HRAIR SARKISSIAN

Syria/UK

 

Hrair Sarkissian was born in 1973 in Damascus, Syria. He earned his foundational training at his father’s photographic studio in Damascus. Sarkissian attended the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles, France (2003-2004) and in 2010 completed a BFA in Photography at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam). Sarkissian’s works revolve around individual and collective memory and identity. His photographs of urban environments and landscape employ traditional documentary techniques to re-evaluate larger historical, religious or social narratives. Through his work he explores personal memories and his family’s Armenian heritage, while inviting the viewer to consider the paradox between what is made visible and the stories of the past. In 2013 the artist received the Abraaj Group Art Prize. He has exhibited internationally in numerous Biennials and solo and group shows: Istanbul Biennale; Sharjah Biennale; Thessaloniki Biennale (Greece); Asia Pacific Triennial (Brisbane); Tate Modern (London); New Museum (New York); Darat Al Funun – The Khalid Shoman Foundation; Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City); FotoMuseum, Antwerp; SALT (Istanbul) et al. His work can be found in major private as well as museum and institutional collections, such as Fondazione Casa di Risparmio di Modena; Tate Modern (London); Mori Art Museum (Tokyo) and Sharjah Art Foundation (UAE) among others. Sarkissian is currently based in London and is represented by Kalfayan Galleries, Athens-Thessaloniki.