Zarouhie Abdalian (born 1982) is an American artist of Armenian descent, known for site-specific sculptures and installations.

Biography

Zarouhie Abdalian was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana; and is of Armenian descent. Abdalian obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University in 2003, and graduated with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

from the California College of the Arts in 2010. Abdalian is particularly attentive to the ways in which historical processes are embedded in physical transformations of spaces. She is a 2012 recipient of the SECA Art Award. She was also a 2017–2018 Pollock-Krasner Foundation grantee.

Work

Abdalian's first solo exhibition in New York, at Clifton Benevento, presented a constellation of subtly altered found objects that echo the features of the gallery and of each other. Abdalian produces site-specific sculptural works and interventions. Prior to focusing on her site-specific work, Abdalian worked in printmaking and painting. She became more interested in working directly with the elements of space after a 2004 exhibition in a non-traditional venue. Her works respond directly to architectural and outdoor spaces, using sound, light, and other natural forces to create subtle experiences that are open to multiple interpretations. She had a 2013 show called "Zarouhie Abdalian / MATRIX 249" at the Berkeley Art Museum, with sculptures that are sensitive to the exhibition space. The sculptures were set up to use the out-of-the-way location of the gallery and aspects of the walls and space as part of the effect of the art. In 2013 she also installed a sound sculpture, "Occasional Music", in

Frank H. Ogawa Plaza Frank H. Ogawa Plaza is a public square located in Downtown Oakland. Location and elements Occupy Oakland Nov 12 2011 PM 29.jpg Frank H. Ogawa Plaza is located where San Pablo Avenue converges with Broadway and 14th Street. The west side of t ...

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, with brass bells that occasionally ring together out of sight.

Exhibitions

Her work has been included in the following group exhibitions: * Whitney Biennial, New York, 2017 * Prospect.3, New Orleans, 2014–15 * "Audible Spaces," David Winton Bell Gallery, Providence, RI, 2014 * Eighth Berlin Biennale, Berlin, Germany, 2014 * "Nothing Beside Remains," Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, Australia, 2014 * CAFAM Biennale, Beijing, China, 2014 * " Shanghai Bienniale: Reactivation," Shanghai, China, 2012 * "When Attitudes Became Form Become Attitudes," CCA's Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art, San Francisco; and the

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located in Detroit. MOCAD is housed in a building, a converted former auto dealership designed by architect Andrew Zago. The architecture of the building ...

, 2012–2013 *

Moscow International Biennale for Young Art The Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (MIBYA) is a major contemporary visual art exhibition that focuses on the work of artists and curators under the age of 35. It aims to bring together new artistic initiatives from Russia and the world ...

, Moscow, Russia, 2012 * "Rendez-vous 12," South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 2012 * The Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011 She has had solo exhibitions of her work at the following venues: * "Zarouhie Abdalian: A History," Altman Siegel, San Francisco, 2017 * "Work," LAXART, Los Angeles, 2017 * "A Betrayal," Clifton Benevento, New York, 2016 * "An Overture," Altman Siegel, San Francisco, 2014 * "Zarouhie Abdalian / MATRIX 249," Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdalian, Zarouhie 21st-century American women artists 1982 births Living people Artists from New Orleans American installation artists California College of the Arts alumni 21st-century American artists American women installation artists Tulane University alumni American people of Armenian descent