian Institution, Washington, USA.
British Airways Collection, London, UK.
The British Museum, London, UK.
British Council, Cairo, Egypt.
National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

National Gallery of Jordan. Amman, Jordan.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi, UAE.