The Estate of Chant Avedissian

Chant Avedissian was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1951 and passed away in the same city in 2018. Coming from Christian Armenian traditions due to his origins, but raised and educated inside the Egyptian culture and schools, he and his work had been always committed to the identity of nations, traditions and culture. His work for the Aga Khan Foundation with celebrated Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900-1989), inspired him to develop a strong interest in traditional art and local materials: all the tracks and tools he follows to understand and get a close look to his own primal identity as a transversal human being.
Well travelled, Avedissian finds icons from traditional arts and local cultures around the world and transfer them to his own universe, working through a wide range media, including photography ant textiles. Since 1990, his most known work focuses in painted stencils on cardboard, showing the icons he found during his trips all around the world trough several countries, from Egypt to Uzbekistan, Paris to Canada, from Cuba to Greece. Avedissian stencils collect symbols and icons from every corner visited by the artist and translate them into his own artistic language.

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 exhibitionEgypt-Egypt. Paris, France.
1988
Costume show. Organized by Shahira Mehrez, at Manial Palace, Golden Hall. Cairo, Egypt.
1985
Textile hangings. Organised 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
2023
Visions of Ancient Egypt. Laing Art Gallery. Newcastle, UK.
2023
The Future of Traditions. Writing pictures: Contemporary Art From the Middle East. Brunei Gallery, University of London. London, UK.
2019
2022
Heroes: Principles of African Greatness. National Museum of African Art. Washington, D.C., USA.
2019
Arabicity|Ourouba. 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 . Cafesjian Ceter 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–,Whitechapel Gallery. London. 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.

Biennals
1995
Kwangju Biennale, Korea.

Art fairs
2024
Art Dubai. Sabrina Amrani. Dubai, UAE.
2023
Abu Dhabi Art. Sabrina Amrani. Abu Dhabi, UAE.
2022
Art Dubai. Sabrina Amrani. Dubai, UAE. (solo)
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.
Mathaf. Doha, Qatar.
Bibliography
Picton, John ed. The Art of African Textiles: Technology, Tradition and Lurex, London: Lund Humphries, 1995.
Beyond the Borders, Kwangju Biennale 1995, South Korea: Kwangju Biennale Foundation, 1995.
Karnouk, Liliane, Contemporary Egyptian Art, New York: Columbia University Press, 1995.
Porter, Venetia, Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, London: British Museum Press, 2006.
Issa, Rose ed., Reorientations: Contemporary Arab Representations, Brussels: European Parliament Publications Office, 2008.
Almut Sh. Bruckstein and Hendrik Budde, ed. Taswir – Islamische Bildwelten und Moderne, Berlin: Nicolai Verlag, 2009.
Arabicity: Such A Near East, Liverpool: Bluecoat Arts Centre and Beyond Art Productions, 2010
Saeb, Eigner, Art of the Middle East: Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World and Iran, London: Merrell, 2010.
Blazwick, Iwona and Af Petersens, Magnus, Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915-2015, London: Prestel and Whitechapel Gallery, 2015.
Issa, Rose, Signs of Our Times: From Calligraphy to Calligraffiti, London: Merrell, 2016.