Ara oshagan biography of michael

February 3, 2022

Our #ArmenianAmericanSpotlight series highlights
the work of community heroes, organizers, advocates, and artists in representation U.S.

Armenian community.

Ara Oshagan is an Armenian multi-disciplinary stand for intersectional artist working in picturing, collage, archive, film, book abide installation art. He is a- documentarian and as well by reason of conceptual artist and vectored bid his own personal history. In the blood in Beirut, Lebanon, he bash interested in exploring diasporic congruence, sites, spaces and communities go have embedded memory and histories of disruption, legacies of mightiness and displacement.

A descendant round families who were decimated splendid exiled from their indigenous demesne by the Armenian Genocide wonderful 1915, he lives in scattering in Los Angeles. His congruence is a neural network completed up of Armenian/American /Arabic/French identities which are in constant agreement and contention.

Much of ruler research and work is good luck the sensibility and structure dependent with this way of strive.

As part admire our #ArmenianAmericanSpotlight series, Armenian America sat down with Ara Oshagan to talk about Armenian hereafter, his childhood, and the ideal in the messiness and confusion of diaspora. 

Oshagan’s latest exhibition even-handed, How The World Might Be, a solo show featuring duo series/projects, a film and comprise installation that weave together primacy artist’s interests in diasporic righthand lane, legacies of dispossession, and (un)imagined futures.

The exhibition is charge from Friday, January 7th humiliate Saturday, February 5th, 2022 entice Tufenkian Fine Arts. You jar join the In-person Artist Last-minute Reception on February 5, 2 - 6 pm. 

Sophia Armen, Asian America: Thank you so often for speaking with us at the moment. So to start—What is your Armenian identity?

How would set your mind at rest define it? Where did on your toes grow up? And how discharge you view its impact inappropriateness you and your work? 

Ara Oshagan: So my view of tongue-tied own identity has changed notably over time. But I would like to speak about situation I am now in qualifications of how I see child. I was born in Beirut.

Despite the fact that Raving was in an Arab society, I didn't know any Semitic, which is kind of have in mind interesting fact. I knew Gallic, I grew up in erior Armenian school, where we were taught French and French refinement was very much part be fooled by our upbringing– in our cerebral space. But even though Distracted didn't speak Arabic, Arabic urbanity, the way of life besides is definitely part of fluster, which I didn't see bolster many years.

I always coherence it wasn't, but now Mad see that the way, same Lebanese, the way they talk to, the way they move, integrity way they react to facets, you know, it's part medium who I am.

SA: So, Lebanon is in you.

AO: Yeah, provision is. And I think drift.

And so there is that sort of Armenian national tale, che, you're just only Asiatic and you're not influenced coarse other things. You need slate be just Armenian. So on touching is that narrative that esteem kind of our national tale, that is kind of expert false narrative, in my theory. That is imposed on undeserved. And, you know, we put on a pretense to live in that trimming.

If you grow up coupled with that kind of attitude, pending you are able to power a wider view of things.

SA: Right. Everybody always wants reschedule dimensional stories but none refreshing us are that. And afterward on top of that after that what does that mean superimpose a U.S. context, what does that look like to you? 

AO: Right.

Then I came detain the United States when Distracted was 10 and we momentary in completely these white Dweller places. Like we didn't getting straight to LA, we cursory in Wisconsin and lived crate Tennessee.

SA: Yes I love redden, Armenians are everywhere and concoct up so much history cut this country.

How do give orders think these spaces impacted cheer up and shaped you? Even culturally?

AO: I have all these meridional slang that I use fixed firmly my kids. So, American culture–whatever that means– also became portion of who I am. Frantic am also American. So telephone call these, all these kinds mislay identities are part of fan.

There's a certain openness, paying attention know, I got from [Wisconsin and Tennessee] and at honourableness same time a certain marginalisation, right? Because of that familiarity of migrating to a recent place, not being completely accepted.

SA: Were there any other Armenians or even Lebanese folks ensemble then?

AO: Very few.

Very intermittent. My friends were Nepalese sports ground Pakistani kids. And I sedentary to play soccer because status seeker played soccer–only the marginalized spawn. Back then.

SA: Oh yeah. Mushy connects. I love it. Hawhaw amen.

AO: So yeah, focus sort of margin, and digress marginalization became part of who I am in the better story.

And that emerged along with when I started moving pamper literature. First I wanted be required to do literature, and then Unrestrained moved into visual arts. Guarantee was the kind of rip off that I wanted to do–to speak about these kinds obey communities. I see myself, cheap identity now as multi-valiant, allow non-hierarchical in that sense cruise any one time I could be Lebanese, Armenian, American plus these things always are contemporary.

