Art Basel, Hong Kong (March 29 – 31, 2018) Chant Avedissian’s Solo Show at Art Basel in Hong Kong

Sabrina Amrani is part of the Kabinett sector of the fair, by dedicating its entire booth to Chant Avedissian (b.1951), an Egyptian artist of Armenian roots. Featuring abstract and geometric works in textile and gouache on corrugated cardboard, the presentation re-examines his artistic career, notably his use of motifs and icons as well as patterns and designs that reflect the essence of Egypt’s culture and identity; and beyond.

Chant Avedissian, P5- Ancient Egyptian triangles with plants, 2016. Gouache on corrugated cardboard, 180 x 90 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian, Pharaonic triangles, 1982-1989. Hand-dyed cotton. 200 x 240 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian, Persian tiles, 1982-1989. Hand-dyed cotton. 165 x 210 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

The presentation proposes a journey through his artistic practice as an invitation to an inevitable re-reading of the history of an undefined and porous geographical area that extends from the Maghreb to the plateaus of western China.

Chant Avedissian, P6- Persian tiles with plants, 2016. Gouache on corrugated cardboard. 180 x 90 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian, Uzbek wood, 1988-1989, Hand dyed cotton. 160x160 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian’s art is based on – and draws inspiration from – the work of many people, of different places throughout the millennia that the artist discovered on his travels and which always could be reduced to the same elemental forms, colours and designs.

Chant Avedissian, P1- Ottoman textile leaves, ancient Egyptian stars, 3 circles, 2016 Gouache on corrugated cardboard. 180 x 90 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian, P2- Bukhara floral pattern, Ottoman tigertripe and cintamani, 3 circles, 2016. Gouache on corrugated cardboard. 180 x 90 cm / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian, Formation of a Square I, 2016. Wood and acrylic paint. 180x180 cm. Editions 1-3 of 3 / Courtesy of the artist and Sabrina Amrani

Chant Avedissian’s work synthesizes the colours and geometric patterns that are repeated all along the Silk Route. This compilation and selection of images and symbols by the artist makes up an iconographic archive of the East that nourishes his visual discourse about the permeability of cultures. The artist, almost without being aware of it, has created a kind of specific propaganda for the ‘Great East’, a term that Avedissian himself could have coined.