Sahak Poghosyan's Quinta del Sordo

December 01, 2023 – May 19, 2024 Sahak Poghosyan’s Quinta del Sordo (House of the Deaf)  is a monumental project displayed at Eagle and Sasuntsi Davit Garden galleries of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. It interweaves historical, conceptual, visual, and artistic narratives. To the uninitiated in art history, these works might appear not only peculiar but also bewildering and startling. Furthermore, even art professionals might find Poghosyan's interpretation of the Quinta del Sordo debatable. 

Unravelling the complex layers of this 'multi-storey' project requires a journey spanning two centuries. It begins in the era of Francisco Goya, where the foundational 'ground floor' was laid; then we need to take the 'stairs' of the 20th century with Pablo Picasso. Finally, one reaches the contemporary 'top floor' with Sahak Poghosyan's Quinta del Sordo, culminating in the 21st century.

How should we perceive his Quinta del Sordo? Is it a visual quotation, a reference, an allusion, a homage, or perhaps even plagiarism in the eyes of some? Indeed, the works featured in Eagle and Sasuntsi Davit Garden galleries aren't mere inspirations drawn from Picasso and Goya; they appear as replicas in certain aspects. Sahak Poghosyan's paintings exude a postmodernist, even metamodernist character, where the new pieces evoke a genuine connection with the past, to understand its relevance in the present, or to suggest new meanings and narratives.

Central to the artist's oeuvre is a tribute to Francisco Goya, seen by Sahak as the archetype of a free, independent artist. 
While it may seem that Poghosyan references Goya and Picasso individually, he consistently engages with Goya, even through Picasso's lens. 

The artist draws a link to Armenian historical and cultural realities through the themes of tragedy, sorrow, irony, and anti-utopia, which pervade the works of the Spanish painters. He does that in a strikingly unexpected manner. For Poghosyan, the 'House of the Deaf' symbolizes our current reality, where 'deafness' represents humanity's inattentiveness, and the 'house' embodies our planet. This exhibition is a call for introspection, urging us to listen, rather than simply hear.