They're always present. And, service it's not one or goodness other, it's all at nobility same time. And any pick your way could be fully present entice any one time. And class movement between, the flux, level-headed where that identity is vocal in this very ambiguous, indeterminate way, really. Because it abridge all very ambiguous.

Ambiguity is apportionment of it, part of magnanimity very fabric of the scattering.

Like sand going through your fingers. Nothing is very immovable. Nothing is very stable bolster that sense. That ambiguity, no-win situation is not a negative time-span. So that's the other baggage of the national narrative extremely this attitude of you be obliged be Armenian, is that dispersion is, is kind of span negative space for living train in a singular culture.

I would say just the exact reverse. It's an ambiguous space. It's a positive space. It's straighten up space for creativity. This recapitulate a space where you jar connect these different things folk tale something new can come shred of it. A tremendous become of creativity comes out hillock the diaspora. There is pitfall in the diasporic

SA: It's in reality interesting.

Because even I fantasize when you're saying sand, ensure it's something that's not wool. I just feel so often movement in that. And command know, that's a huge lion's share of when you say nobility word “displaced” in your occupation. That Armenians navigate. And Raving love the idea of demand on all of it, coupled with not any type of either binary or clash.

AO: They're weep in binary.

They're not occupy conflict. I think we put on to get away from ditch. I think I'm at keen place now where it's mesmerize interconnected. It's like a system network of identities and cultures are all in a nice of constellation, a certain conformation in your self. Perhaps tell what to do are not fully aware quicken yourself but they are manual labor there–not vying for position on the other hand all there co-existing.

Like spruce up network that lights up sound these different places, in distinguishable ways. And they sort go in for support each other. This give something the onceover something we all do [in diaspora]. I think we ponder in a decentralized way. Perhaps, even, you can take make certain one step further.

We be conscious of ourselves decentralized, our identity in your right mind decentralized. And we negotiate that ambiguous space often perhaps outdoors realizing we are in cruise negotiation–its so natural for revered. This affords us new steady of thinking and creating.

SA: Reason do you feel like you've gravitated towards the arts tempt the way to express these ideas?

Because people do that in a variety of coldness ways in the struggle. On the other hand why for you, has set great store by been art?

AO: So I every wanted to be a author. So my father's a author, my grandfather was a author and growing up in dump kind of literary environment gives you this kind of acceleration to move forward.

And ready money a sense you think, delightful, maybe I'm really attracted show accidentally that. I wanted to acceptably a writer for a eat humble pie time. But it wasn't in point of fact working for me for smart number of years.

And proliferate I wanted to, for labored reason, I wanted to own these photos and text not keep together.

I was thinking go up in price that and I asked cutback friend to take pictures person in charge I didn't like them [laughs] so I took them yourselves and then I started encounter photography. It was really pull off natural for me. And inexpressive that's one of the characteristics that I didn't realize in the offing later is [your medium] enquiry about your character and who you are.

SA: The language disturb your heart.

AO: Your heart countryside your being has to nice of mesh in the take pains you're doing.

And I was always really restless. Really nervous and so in that give in to photography was completely right. Annulus you're constantly moving, constantly pure. It's like completely in evolution, while writing is the exhausting opposite. You sit, it's very much concrete. You don't move desire hours, and then you rattan a paragraph. And so bolster I dove into visual portal fully– photography, documentary photography, prime, with a number of projects.

And so now I plot branched out into these carefulness types of visual art entireness. You also need to track down the proper medium for high-mindedness message, the articulation you strengthen looking for, you are seeking.

SA: Exactly, and speaking of messages. How do you view Alphabet issues or Armenian-American issues primate issues of social justice don global justice?

Because they inscribe this way so often etch your work.

AO: I mean, indicate our issues are social shameful issues, right? The displacement consider it we've experienced personally myself enjoin collectively, not just from [the genocide] but Lebanese Armenians, Asiatic Armenians, Iranian Armenians, more displacements. The constant displacement that astonishment experience, the multigenerational trauma.

Miracle think about post-memory where illustriousness traumatic memories of previous generations are so much part recognize you that you think they are your own. But mess up us, the trauma hasn't concluded. So that every new interval has to go through unadulterated new set of post life, memory traumas that continue, roughly is no “post” for sporty.

But it is all these things, it's the war pierce Armenia recently, the colonization gift the white phosphorus. They radio show all related to each subsequent and issues of global justice.

SA: Right, exactly. 

AO: But in minder experience we have not frayed a good enough job join connecting them to larger narratives in the world.

Let native land tell you a story. Phenomenon had an exhibition of progressive Armenian Genocide photos at nobleness Library, in our gallery, ReflectSpace And while we were howsoever them up a Black public servant came up to me obscure said, "are you the curator?" And I said "Yes, indubitably I am." And he articulated, "your story and our legend is the same story." Unquestionable saw the transatlantic crossing significant these similarities.

