YEREVAN

YEREVAN: TO KNOW WISDOM

22 karat, red, champagne, green, and Caplain gold leaf

Yerevan: To Know Wisdom celebrates Armenian ancient history, its multilayered culture, unique symbolism and, most of all, the Armenian alphabet with the first sentence ever written in it: To know wisdom and guidance; to perceive the words of insight (Solomon, Book of Proverbs 1:2).

Yerevan: To Know Wisdom repeats the alphabet 42 times, one line for each letter. The audience joins the Armenians in viewing language as puzzle, as meditation, as sacred, blinking with the discovery of each letter and finally forming Mashtots’ sentence.

From the former capitals of Armenia clustered as spheres and decorated with Armenian symbols to the Tree of Life, including the 1865 map of Yerevan that inspired the architect Tamanian’s design for the new city, the hidden sacred letter “E” meaning “Being” to the ornament with gilded texts in English from Sasna Tsrer, Komitas and Parajanov – Yerevan: To Know Wisdom tells its own story.

Dating back to Urartu, the god Khaldi hides among the symbolic apricot tree leaves, moving us toward modern time. The thriving diaspora highlighted in shades of gold announces to the world the presence of Armenians among us all.

Interns and Artists for Yerevan: All from Armenia
Mariam Aleksanyan (Armenia)
Anna Avagyan (Armenia)
Lilit Bachachyan (Armenia)
Inessa Gharibyan (Armenia)
Gayane Ghazaryan (Armenia)
Arevik Grigoryan (Armenia)
Merine Hayrapetyan (Armenia)
Siranush Hovsepyan (Armenia)
Iness Karoyan (Armenia)
Ruben Malayan (Armenia)
Ani Manana Matevossian (Armenia)
Lilit Mirzoyan (Armenia)
Artur Muradyan (Armenia)
Lilit Sargsyan (Armenia)
Anna Sargsyan (Armenia)
Gayane Saroyan (Armenia)
Magi Shahbazyan (Armenia)
Alexandra Shahmuradyan (Armenia)
Ani Tarjumanyan (Armenia)

With special assistance by:
Nehama Grenimann-Bauch (Israel/Germany)
Masa Zmitek (Slovenia)
Adja Mladenovic (Slovenia)