The visual arts include painting, sculpture, graphics, and photography. There are more than 1 000 professionals in the sphere of visual arts in Armenia. After the collapse of the Soviet system of state protectionism of arts, many artists and artisans found themselves in a rather difficult situation without state support and unfamiliar with the new ways of marketing their art. “Marketisation” of art resulted in drastic changes for the whole sphere. A comparatively favourable situation was created for artisanry and handicrafts which quickly found their niche in the tourism consumption market. The most negative impact was imposed by the rupture of all old links and connections of institutions and individuals representing the Armenian Art with their foreign colleagues and counterparts, caused by the lack of financial capacities and lack of higher professionals. Armenian artists lost their privileged status and state support. Currently, arts are promoted and marketed through private galleries (10) and interested individuals, which nevertheless have rather limited capacities. In the absence of targeted state support in technical, financial and other issues, very few of the Armenian artists are able to reach international recognition, though many of them are really talented and deserve to be represented at the highest levels of the international art market. Another issue is preservation and continuity of the Armenian traditions of visual art from the Middle-Ages, and 19-20th centuries. During 2000-2021 the situation was stabilized due to private entrepreneurship, patronage of art by local oligarchs and affluent members of the Diaspora. Thus, a number of museums and galleries were renovated by the Lincy Foundation, established by the American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian. However, overwhelming corruption and the lack of a systemic approach reduced all efforts to a minimum. Although the state strategy plan of 2007-2011 for visuals arts envisioned some systemic developments, most of them remained on paper.
After the Velvet revolution, there was a need to address old problems, corruption and chronic mis-funding in the sphere of visual arts. Thus, the Creative Unions were revised, audited and their management changed. All these measures brought a reanimation of their activities. Thus, currently, The Union of Artists of Armenia is organizing more than 100 events yearly, exhibitions, master-classes, etc[1].
The strategic plan for 2021-2025[2] envisioned some developments for modern art, such as:
- formation of marketing, segmentation, targeting, positioning knowledge and resources in organizations of the sector,
- creation of fund-raising capacities and mechanisms in cultural institutions
- optimization of state non-commercial organizations, concentration of financial resources and professional resources, development of a professional capacity development programme and legal acts,
- establishment and strengthening of institutes of producers and directors,
- the development of qualitative and quantitative standards for the effectiveness of the organizations’ activity,
- formation of loyal, permanent audiences,
- formation and activation of the Institute of Art Critics,
- formation of the institution of activities of self-employed (independent) creators (artists); clarification of legal, socio-economic status and relations,
- creation of a favorable environment for creative, talented individual artists,
- the introduction and establishment of an institution for the unity of culture, the formation of the legislative framework and legal regulations in the field,
- the formation of the public rating of the single entity, the state encouragement of the single entity,
- improvement of property and material-technical base of cultural institutions, provision of high-value artistic output (property) (lighting equipment, musical instruments, stage equipment, furnishing of halls and stages, heating, security systems),
- analysis and mapping of property resources and professional potential of creative unions.
It must be noted, that serious shortening of corruption practices and more transparency in art institutions led to more effective management of resources and a more active environment. The pandemic and the Second Karabakh war of 2020 have seriously affected the sphere and currently it is still in the reanimation process. The waves of immigration from Russia after the beginning of Russian-Ukrainian war of 2022 also impacted the sphere by bringing in a lot of specialists in visual arts.
[1] Interview with Suren Safaryan, the current head of the Union of Artists, https://www.azatutyun.am/a/31686769.html
[2] https://www.gov.am/am/gov-program/
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