Criterion

The exhibition, Criterion does not propose a fixed definition, but unfolds as a space for the coexistence of different perceptions, simultaneously revealing the incompatibility of different systems of measurement...

What does “criterion” mean as a standard of measurement? What does it mean to determine the measure of something, or to establish a clear unit of measure? And what happens when what we seek to measure cannot be measured?

The exhibition, Criterion, initiated by Achot Achot, M.Karo, and Narek Avetisyan at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, unfolds as a visual manifesto of their creative inquiries, grounded in the idea reflected in its title.

A criterion can be understood as an absolute state of a given phenomenon, according to which the existence or validity of something is determined in relation to that absolute. Humanity has an inherent tendency to define criteria; yet these conceptions often do not coincide. In this sense, although these three artists relate differently to the notion of “criterion,” their approaches share certain points of intersection—manifested not only in their visual language, but also in the spiritual and conceptual layers of their work.

The very questioning of art that lies in the core of contemporary art presupposes the existence of a certain criterion on the basis of which it becomes possible to perceive whether something is art or not. Yet one should not look in this exhibition only for the artists’ criterion-based understanding of art, since this project is directed toward a broader understanding of the phenomenon of “criterion.” The exhibition thus reflects on the criteria of God, spirit, love, art, and ultimately life itself—and on the possibility that these phenomena may, in fact, resist measurement.

In this project, at times, the criterion appears as a mode of measure—an attempt to establish visual units through which meaning can be perceived and compared. In other instances, it becomes an existential or metaphysical condition, tied to one’s place within notions of infinity or eternity. Elsewhere, it emerges as something deeply personal and relational, shaped around what resists clear definition or common understanding.

Thus, the exhibition, Criterion does not propose a fixed definition, but unfolds as a space for the coexistence of different perceptions, simultaneously revealing the incompatibility of different systems of measurement, whether in systematized, personal or spiritual realms.

The main body of the exhibition is presented in Eagle Gallery of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. However, the artists’ ideas are further revealed through new layers in Sasuntsi Davit Garden Gallery and Gallery One, including through the use of multimedia.