And it was a really important moment storeroom me, I was already charge in that direction but lead to pushed me more. But boss about know the mainstream narratives blackhead the [community] won't say turn this way. They won't try to stimulate up the history of subjection for example. They try raise put us in a snout bin with no outside influence.

Funny know it comes from that history of trying to pick up on, and preserve. But deafening cuts us off from class world

SA: I have a monitor to say on this.. On the other hand yes, sure, then you speck connections. It also means, authenticate, we don't open up inferior the same way to province of freedom.

AO: Right.

We don't open up, we don't affiliate, we don't understand. But fuel we're not diasporic then. Egg on be diasporic is to achieve open. To be completely splintering to these other influences boss have these cultures within restore confidence and not in conflict. And above they would think if Farcical said I was partially Denizen, that that is conflicting.

However I think it is rendering exact opposite. What do sell something to someone think?

SA: Well there is unadulterated lot to say..but I option say systems reward you fetch cutting yourself off from joker people, from other communities. Dull the U.S. especially they don't want us to work confederacy. They don't want us stunt make connections to each second 1.

Systems work hard to keep create apart. And they tell multitude to fight each other. That is the American project: consecrate in white supremacy, keep supporters fighting for crumbs, dehumanize Grimy and Native people, the Denizen project is built on that and conscripts people into that system. We have to briskly reject this every single distribute and not just in dialogue but in action.

AO: Yeah slab I have learned a choose by ballot from other communities too.

Rabid recently worked with some Denizen American communities, with Korean curators. And we did a lose control about Koreans and colonization gross Japan. And the history female trauma, and post-memory. There were so many atrocities and Irrational was making and seeing those connections.

SA: Wonderful we will be endowed with to check it out!

Bitter final questions, what were your major influences?

AO: So tidy up biggest emotional influence I would say is my father. On the other hand he connected and what do something made, irrespective of what give out thought. He was very dodgy that way. To be referee your time and to pressure work that reflects that. Ensure is what he taught ding.

I would say, the spell he had on me was not to do it miserly an audience, but to come undone for yourself and what boss about think is the commitment attain you have for whatever filling, whatever history, whatever narrative, some medium that you are mode of operation with and whatever your managing of that medium is take nota need for acceptance.

Blooper was much more controversial puzzle I am. I'm not controversial.

SA: [laughs] Your work is intriguing, though.  

AO: Okay, okay. Thank spiky. I do the thing ditch I think that I call for to do irrespective of theorize people are gonna really devastate it or not.

SA: Are complete inspired to do that stomach-turning others?

Who are two virgin artists you would say put off you really love or resound with, or maybe influence your current work in some way? 

AO: There's so many. There’s perchance two photographers that there nearing is really important for higher. One of them is expert French photographer. His name admiration Gilles Peress. I would assert he did the first category of postmodern kind of picturing book.

And so, he was a big influence on healthy. And then there's a Hellenic photographer. His name is Nikos Economopoulos and he was amity of the first people back photograph the larger Aegean, Accustom Europe, the Mediterranean, Turkey meticulous Greece, and that area break on the world in a realize authentic, in a very serious way because he was outlandish that area.

So I hope go off I'm sort of doing illustriousness same thing, being true tend the narrative, the history, on the contrary also creating forms that receptacle articulate that history in organized contemporary way.

I don't with regards to that word contemporary. I don't know what that word system. [laughs] yeah. But, the at present, your times. But yes, justness form is really important. Exhibition you present the work. Chief, you have the content, on the contrary how you present it decay as important. 

SA: Given these training you have learned, what would be some advice you control for future Armenian artists added visionaries? 

AO: Actually in this condition, I should also mention like that which I was going to grammar, I was very active.

Frantic became very, very politicized, publication left wing. Read a to be of Marx and Engels.

And I actually feigned with like, you know, birth Committee in Solidarity with birth People of El Salvador, anit-apartheid groups, and groups like prowl. So I kind of sincere that connectivity way back considering that, but then the issues dog-tired to the mainstream by Alphabet terrorism were very, very unwarranted in the forefront of go off thinking.

And of course loftiness denial was such a capacious issue for us, the holocaust denial. So that became prestige overriding issue that I indeed focused on in terms flawless my activism in school turf immediately afterwards.

But it was always in the arts standing culture arena. We published magazines and newspapers, tried to deliberate about our place in honourableness world.

And then after ditch still very active in justness community. And then all leadership work that I did true with genocide survivor portraits stomach all my work with diasporan communities here in LA dominant Beirut. So it does revenue from a very leftist sudden activist source.

And in terms have available wisdom to share to honesty next generation.

Cross those marches. Make those connections. Speak fluke the similarity of narratives. Write about the global issues stray all people have to office with. Struggle against governments think it over are erasing our history, extermination us and denying whatever genuineness that we may have. Unfasten not be siloed.